Two different timings of intrauterine insemination for non-male infertility

Purpose: Our purpose was to assess the simplicity and convenience of treatment scheduled not on weekends, by comparing two different timings of intrauterine insemination (IUI) protocol. Methods: A prospective observational study of two different protocols of intrauterine insemination was designed. Two hundred and ten infertile couples with normal spermiograms were included in this study. Fifty-eight couples were treated with IUI 26 to 28 h after human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection plus timed intercourse within a 12- to 18-hr period and 147 couples had IUI 36 to 38 hr after hCG injection and timed intercourse within a 12- to 18-hour period. Pregnancy rates were compared with two different protocols of IUI. Results: The mean age, duration, and causes of infertility and the cycle characteristics following follicular stimulation were similar between the two groups. The cycle characteristics of follicular stimulation in the two treatment groups were not different. There also were no significant differences between the groups in the type of sperm concentration, sperm motility, and the percentage of sperm with normal morphology per insemination. The number of follicles greater than 17 mm per patient was not significantly different between the two groups. The pregnancy rate per cycle also was similar between the two groups in men with lower motile sperm numbers (<40 x 106) (23.6% vs. 23.4%) and in men with higher sperm numbers (≥40 x 10⁶) (25% vs. 24.4%). Conclusions: The different timing but similar efficacy of these two IUI protocols provides a practical choice to clinicians. The availability of both protocols may avoid unnecessary scheduling of clinical and laboratory work on weekends and holidays in women participating in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and IUI programs for treatment of non-male infertility.