2011 Volume 58 Issue 1,2 Pages 127-133
Objective: To assess the effects of semen characteristics on the success of intrauterine insemination (IUI). Design: A retrospective study. Settings: The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokushima University Hospital, Japan. Patients: Between 2004 and 2008, 1,177 IUI cycles in 283 couples were studied. Intervention: IUI cycles were preceded with ovarian stimulation. Main Outcome Measure: Clinical pregnancy. Result: A total of 82 clinical pregnancies were obtained (7.0% pregnancy rate per cycle, 28.9% per case). Their subsequent outcomes of pregnancies were 18 miscarriages (21.9%), 2 ectopic pregnancies (2.4%) and 60 live births (73.2%). Of the 82 clinical pregnancies, 2 were twin pregnancies (2.4%). There was no triple or higher order multiple pregnancies. At the end of the sixth cycle, 73 clinical pregnancies had been achieved (89.0%). After diagnostic laparoscopy, the pregnancy rate per cycle for patients ≤35 years age was 18%, which is significantly higher than that of patients >35 years of age. Pregnancies occurred up to the fifth cycle after laparoscopy. The pregnancy rate (PR) per cycle was significantly higher in cases of sperm movement rates more than 30% (PR 9.3%) and total motile sperm counts more than 10×106/ml (PR 8.2%). A study comparing the washed and unwashed cases did not reveal any differences. Conclusion: In male sub-fertility cases of sperm parameters as motility rates ≥30% and motile sperm concentration ≥10×106/ml, IUI could be a useful option for infertility treatment J. Med. Invest. 58: 127-133, February, 2011
