A randomised prospective trial of intrauterine insemination versus timed intercourse in superovulated cycles with clomiphene. Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and intrauterine insemination for treating male subfertility: a controlled study. Evaluation of clomiphene citrate and human chorionic gonadotropin treatment: a prospective, randomized, crossover study during intrauterine insemination cycles. The clinical efficacy of low-dose step-up follicle stimulating hormone administration for treatment of unexplained infertility. Intrauterine insemination of washed spermatozoa for treatment of oligozoospermia. Intrauterine insemination or in-vitro fertilisation in idiopathic subfertility and male subfertility: a randomised trial and cost-effectiveness analysis. A randomized clinical trial to evaluate optimal treatment for unexplained infertility: the fast track and standard treatment (FASTT) trial. Randomized comparison of ovulation induction with and without intrauterine insemination in the treatment of unexplained infertility. Clinical pregnancy and male subfertility; the ESHRE multicentre trial on the treatment of male subfertility. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Despite its wide use, the benefits of intrauterine insemination (IUI), its over timed intercourse (TI) in couples with unexplained infertility is a matter of debate. Studies in Indian couples with unexplained infertility showing benefit of IUI over TI are not available. The present study was done with the objective of comparing TI and IUI with husband's sperm in couples with unexplained infertility undergoing superovulation with clomiphene.
                A total of 140 couples with unexplained infertility were subjected to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with clomiphene and prospectively randomized to receive either TI (group A) or IUI (group B). Complete follow up was available for 113 couples only.
                The pregnancy rate and cycle fecundity rate after COH/TI was 41 and 8.8 per cent and after COH/IUI 18 and 3.4 per cent respectively. The difference was statistically not significant.
                The findings of the present study showed that in women with unexplained infertility addition of IUI to ovulation induction does not improve conception rates. COH/TI can help to achieve good results and save the expense and discomfort due to a invasive procedure. In this randomized crossover trial we investigated whether the use of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with low-dose human menopausal gonadotrophin in couples with male subfertility leads to a higher probability of conception when intrauterine insemination (IUI) is applied. We also investigated whether the efficacy of IUI in natural or stimulated cycles was related to the severity of male subfertility. Seventy-four couples completed 308 treatment cycles. Thirteen pregnancies occurred after IUI in a natural cycle (pregnancy rate per completed cycle: 8.4%) and 21 after IUI in a stimulated cycle (pregnancy rate per completed cycle: 13.7%). The difference between the two treatment modalities was not statistically significant. The efficacy of IUI in stimulated cycles was related to the severity of the semen defect. In couples with a total motile sperm count < 10 x 10(6), ovarian stimulation did not improve treatment outcome, while it did in couples with a total motile sperm count > or = 10 x 10(6). Compared with the expected chance of conceiving spontaneously without treatment, both natural and stimulated cycles improved the probability of conception. We conclude that, for the group as a whole, ovarian stimulation did not improve the probability of conception. However, in couples with less severe semen defects, ovarian stimulation did improve the probability of conception. To test the hypothesis that in couples undergoing IUI, actively managed cycles using clomiphene citrate (CC) stimulation, ultrasound monitoring, and hCG timing will result in increased pregnancy rate (PR) per cycle compared with unstimulated urinary LH-timed cycles.
                Fifty-six couples with unexplained infertility (n = 26) or male factor infertility (n = 30) participated in the study.
                Tertiary academic medical center.
                Prospective, randomized, crossover. Couples were randomized initially to one of the two study groups (treatment A: LH-timed IUI; treatment B: CC-stimulated, hCG-timed IUI). If no pregnancy occurred, each couple alternated between the two regimens during subsequent cycles, up to a total of four cycles.
                Twenty-nine couples completed the study and the analysis of 95 cycles revealed that among the male factor infertility group, one pregnancy occurred during the 26 cycles of each treatment group (PR per cycle of 3.9% for both treatment groups). In contrast, among the unexplained infertility group, there was a marked difference in the effect of treatments. During treatment A only one pregnancy occurred in 20 cycles (PR of 5% per cycle) whereas during treatment B, six pregnancies occurred in 23 cycles (PR of 26.1% per cycle).
                If IUI is chosen as the treatment modality in unexplained infertility, the addition of active ovulation management that includes CC stimulation, ultrasound monitoring of folliculogenesis, and hCG timing of ovulation increases the PR per cycle. In couples with male infertility, PR per cycle is low and is apparently not affected by the addition of active ovulation management. The present study was designed to compare the clinical efficacy of low-dose step-up follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) administration with conventional FSH protocol (FSH was injected daily starting with a dose of 150 IU), both combined with intrauterine insemination (IUI), for the treatment of unexplained infertility. A total of 97 unexplained infertility couples was randomly assigned to one or other of the two treatment groups, either conventional FSH with IUI (48 patients) or low-dose step-up FSH with IUI (49 patients), and only the first treatment cycle was evaluated in each protocol. The difference in pregnancy rates per cycle was not statistically significant between the low-dose FSH group and the conventional group [seven of 49 (14.3%) and seven of 48 (14.6%) respectively]. A significant reduction in the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) was observed in the low-dose group (8.3% versus 27.1%, P < 0.05). The incidence of moderate OHSS requiring hospitalization was reduced significantly in the low-dose group (low-dose 0% versus conventional 16.7%, P < 0.01). However, the low-dose protocol did not completely prevent multiple pregnancies. Our results suggest that the low-dose step-up FSH treatment appeared to be useful for the treatment of unexplained infertility because of the high pregnancy rates and the significant decrease in the incidence of OHSS. Efficacy of intrauterine insemination (IUI) using washed spermatozoa for treatment of oligozoospermia was evaluated by a prospective randomized study in 50 couples, using LH-timed natural intercourse in the alternate menstrual cycles as a control. The quality of spermatozoa in terms of their concentration and motility before and after sperm washing was compared. Sperm motility increased significantly after sperm preparation but the number of sperm was reduced. Eight pregnancies occurred in 253 cycles of IUI with washed spermatozoa and clomiphene citrate-stimulated cycles (3.16% per cycle). Only one patient conceived in 242 LH-timed natural intercourse cycles (0.41% per cycle). Compared with LH-timed natural intercourse, IUI provided a significantly improved pregnancy rate. When the sperm count was < 5 x 10(6) per ml, no pregnancy occurred with the IUI method. Therefore, IUI is a of rather limited usefulness when the sperm quality is very poor. Few complications occurred after IUI, but included slight cervical contact bleeding and mild abdominal discomfort and/or cramps. In conclusion, IUI should be considered as a useful and relatively non-invasive therapeutic modality for treating caused by moderate oligozoospermia (> 5 x 10(6)/ml), when sexual intercourse fails. Couples affected by idiopathic subfertility or male subfertility have an estimated spontaneous conception rate of about 2% per cycle. Although various infertility treatments are available, counselling of a couple in their choice of treatment is difficult because of the lack of consistent data from good-quality comparative studies. We compared the results of treatment with intrauterine insemination (IUI) with those of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and did a cost-effectiveness analysis.
                In a prospective, randomised, parallel trial, 258 couples with idiopathic subfertility or male subfertility were treated for a maximum of six cycles of either IUI in the spontaneous cycle (IUI alone), IUI after mild ovarian hyperstimulation, or IVF. The primary endpoint was a pregnancy resulting in at least one livebirth after treatment. Cost-effectiveness based on real costs was studied by Markov chain analysis.
                86 couples were assigned IUI alone, 85 IUI plus ovarian hyperstimulation, and 87 IVF. Ten couples dropped out before treatment began. Although the pregnancy rate per cycle was higher in the IVF group than in the IUI groups (12.2% vs 7.4% and 8.7%, respectively; p=0.09), the cumulative pregnancy rate for IVF was not significantly better than that for IUI. Couples in the IVF group were more likely than those in the IUI groups to give up treatment before their maximum of six attempts (37 [42%] drop-outs vs 13 [15%] and 14 [16%], respectively; p<0.01). The woman's age was the only factor that influenced a couple's chance of success. IUI was a more cost-effective treatment than IVF (costs per pregnancy resulting in at least one livebirth 8423-10661 Dutch guilders [US$4511-5710] for IUI vs 27409 Dutch guilders [US$14679] for IVF).
                Couples with idiopathic or male subfertility should be counselled that IUI offers the same likelihood of successful pregnancy as IVF, and is a more cost-effective approach. IUI in the spontaneous cycle carries fewer health risks than does IUI after mild hormonal stimulation and is therefore the first-choice treatment. To determine the value of gonadotropin/intrauterine insemination (FSH/IUI) therapy for infertile women aged 21-39 years.
                Randomized controlled trial.
                Academic medical center associated with a private infertility center.
                Couples with unexplained infertility.
                Couples were randomized to receive either conventional treatment (n=247) with three cycles of clomiphene citrate (CC)/IUI, three cycles of FSH/IUI, and up to six cycles of IVF or an accelerated treatment (n=256) that omitted the three cycles of FSH/IUI.
                The time it took to establish a pregnancy that led to a live birth and cost-effectiveness, defined as the ratio of the sum of all health insurance charges between randomization and delivery divided by the number of couples delivering at least one live-born baby.
                An increased rate of pregnancy was observed in the accelerated arm (hazard ratio [HR], 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.56) compared with the conventional arm. Median time to pregnancy was 8 and 11 months in the accelerated and conventional arms, respectively. Per cycle pregnancy rates for CC/IUI, FSH/IUI, and IVF were 7.6%, 9.8%, and 30.7%, respectively. Average charges per delivery were $9,800 lower (95% CI, $25,100 lower to $3,900 higher) in the accelerated arm compared to conventional treatment. The observed incremental difference was a savings of $2,624 per couple for accelerated treatment and 0.06 more deliveries.
                A randomized clinical trial demonstrated that FSH/IUI treatment was of no added value.
                Copyright (c) 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to determine the possible role of ovulation induction with intrauterine insemination (IUI) in the treatment of unexplained infertility. A total of 100 patients were randomized to receive ovulation induction with or without IUI. All patients were treated with long-course gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa), starting in the luteal phase, and exogenous follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to induce follicular growth. Ovulation was induced using human chorionic gonadotrophin and timed intercourse (TI) was advised 24-48 h later or IUI was effected 36-48 h later. Both the cycle fecundities (21.8 and 8.5%) and the cumulative ongoing pregnancy rates after three cycles (42 and 20%) were significantly higher (P < 0.03) in the IUI group than in the TI group respectively. This is a clear indication that ovulation induction with IUI is an effective treatment method for unexplained infertility, but ovulation induction with TI has a negligible impact in this large group of patients. Ovulation induction alone, and ovulation induction in conjunction with one of four assisted procreation methods [intra-uterine insemination (IUI), intra-peritoneal insemination (IPI), gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) or in-vitro fertilization (IVF)] were tested as a treatment for male infertility in a prospective randomized trial. The trial when completed had generated data on 499 cycles from 346 patients. There was overwhelming evidence that some form of assisted procreation was beneficial, when compared to the spontaneous natural conception rate, which is generally assumed to be between 0.01 and 0.02 for male infertility. There was also firm evidence that IUI, GIFT or IVF (mean per cycle pregnancy rate 0.212) were superior to the remaining two treatments of IPI and ovulation induction alone (mean per cycle pregnancy rate 0.068). Duration of infertility and a diagnosis of endometriosis were the most important (adverse) pre-treatment factors detected.
There is evidence that IUI with OH increases the live birth rate compared to IUI alone. The likelihood of pregnancy was also increased for treatment with IUI compared to TI in stimulated cycles. One adequately powered multicentre trial showed no evidence of effect of IUI in natural cycles compared with expectant management. There is insufficient data on multiple pregnancies and other adverse events for treatment with OH. Therefore couples should be fully informed about the risks of IUI and OH as well as alternative treatment options.