Everything you need to know about intrauterine insemination (IUI) irrigation

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by MSc, BS. Nguyen Thi Nhu Trang - Reproductive Support Center - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. The doctor has strengths and experience in performing specialized techniques in the IVF Lab such as ICSI, biopsies for preimplantation genetic diagnosis, thawing embryos, oocytes...
Irrigation and intrauterine insemination (IUI) are the most popular methods of infertility treatment and assisted reproduction today. Filter wash and pump sperm to help the wife get pregnant naturally with low cost, high safety, great success rate. Here are the things that patients need to know about the insemination of spermatozoa.

1. What is sperm washing filter?

Sperm washing is an operation to clean sperm, select quality sperm to inject into the uterine cavity or put in a test tube, to perform artificial insemination.
The principle of sperm washing filter is that after sperm is removed from the male body, it will be put into an available chemical to create a sperm culture environment. Then, the sperm is put into a centrifuge to separate healthy sperm from weak sperm, dead sperm, malformed sperm or sperm containing pathogens and toxins. Finally, it is filtered to collect healthy sperm for intrauterine insemination or IVF.
Two popular sperm washing techniques today are the Gradient concentration scale and the Swim up scale.

2. What is intrauterine insemination?

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the insertion of washed sperm into a woman's uterus. The purpose of sperm injection into the uterus is to increase the sperm count and shorten the distance the sperm needs to travel, helping the sperm reach the egg more easily and in a larger number, thereby increasing the ability to fertility.

3. When to pump sperm into the uterus?

Infertility cases where sperm injection is applied to the uterus include:
Mildly weak sperm in quantity and quality, anti-sperm antibodies Slight pelvic adhesions Infertility due to abnormalities in the neck Uterine Unexplained Infertility The condition to perform intrauterine insemination is that the wife must have at least one well-functioning fallopian tube and ovulate during the procedure.

4. How much sperm after washing is best?

Indicators used to evaluate sperm before and after washing include semen volume, sperm density, progressive motility and total motile sperm count. Recent studies have shown that sperm concentration from 10 million to 20 million, motile sperm ratio above 30%, and motile sperm count after washing over 5 million are factors that help increase the probability and rate of pregnancy. success.

5. The process of pumping sperm into the uterus

The husband will manually collect sperm at home or at the hospital and bring it to the laboratory for purification. However, to ensure the quality of sperm, it is best for the husband to collect sperm at the hospital. If collected at home, it should be brought to the patient as soon as possible, up to 60 minutes.
After washing, selecting the best sperm, sperm will be put into a small catheter to pump into the wife's uterus.
The whole process of injecting sperm into the uterine cavity only takes about 3-5 minutes. After pumping, the wife should rest for 15-20 minutes so that the sperm has the best time and conditions to swim to meet the egg. After returning home the woman can do normal activities but should limit heavy labor.
The method of injecting sperm into the uterus does not cause pain. Some cases of bleeding after sperm injection. If you feel discomfort, abdominal tightness after sperm injection, you need to go to the hospital for examination so that the doctor can examine and have timely treatment methods.

6. Does sperm flow out after pumping?

Unlike fresh sperm, washed sperm has been concentrated in a small volume, so when put into the uterus, sperm cannot flow out.
In some cases, the wife feels that the vagina is watery and wet, so she shouldn't be too worried. It could be an antiseptic saline solution that your doctor uses to clean your vagina and cervix, or cervical mucus.

7. The best time to inject sperm into the uterus

The best time to inject sperm into the uterus with double injection is 24 hours and 48 hours after the injection of hCG ovulation pills. If pumping 1 time, it should be done 34-40 hours after CG injection.

8. The success rate of the method of washing and pumping sperm

Research shows that the success rate of IUDs varies from 6 to 26%, depending on the cause of infertility, sperm quality and number of follicles. The better the sperm quality, the higher the number of follicles, the higher the success rate of conception. However, the best number of follicles is from 3 to 4, if there are more follicles, the rate of multiple pregnancy will increase.
The health of the husband and wife is one of the factors that greatly affect the success of the method of washing and pumping sperm. Before performing this method, couples need to prepare well physically and psychologically to achieve the best conception effect.

9. Is it necessary to abstain from sex before and after sperm injection?

Before injecting sperm into the uterus, you should abstain from sex for 3 - 5 days to increase the quality of sperm collected for washing.
After the sperm is injected into the uterus, you can have normal sex.

10. Notes when performing the sperm pump washing method

For the wife

Improve nutrition, eat more nutritious foods, foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals

Limit fast foods, unpasteurized foods, unprocessed foods such as fish salad, raw meat, fresh milk, poached eggs... can increase the risk of fetal infection. Minimize foods that cause uterine contractions, increase the risk of miscarriage such as: green papaya, purslane, apple catnip, laksa leaves... Add iron, folic acid to the body, drink 400mcg acid folic acid/day for 1-3 months before performing washing and sperm injection. Eat plenty of foods rich in iron and folic acid such as: lean meat, sea fish, morning glory, spinach, cereals, bread, .. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day to improve health Stay healthy, stay away from infectious pathogens Get vaccinated against rubella, flu, chickenpox Control your weight, don't lose too much weight, don't gaining weight too quickly Gynecological examination and treatment of gynecological diseases if any Oral examination Do not expose to sources of toxic chemicals, hazardous detergents... Do not smoke; do not drink alcohol, tea, coffee; do not use stimulants Keep your mind at ease, do not let yourself be stressed, pressured, stressed.

For the husband

Eat enough nutrients Eat lots of foods good for sperm, rich in folic acid, zinc, vitamin C such as: oysters, beef, seafood, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables... Exercise at least 30 minutes per day Limit heavy labor, overwork Do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, do not use stimulants Avoid exposure to dust, toxic chemicals Have a reasonable working and resting regime reasonable, keep psychological comfort, avoid stress, fatigue Do not wear tight clothes, sit for too long

11. Where should I filter and pump sperm?

Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the leading medical facilities today in the field of infertility treatment. Vinmec invests a lot of modern and most advanced machinery and equipment in the world to implement assisted reproductive methods. The equipment system meets international standards, improving the success rate of conception.

At Vinmec International General Hospital, sperm washing technique is indicated for cases of sperm injection into the uterus or in vitro fertilization. The sperm washing method we use is the Gradient concentration scale and the Swim-up method depending on sperm density and quality.
Currently, Vinmec is implementing most of the advanced assisted reproductive techniques in the world such as: filtering and injecting sperm into the uterus, injecting sperm into the oocyte cytoplasm, reproductive reserve, and assisted reproductive technology. Embryos... the success rate is quite high, bringing joy to many long-term infertile couples.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.