Difference Between IUI and IVF - Know Full Comparison

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a form of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) in which a woman’s eggs and a male’s sperm are fertilised outside the woman’s body in a laboratory. Before fertilising, the woman will receive fertility medication that stimulates her ovaries to produce multiple follicles. 
Once the eggs mature, they are retrieved through the vagina during a procedure called oocyte retrieval. Next, the retrieved eggs are combined with the sperm in the lab, and the embryos are transferred to the uterus after careful monitoring.

Doctors generally recommend IVF for couples who have been unsuccessful in getting pregnant for more than a year or who experience one or more of the following infertility problems:

1. Severely low male-sperm count and/or motility
2. Poor egg vitality
3. Blocked fallopian tubes untreatable with surgery
4. Lack of ovulation
5. Multiple miscarriages
6. Male partner with a history of vasectomy
7. Endometriosis (tissue similar to the uterus lining grows outside the uterus, on other parts of the body)
8. IVF surrogacy and egg donation

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), also called artificial insemination, is a simple procedure performed in the doctor’s office. IUI, a more common fertility treatment, is less invasive and less expensive than IVF. The doctor inserts the previously collected and processed sperm directly into the uterus during the procedure to reduce the distance between the sperm and the egg!
Before insertion, a semen sample is washed in the lab to separate the sperm from the seminal fluid. Next, the sperm is placed higher in the uterine cavity to bypass the cervix, making the passage to the fallopian tube much shorter. The goal of IUI is to improve the chances of fertilisation by increasing the number of healthy sperm reaching the fallopian tube. IUI is barely a one hour procedure wherein sperm processing takes 30 minutes,insertion of sperms in the uterine cavity takes 10 minutes and the patient is asked  to keep lying down for the next 10 minutes.
IUI is performed either with the help of fertility medications or during a woman’s natural ovulation cycle. Doctors generally recommend trying three rounds of IUI before moving on to IVF.

The doctor will likely suggest IUI for the following situations:-

1. Unexplained infertility
2. Mild male-factor infertility
3. Ovulation problems
4. Male partner faces difficulty ejaculating
5. Frozen sperm obtained before surgery
6. Getting pregnant using a donor’s sperm

Some medicine-induced side effects of these fertility treatments include:-

1. Bloating
2. Hot flashes
3. Ovarian cysts
4. Breast tenderness
5. Depression or mood swings
6. Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS): results in swollen, painful ovaries.

Both IVF and IUI are fertility treatments, but there are some differences between the two. The treatments differ in their process, cost, success rate, and duration. The following table summarises the differences between IVF and IUI.

Parameters	IVF	IUI
Procedure	The eggs and sperm are fertilised in a laboratory, and the embryo is transferred to the uterus.	The healthcare provider directly injects the sperm into the uterus.
Fertilisation location	Laboratory	Female’s body
Length of procedure	About three weeks	Approximately two weeks
Goal/ Scope	Treat both mild or severe male and female infertility	Treat mild male infertility
Production of eggs	Around 15 mature eggs	One or two eggs
Anaesthesia requirement	Yes	No
Invasiveness	More invasive	Less invasive
Average cost	Rs 95,000 to Rs 2,50,000	Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000
Success rate	About 50% below 35 years of age	About 5-20% per cycle

Undergoing fertility treatments do not guarantee a baby. However, they do increase the chances of getting pregnant. Though IVF has a higher success rate, the right procedure depends on the individual body’s needs and goals. Let’s look at the best option for certain goals:-

1. Cost-effective: IUI costs less per cycle and usually works for women within three cycles. 
2. Faster pregnancy: IVF can help faster pregnancy compared to those who start with IUI and later switch to IVF. 
3. Reducing risks: IUI has fewer overall risks than IVF. 
4. Least invasive: IUI is the least invasive of the two options. 
5. Family planning: IVF allows freezing unused embryos for later use. This is not possible for IUI.

Consulting a healthcare specialist is the first step while assessing your infertility issues and deciding on the best course of action. It is also important to research the success rate of the healthcare facility before making the decision. The team of expert doctors at HexaHealth can help you choose the best fertility treatment after carefully evaluating your needs and goals. Get in touch with us to ensure quality services from consultation to aftercare.