What is the difference between IVF/ICSI & IUI?
Both intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) are fertility treatments used for people having fertility issues & struggling to conceive.
People are often can’t tell the difference between an IUI and an IVF treatment, the medical terminology for fertility treatments. Learning the acronyms can be overwhelming so let’s break down IUI and IVF to clarify the difference between these fertility treatments.
The main difference between an IUI and IVF treatments are:
IVF is a process involving egg stimulation, retrieval, fertilization, and transfer; while IUI is just injecting sperm into the uterus to decrease the sperm’s travel time to the egg.
IVF treatment is a process that consists of five steps including:
1- Pre-cycle diagnostic testing
2- Ovarian stimulation to produce several eggs during one cycle
3- Egg retrieval
4- Egg Fertilization in the laboratory via conventional fertilization or ICSI
5- Transfer of the embryos into the uterus.
So Generally IVF or ICSI is a process of fertilizing the collected eggs in vitro ( Lab.), starting by Ovarian stimulation on the 2nd day of the period, where an intensive course of medication from gonadotropin and stimulating hormones, subjective to variation according to the medical history, age, menstrual cycle & Ovaries.
The chance of pregnancy from IVF heavily depends on the woman’s age, the primary cause of infertility, and depends on some factors related to the quality of the IVF laboratory.
IUI fertility Process
While IUI is a fertility treatment where direct insertion of the sperm into a woman’s uterus during ovulation; decreasing the journey for the sperm to the egg. During ovulation, the woman usually produces one egg, that moves to the end of the fallopian tube where it waits to meet the sperm. An IUI deposits higher concentrations of good quality sperm close to where the egg is waiting, increasing the chances that the egg and sperm will unite.
It is important to ask your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about an IUI or IVF. Avoid using Google as a way to get answers because these vary on an individual basis. Reach out to any of our fertility specialists for assistance on your journey. Please contact us and make an appointment at the New Hope IVF Hospital location.
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