Outcomes after intrauterine insemination are independent of provider type

Factors affecting clinical pregnancy rates after IUI for the treatment of unexplained infertility and mild male subfertility

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate intrauterine insemination (IUI) clinical experiences and to define the variables for predicting success.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The present study was an observational trial performed in a private IVF center on subfertile couples who had applied for treatment between 2002 and 2012, in which the data of 503 IUI cases were retrospectively reviewed. Couples who had been diagnosed with unexplained and mild male subfertility were included. The primary outcome measure was the clinical pregnancy rate in an attempt to form a predictive model for the odds of a clinical pregnancy. Recorded parameters were used to determine the prediction model.

RESULTS

Utilizing univariate logistic regression analysis, clinical pregnancy was positively associated with the duration of infertility (OR=1.09, p=0.089), secondary infertility (OR=1.77, p=0.050), and +4 sperm motility after preparation (OR=1.03, p=0.091). Following an adjustment analysis involving a multivariate logistic regression, clinical pregnancy was still found to positively associate with secondary infertility (OR=2.51, p=0.008).

CONCLUSION

IUI success in secondary infertile couples who were in the unexplained infertility and mild male subfertility groups was higher than that in primary infertile couples, and the chances of pregnancy increased as sperm numbers with +4 motility increased. It is difficult to concomitantly evaluate all these parameters and to determine a predictive parameter in IUI independent from other factors.

Omics in Reproductive Medicine: Application of Novel Technologies to Improve the IVF Success Rate

Treatment for many infertile couples often consists of in vitro fertilization (IVF) but an estimated 70% of IVF cycles fail to produce a live birth. In an attempt to improve the live birth rate, the vast majority of IVF cycles performed in the United States involve the transfer of multiple embryos, a practice that increases the risk of multiple gestation pregnancy. This is a concern because multiple gestation pregnancies are associated with an increased incidence of maternal and fetal complications and significant cost associated with the care of preterm infants. As the ideal outcome of each IVF cycle is the birth of a single healthy baby, significant effort has focused on identifying embryos with the greatest developmental potential. To date, selection of euploid embryos using comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) is the most promising approach while metabolomic and proteomic assessment of spent culture medium have the potential to noninvasively assess embryo viability. Endometrial gene expression profiling may help determine the optimal time to perform embryo transfer. While CCS has been implemented in some clinics, further development and optimization will be required before analysis of spent culture medium and endometrial gene expression profiling make the transition to clinical use. This review will describe efforts to identify embryos with the greatest potential to result in a healthy, live birth, with a particular emphasis on detection of embryo aneuploidy and metabolic profiling of spent embryo culture medium. Assessment of endometrial receptivity to identify the optimal time to perform embryo transfer will also be discussed.