Choosing the Right Path
What’s important to remember about fertility treatment is that no single approach fits everyone. Each patient deserves individualized care and your treatment plan should be tailored to your needs. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is one of the most successful infertility treatment options available, which is why it is also one of the most popular. There are alternatives to IVF that can be worth trying, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) with oral or injectable medications.
About IUI
An IUI cycle can be paired with oral or injectable medications to stimulate follicular growth (follicles contain eggs). In standard menstrual cycles, only one mature egg is ovulated per month; whereas in IUI treatment cycles with medication, more than one egg follicle is stimulated. In most treatment cycles, ovulation is triggered by a special injection at a carefully coordinated time with an IUI procedure.
About IVF
IVF cycles overcome many of the typical barriers to conception such as fallopian tube blockages, low sperm count, diminished ovarian reserve and recurrent pregnancy loss. IVF has a period of hormonal injections which stimulate follicles to grow. Once eggs have reached an appropriate size that indicates egg maturity, the egg retrieval can take place. After the eggs are retrieved, they are fertilized with sperm to create embryos. On day five of fertilization, embryos can either be transferred to the uterus or frozen for future use in future FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) cycles. There is also an option of embryo genetic testing (PGT-A) available with IVF, which allows couples to screen embryos for the correct number of chromosomes prior to implantation.
Which Is The Best For You?
Many of couples ask which treatment is “better” between IVF and IUI. This ultimately depends on what is most important to you: how quickly you want to conceive, costs associated with treatment, insurance requirements and your personal risk factors, such as age or medical condition.
While typically, IVF is one of the most successful treatments, IUI is almost always a more affordable option. For those with insurance coverage, there can be barriers involved with requirements based on your policy. Some insurances require that individuals undergo a certain number of IUI cycles prior to covering an IVF cycle, while others require that couples meet strict medical criteria before offering coverage for treatment.
Your fertility specialist will carefully guide you to which treatment option is best for you while, taking into account the results of your fertility testing, your insurance coverage or requirements and your personal feelings.
To learn more about our treatment options or to schedule an appointment, contact us today.