15% success rate for IUI seems very low

[Anonymous]

The 15% success rate for IUI seems very low. Yes it's less medication and no egg retrieval but the low success rate makes it seem like the odds are very low of success. And there's still a significant amount of medication involved. What was your decision process when you decided to try it vs. going to IVF? I'm referring to medicated IUI.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the cause of your infertility, I think. I have mild PCOS and don't ovulate regularly, but hormone levels were good and plenty of follicles. We also have a little male side issues but sperm quality/quantity was great. IUI worked for us: 4th try for my first child and 1st cycle for my second (8 weeks pregnant now). So, our infertility issues were not super significant but due to my age, having children quickly was important, so starting with IUI worked well for us.

[Anonymous]

I almost skipped IUI because we were not good candidates. Then I discovered insurance covered most of the cost so I figured we'd just do one while waiting to start IVF.

First time was the charm.

[Anonymous]

My DH's numbers were low enough to cause problems but not impossibly low so the doc suggested two rounds of IUI before moving on. I took Clomid to improve our chances and got twins on the first try. We later had baby number 3 on our own but it took about a year of trying. (I had just made an appointment when I got the BFP.)

[Anonymous]

It is low, but that shouldn't be surprising. A regular old fertile couple timing things well has about a 25% chance of conceiving per month. The IUI is sort of a low tech way of trying to mimic that. It helps you get the timing exactly right and maybe gives the sperm a little boost. But it's not magic.

It's worth trying IMO (unless you have severe MFI), because it's so much cheaper and quicker than IVF. If it works, great, and if not, you move on.

[Anonymous]

Is IUI worth it if there is no male factor but the issue is decreased ovarian reserve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is IUI worth it if there is no male factor but the issue is decreased ovarian reserve?

I doubt it.

[Anonymous]

Well you have to remember, fertile people don't use IUIs. So you are already looking a population with lowered chances, for whatever reason.

I was unexplained. I did 6 IUIs. None worked. I got pregnant naturally 2 months after the last one, after 2+ years of trying. I don't know why. I suspect maybe I had some endometriosis, but not sure. I only think that because I got pregnant quickly 3 times after my DD (two losses, 1 in progress and going well). I've read that endo can be cleared up during a pregnancy, and my periods post-baby were much lighter/less cramping. But who knows, that's all speculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is IUI worth it if there is no male factor but the issue is decreased ovarian reserve?

possibly. I have DOR and got a BFP on my first clomid TI cycle. DOR means IVF doesn't have great odds while still being super expensive, but with clomid i had two good-looking follicles and we knew exactly when I ovulated. Now, nothing to be done about egg *quality*-- you roll the dice. I miscarried a singleton with a chromosome issue. My insurance covers timed intercourse but not IUI/IVF. As always, Your Mileage May Vary.

[Anonymous]

It is low, but that shouldn't be surprising. A regular old fertile couple timing things well has about a 25% chance of conceiving per month. The IUI is sort of a low tech way of trying to mimic that. It helps you get the timing exactly right and maybe gives the sperm a little boost. But it's not magic.

It's worth trying IMO (unless you have severe MFI), because it's so much cheaper and quicker than IVF. If it works, great, and if not, you move on.

+1

Yup, it worked for me on the first cycle, when I thought I was destined for much more expensive/invasive treatment. I'm grateful for that.

[Anonymous]

Worked great for us. Made me ovulate. Not much medication with iui versus ivf. Iui just had clomid and an ovidrel shot.

[Anonymous]

My RE told me that we'd exhaust the emotional cost of IUI before the financial cost of it - and he was right. We did 3 total - I got pregnant on all 3 (miscarried the first one). My FSH was 27, so we were told like 1% odds of success or something, but thought we'd try one just to see and it worked. My friends that did like 7 IUIs were so exhausted going into IVF that they had wished that they'd moved on sooner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My RE told me that we'd exhaust the emotional cost of IUI before the financial cost of it - and he was right. We did 3 total - I got pregnant on all 3 (miscarried the first one). My FSH was 27, so we were told like 1% odds of success or something, but thought we'd try one just to see and it worked. My friends that did like 7 IUIs were so exhausted going into IVF that they had wished that they'd moved on sooner.

Really? I "only" did three, but emotionally, I found IUI failure a walk in the park compared to IVF failure.

[Anonymous]

I did 3 IUIs because they were required before IVF. When I started, I never wanted to do IVF at all.
After 3 BFN from IUI, I truly believe that they were a waste of time.
For my second child, I went directly to NC IVF.

The PITA appointments are the same with IUI and IVF except for the retrieval, which I didn't find to be a big deal.

Don't waste time on IUIS, it's emotionally exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The PITA appointments are the same with IUI and IVF.

This may be true for NCIVF (I wouldn't know), but it's absolutely not true for medicated IVF. It is a far far more involved process than IUI.

If you have a 15% chance of IUI working per cycle, I say keep your expectations in check and do it.