Author: Allahbadia Gautam N, Merchant Rubina

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) has a major role in current fertility care as there is good evidence in the literature that IUI is the best first line treatment and most cost-effective procedure for moderate male factor subfertility. Furthermore, in couples with unexplained subfertility, IUI combined with ovulation induction, with clomiphene or gonadotropins, is often chosen before resorting to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The appropriateness of starting with these low and intermediate intensity treatments is supported by evidence that CC/IUI increases cycle fecundity two- to three-fold, and FSH/IUI, three- to five-fold over the baseline chance of pregnancy in this patient group. For these, as well as physical and spiritual reasons, IUI combined with ovulation induction is often a natural starting point for couples, especially when female age and duration of subfertility are favorable. The key to the success with IUI is the use of the most appropriate semen preparation techniques. These techniques, used in IUI, were developed to separate the motile morphological normal spermatozoa. This book on intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a splendid theoretical and practical guide with many issues relating to IUI, including proper semen analysis and morphology, semen preparation and semen cryopreservation.