Pregnancy Rate of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) in an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Unit in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh.

BACKGROUND

Among the numerous studies investigating the success rate of intrauterine insemination (IUI), there is a dearth of reliable and applicable data. This retrospective cohort study targeting women in infertile couples aims to provide insight into the local success rate of IUI and its determinants.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the success (pregnancy) rate of IUI and its determinants among infertile couples.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on women in infertile couples at the King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in-vitro fertilization (IVF) unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 238 patients were selected utilizing a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. The success of IUI was determined by the percentage of couples who attained a clinical pregnancy after undergoing the procedure. Data was collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).  Results: The study included 238 women. Their age ranged between 21 and 49 years with an arithmetic mean±SD of 31.6±5.1 years. Regarding causes of infertility, female factors were responsible for 33.2% of cases whereas, in 59.6% of cases, the cause was described as unexplained. The success rate of IUI was 13.4%. Women's gravidity and parity were the only factors significantly associated with the success of IUI as the highest success rate was reported among women with gravidity of 2 (27.6%) and parity of 2 (36%). In contrast, the lowest rates were reported among those of gravidity of 1 (5.9%) and parity of ≥3 (5.9%) with p-values of 0.010 and 0.005, respectively.

CONCLUSION

When compared to other fertility treatments, the success rate of IUI is relatively low; however, it is comparable to previously reported IUI success rates in other centers in developed countries. It is recommended that a large multi-center study with a bigger sample size be conducted to determine the accuracy on a larger scale. The findings from this study carry valuable implications for guiding the selection of suitable fertility treatments.