Are you tired of failing IUI repeatedly and thinking of giving up? Then this article is for you.
IUI is an assisted reproductive technology that has proven to have a high success rate in couples with minor infertility issues. However, sometimes, no matter how many times you try, IUI won’t be able to give you the desired results.
What do you do in such cases? Should you give up, or are there any other treatment methods you can opt for to become pregnant? Let’s discuss all these in this article.
After 4 Failed IUIs, What’s Next?
Failing once or twice in your IUI won’t affect you that much. However, failing 4 times repeatedly can take a toll on you, both physically and emotionally.
Most times, your fertility doctor will not allow IUI to fail more than once or twice. Your IUI success rate will also increase as the number of cycles increases.
This is because, after the first IUI failure, your fertility doctor will assess your condition and diagnose the root cause of the failure. This will help you avoid those issues and increase your success rate in future cycles.
However, if IUI doesn’t work for you, no matter how many cycles you undergo, it is best to look for other advanced treatment options like IVF, ICSI, etc.
Unlike IUI, where the sperm is injected into the uterus, and you have no surety that fertilization will happen, IVF and ICSI assure fertilization and quality embryos.
So, if you feel like IUI is no longer the right choice in your fertility journey, you can discuss it with your fertility doctor and choose the best alternative treatment option for you.
How Many IUIs Should You Try Before Moving On?
Your doctor will mostly recommend IUI if you or your partner have any infertility issues that make it difficult for you to achieve a natural pregnancy.
In such cases, you might have to undergo more than one IUI cycle to become pregnant successfully. So, how many cycles should you try before giving up and looking for other fertility treatment methods?
On average, your fertility doctor will recommend you try at least 3–6 IUI cycles before choosing an alternate method.
Alternative Treatment Options
Is IUI not working for you, no matter how many times you try? Don’t worry; even if IUI does not work for you, there are alternate treatment options you can go for to achieve pregnancy. Let’s discuss those methods one by one below.
IVF (In vitro fertilization)
IVF is a revolutionary fertility treatment method that has given hope to millions of individuals and couples around the world. In IVF, the egg and sperm are collected from the partners, and the fertilization happens in a laboratory under the supervision of an embryologist.
This method ensures that fertilization happens and only the improved best-quality eggs are transferred into the uterus for implantation. This can significantly increase success rates.
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)
ICSI differs from IVF only in the fertilization method. In IVF, the eggs and sperm are left in a lab dish overnight, and the sperm swims to the egg for fertilization.
In an ICSI treatment, however, a single, high-quality sperm is injected directly into a high-quality egg. This ensures that the resulting embryo is of high quality and increases the chances of pregnancy even more.
Donor egg, sperm, or embryo
In cases where you or your partner have low-quality eggs or sperm, you can choose to use a donor egg or sperm in your place for fertilization. The egg or sperm will be collected from only highly fertile and healthy individuals. So, couples need not worry about the quality of the embryo.
In cases where both partners have severe infertility issues, the couple can choose to use a donor embryo to achieve pregnancy.
Conclusion
It is normal for you to feel stressed after repeated IUI failures. However, you don’t need to worry about it too much. There is still hope for you to get pregnant and have your own baby successfully.
Even if IUI does not work for you, you can opt for the other fertility treatment options we discussed above. Discuss this with your fertility specialist and choose the fertility treatment method that works best for you and your fertility condition.
After an IUI failure, your doctor will analyze and try to understand the cause of the failure. You will also feel tired after the procedure. You can take adequate rest, recover, and try IUI again after a few months.
According to studies, during each IUI cycle, your success rate will increase by 5–10 %. So, if you have a 25% success rate during your first cycle, you will have a 30–35% success rate in your second IUI cycle.
On average, it takes most couples at least two or three IUI cycles to successfully get pregnant. The success rate during the first IUI cycle will be around 20–25%. Your success rate will increase as the number of IUI cycles increases.
