New here, please explain IUI to me.

I am going to and RE in 2 weeks. Today, my regular OB/GYN told me that the RE would probably start with IUI. I don't think that I need Clomid, because I have a regular cycle and I ovulate.

When you get an IUI, do you take a drug/injectible with it??

What does it cost? Our insurance only covers up to the diagnosis of infertility, but no treatments. We will have to pay ourselves.

How many times does it take to be successful on average?

Thanks, Tara

Re: New here, please explain IUI to me.

Good luck with the RE. Bring him/her your medical records and any charts too. I ovulated and had regular cycles. Has DH had a SA?

RE had me on a very low dose of Clomid for more follicles to develop (therefore more targets....I usually made 2 this way) and they say, better quality ones. My RE had me use an hCG trigger to release the eggs so I would release from both follicles. The IUIs were a breeze for me.

I have insurance coverage (so I paid nothing to the RE, just a co-pay on bloodwork to the lab) but this is a rundown of the costs my insurance paid my RE.

$340 u/s monitoring
$22 bloodwork
(each time I went for monitoring)

$25 to administer the hCG shot

$210 for a basic sperm wash (each time)
$110 more if they really had to clean it up with another procedure

$264 for each IUI

I've heard you can get Clomid for decent prices at Walmart and Target.

Re: New here, please explain IUI to me.

There are a few ways to do IUI's and it really depends on the issues at hand.

If you have a regular cycle and you ovulate, do you know if your tubes are blocked or not? Is the issue your DH?

If your tubes are blocked - IUI won't be an option, you would need IVF.

If it's male factor, then IUI is a definite option.

Most RE's might do a non-medicated cycle if everything is normal and time the IUI with your ovulation. What they do is insert a catheter of your DH's cleaned sperm into your uterus and inject them. This gives the sperm a better chance of reaching the egg.

As far as pricing...you would have to talk to the insurance company. There are generally a lot of office visits with RE's for monitoring, etc. Our old insurance covered IUI's but not IVF and the co-pay was $40/visit. This meant we were spending upwards of $300/month on fertility - but I was on injectables/IUI so I had to go in every three days for monitoring. If you are paying yourself, you may want to talk to the RE and see if they can give you pricing.

IUI increases your odds of getting PG 10-20% over intercourse. It doesn't sound like a lot, but if you are talking about male factor it's a big jump cuz the sperm don't have to swim nearly as much.

Good luck!

Re: New here, please explain IUI to me.

As always, Gerty's information is great! To see if your tubes are blocking, the RE may send you for an HSG.

Everyone is different with what works and how long it takes. You will probably get a lot of different answers. For me, IUI worked on the second try.