Understanding the minimal stimulation IUI process at Texas Fertility Center New Braunfels

Minimal stimulation IUI, or intrauterine insemination, is an artificial insemination technique that relies on reduced amounts of oral and injectable fertility medications to produce mild ovarian stimulation. Intrauterine insemination requires collecting the male partner’s sperm cells and separating them from the seminal fluid in a laboratory. The fertility specialist then introduces a concentrated specimen containing the highest-quality sperm into the woman’s uterus through a small catheter at the time of ovulation.

Using fertility medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs improves the chances of pregnancy in IUI. Some women may respond to a reduced amount of fertility medication, making minimal stimulation IUI a viable alternative to the conventional gonadotropin (injectable medication) protocol.

In this type of IUI, the patient takes an oral fertility drug, such as letrozole, along with injectable gonadotropins prior to IUI. This protocol may be referred to as a combo cycle.

How minimal stimulation IUI works

In preparation for IUI, the patient typically takes letrozole on days 3 to 7 of the menstrual cycle, for a period of 5 days. A single gonadotropin injection is then administered.

When ultrasound confirms that the follicles are mature, the patient gets an injection to induce ovulation (usually Ovidrel). We usually perform intrauterine insemination 36 hours after the Ovidrel is administered.

Women considering this form of IUI should discuss the therapy with their reproductive endocrinologist. For the right candidate, minimal stimulation IUI offers the following advantages:

• Lower cost than a conventional gonadotropin protocol
• Reduced number of injections, which means fewer office visits and less intense monitoring
• Improved pregnancy rate over natural cycle IUI and oral fertility drugs alone
• Less risk of multiples when compared to conventional gonadatropin stimulation

To learn more about this form of IUI, contact Texas Fertility Center New Braunfels today to schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Hudson.