IUI (Intrauterine Insemination)

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) places washed, concentrated sperm into the uterus through a thin tube, timed to ovulation. Fertilization, if it occurs, takes place in the fallopian tube. IUI bypasses the cervix, but it does not handle eggs outside the body.

IUI is less technically demanding than IVF. It requires no egg retrieval and no fertilization in a lab. It is used with donor sperm and with mild male factor infertility. It is also used for cervical factor infertility and for some couples whose reduced fertility has not been diagnosed. Pregnancy rates per cycle vary widely with age, sperm quality, and the underlying cause.

IUI addresses only the delivery of sperm. It does not identify or treat the condition that made this detour necessary. A couple may have sperm DNA fragmentation, a cycle disorder, or pelvic disease that no one has found. That couple still has those conditions after IUI.

From a restorative perspective, bypassing the filtering role of the cervix is a workaround. It neither diagnoses nor corrects the problem. The central question remains unanswered: why has this couple not conceived?

RRM-aligned methods do not use IUI. Instead, clinicians identify the most fertile days of a woman's cycle through ongoing charting. They improve hormonal and structural health in both partners. Couples then time fertility-focused intercourse to the peak day and the days around it.

The first evaluation includes both partners. He has a semen analysis, and she has a cycle and hormone assessment. When male factor is confirmed, clinicians investigate its cause rather than only the route of sperm delivery.