IUI: Intrauterine Insemination
Hi friends!
Everyone who knows me knows that I am a fertility nerd. If you aren’t already following my IG page, go check out @midwifejordyn. On Saturdays I post Sex Fact Saturday with all sorts of great information that all of us should know about our bodies.
It took about 2 weeks after getting my CPM that I was desperate to start some courses again, and I chose a course on IUI. My plan is to start providing this service to families and individuals soon.
People who benefit from IUI generally have tried to conceive naturally without success in the last 12 months. The process of IUI includes a sperm sample either from a donor or a partner, it then goes through a process of being “washed”, where the sperm is separated from the other fluid. Then it’s drawn up into a sterile syringe and inserted into the uterus during the most fertile part of the month, at ovulation. It really shouldn’t be any more uncomfortable than a pap smear.
The benefit of IUI is that it gets those swimmers closer to where they need to go. Sperm generally meet the fertile egg in the fallopian tube. Our bodies are really incredible and it’s wild how it knows how to do things right, but sometimes it isn’t so straight forward. Sperm are graded based on the total amount, the speed they move, the shape of them and their ability to stay alive.
Some people trying to get pregnant just need a little help, and IUI is a good place to start when thinking about infertility and which steps should be next.
IUI can also be beneficial for same sex couples and those choosing to parent solo. There are lots of reasons for choosing IUI and I’m glad to soon be a provider to help people conceive in an out-of-hospital and out-of-fertility-facility setting. The benefits of choosing IUI with a midwife is getting more personalized care and it also is much less expensive.
Before starting an IUI cycle you and your partner (if applicable) meet with the midwife to do some general blood testing to make sure you are healthy and ready for a pregnancy. We talk about preconception health and get your body prepared to conceive which is vitally important to having the best outcomes. Then the actual insemination occurs according to your unique cycle. After the insemination, we get together again in a couple weeks to either celebrate a success or make a plan for continuing to work toward pregnancy.
Choosing me to do IUI for you doesn’t mean you have to choose me as your midwife. You can still go to your hospital based OB or whoever else aligns with your values. My goal is to meet you where you are.
Are you interested in IUI or know someone who would be interested?
Feel free to pass my information along.
