Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is an infertility treatment that is often called artificial insemination. In this procedure, the woman is injected with specially prepared sperm. Sometimes the woman is also treated with medicines that stimulate ovulation before IUI.

IUI is often used to treat:

• Mild male factor infertility
• Women who have problems with their cervical mucus
• Couples with unexplained infertility

IUI is most effective for treating infertility in:

• Women who have scarring or defects of the cervix
• Men who have low sperm counts
• Men who have sperm with low mobility
• Men who cannot get erections
• Men who have retrograde ejaculation, a condition in which sperm are ejaculated into the bladder instead of out of the penis
• Couples who have difficulty having intercourse

IUI can be used in combination with medications that stimulate ovulation. This combination can increase the chance of pregnancy in some cases.

The success of IUI depends on the cause of the couple's infertility. If inseminations are performed monthly with fresh or frozen sperm, success rates can be as high as 20% per cycle. These outcomes depend on whether fertility medications are used, the age of the female partner, and the infertility diagnosis, as well as on other factors that could affect the success of the cycle.