IUI or IVF?

[Illdoitinabit]

Morning,

Husband and I been TTC since Feb 18. We've both had test done and we're both all ok, we're unexplained infertility unfortunately.

We had an appointment last week at a private clinic and the Dr advised we can try IUI or IVF, at this point it was dependent on hubby sperm analysis results which we got a few days later from the NHS. The private clinic is going to call me today and discuss what we want our next steps to be, IUI doesn't have as high of a success rate as IVF however I feel like we should at least try it, but then a moment later I think go straight to IVF.

Can anyone offer any advice from a personal point of view rather then a clinical? Do you have any stories you can share with me?

Thank you

[Robs20]

I asked the same question a few months back and was told to go for IVF. I ignored advice (in my late 20s, otherwise healthy, I’ve had a previous pregnancy and using high quality donor sperm) and believed iui would work. Clinic advised 3 rounds of iui. I am currently sitting in the clinic waiting for my ivf consultation....
If you have time iui is much much easier and less invasive (I took no drugs apart from the trigger shots) so you could try a couple of rounds.
Happy to answer any other questions you have.

[Zest11]

Hello!

Similar position to you. We tried IUI first as I just couldn't get my head round IVF. Unfortunately it didn't work for us (we had 3 goes). We just had our first fresh IVF which also didn't work but have some frozen left over. I would say give it a try, maybe once and then IVF if it doesn't work. What was good about IUI was that my cervix was pretty tight so in preparation for IVF they dilated it. Not sure if they would have done that if we hadn't had IUI. How old are you? It may also be worth asking how long you will have to wait from IUI. We were able to move onto IVF on our very next cycle and could have had less IUIs if I wanted.

[Lauren83]

I would skip the IUI and go straight to IVF, as you say the success rates are much lower plus the costs soon add up for multiple cycles and before you know if you have spent the same as an IVF cycle, I think it's often a good option for those who can't try naturally such as single and lesbian couples using donor sperm when there's no fertility problems but if you have been trying yourselves and nothings happened I wouldn't waste your time and money on it

[Anaesthetist83]

I think if just depends upon likely timescales. At the clinic I was treated at, i was given a realistic timeframe of 6 to 9 months for 3 cycles of IUI due to capacity issues and other logistics. I felt stressed out by the lack of control and ongoing unknowns. My cons tried to convince me to go for IUI first as it’s less invasive but in the end we made a decision to skip this for IVF (mainly for psychological reasons). We were referred in June and I’ve just got home from egg collection this morning.

[Illdoitinabit]

Thank you for all of your replies. I think we're going to go ahead with the IVF. IUI to me just sounds like conception without the sex, unfortunately this hasn't been working for us for the last 18 months.

[Malyshek]

Hello ! I know I'm a bit late for any advice, but just in case you (or someone else reading) finds this useful...

When I decided to have an iui I didn't know the low success rates (10-20% depending on maternal age). I'm glad I didn't, or the process would have been so much more stressful !

I have no fertility issues, had an iui because I'm single. Turned out to have a 50% success rates (1 ds, 1 early mc, and just got a bfp after the last attempt twelve days ago, so fingers crossed on this one). So, three bfp out of six attempts. No hormones at all, not even a trigger shot, I just used ovulation tests.

So, iui can and does work, however I believe success rates when there are fertility issues would be much lower. Like you said, it's like ttc minus the sex. The one difference being that they wash the sperm beforehand, so that can make a difference.

Financially speaking I pay 2500€/attempt, so my son cost 5000 and number 2 (if he sticks around this time) will have cost 10.000 (including flight tickets, hotels, donor sperm and the iui procedure itself).

Like other people have said the costs of multiple rounds add up quickly, I think number 2 will have cost as much as one ivf cycle. The big difference for me is that this way I didn't have to pump myself full of hormones, which is always a good point. Plus, ivf/iui is illegal in the country where I live currently (somewhere around the middle east) so it'd have been hard to get a medical follow up prior to insemination. Or else I'd have had to book 3 weeks vacation in the country where I'm having the procedure done (which I could have done maybe once/twice, but not multiple times)

For people with fertility issues, I think moving on straight to ivf is a good call, unless the infertility is solely male factor. Also, the max efficiency of iui is around 3-4 cycles, so if you don't get pregnant after those I would move on to ivf too.

Hope that was helpful, wish you the best of luck !

[Malyshek]

You may also be able to supplement an iui with clomid to improve chances but I believe most clinics are reluctant to do the procedure when you have more than 2 follicles, because of the chances/risks of multiples

[strawberrysummer19]

@Copperpan123 I found this x

[IAmSickOfWaiting]

I think this is a really tough one as we obviously can’t tell the future.

My husband and I started trying when we were 22. After a couple of years of waiting and investigations, my husband was given the all clear and I was (eventually) diagnosed with endo and issues ovulating sometimes.

We had no reason to try anything other than the 6 clomid with timed intercourse rounds that were recommended to us in the hope it’d fix the ovulation issue. We were 24 at this point. I had a chemical on cycle 5 unfortuntely.

We were then recommended to try 2 cycles of gonal f injections with timed intercourse. They told us we could go straight to IVF if we wanted. My gut told me it was a waste of time. I wish I went with my gut in hindsight. We started gonal f when I was 26 which was August last year. They failed. We then got put on the waiting list for IVF. So we wasted 10 months on gonal f (waiting list and actual cycles) PLUS it made our waiting for IVF 6 months longer as covid happened.

Anyway, if I was to do it all again, I’d probably have accepted the gonal f cycles, as that was the norm and what was being recommended to us. Still, I wish we didn’t. It was a total waste of time.

My husband and I’s decision would have been totally different if we were maybe 8 year older (so 35). We would probably just have gone to the ‘gold standard’ of fertility treatment instead of gonal f. Because we were still quite young, we weren’t as worried about making progress while my eggs are still good.

I’m now 28 and I had our first egg retrieval in August this year. Our fresh transfer failed and I start prep tomorrow for our next transfer.

In terms of your case, I’d probably jump to IVF. It’s tough though as I think age does matter (I don’t know how old you are). It’s also tough when you have unexplained, as IVF would probably shed some light on that. With clomid, you could be trying something that may not work from day 1! You just don’t know!

Good luck ❤️