Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

How to prepare, what happens on the day, and after

Before your IUI cycle

If using fresh or frozen partner sperm:

  1. Infectious diseases blood work for you and your male partner. This must be up to date within 1 year. If it has expired, you will need to update your blood work as soon as possible to avoid cycle cancellation or delays.
  2. IUI consent. This will be sent to you electronically to review and sign.

If using frozen donor sperm:

  1. Infectious diseases blood work, including cytomegalovirus (CMV), within 1 year of your IUI date
  2. Implications counselling
  3. Carrier genetic testing (CGT)
  4. Donor sperm selection and delivery to the clinic. Please have your donor sperm vial shipped to the clinic before day 1 of your period or treatment plan start.
  5. Donor sperm consent. This will be sent to you electronically to review and sign.
  6. IUI consent. This will be sent to you electronically to review and sign.

How to prepare

During the IUI procedure, fresh or frozen sperm is placed directly into your uterus using a small catheter with the goal of achieving a pregnancy.

If you are using your partner’s fresh sperm, they need to attend their scheduled sperm collection appointment on the day of your IUI. If your partner is collecting their sample at home, the sample must be stored in a sterile container given to you or your partner by the clinic, which will include a patient label. If completed at home, it must be produced no longer than 60 minutes before their scheduled collection appointment time, and delivered to the clinic lab at the time given in their appointment details.

Please make sure your partner follows all instructions in their appointment in the patient app.

If you are using your partner’s frozen sperm or donor sperm, you will be booked for an appointment before your IUI, between 7 and 8:30 am, to come into the clinic to verify and sign off on the thawing of the semen sample. This consent allows the andrology team to thaw and prepare your semen sample for your IUI later that day.

On the day of your IUI

Please arrive 10 minutes before your IUI appointment with a full bladder. Drink 4–5 cups of water 1 hour before your appointment.

If using fresh partner sperm: please make sure your partner follows the semen collection preparation details. Your partner will need to abstain from ejaculation for 2–4 days before your IUI. Your partner will come in on the morning of your IUI for their scheduled appointment (booked between 7:30 and 8:30 am) to provide a semen sample at the clinic. Our andrology team will verify patient identification and ensure sample integrity when they receive the sample.

If using frozen partner sperm or donor sperm: the female patient will be scheduled to come in between 7 and 8:30 am to sign off on the thaw of the sample. This consent confirms to the andrology team that you will be proceeding with your insemination today and allows them to thaw and prepare the frozen semen sample for IUI.

After your IUI

After your procedure, you are welcome to lie down for a few minutes, but it is not necessary. Lying down does not increase the chance of fertilization. It is normal to have vaginal discharge afterwards. It is not sperm coming out of you.

There are no special precautions after your IUI. You may resume normal activity. You may have intercourse.

It is normal to have spotting or mild abdominal cramping due to ovulation after your IUI. It is also normal to have no spotting or cramping. Neither predicts pregnancy; it is simply how your body responds to ovulation and the IUI.

Since a catheter is inserted into the uterine cavity during IUI, there is always a risk of pelvic infection afterwards. Symptoms of an infection include fever, vaginal bleeding, chills and abdominal pain. If any of these occur, contact your care team. If you have any difficulty reaching your care team, go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital.

We ask that you avoid:

  • Smoking, vaping and recreational drugs
  • More than 1 cup of coffee per day
  • More than 1 standard alcoholic drink per day. This is okay until you are confirmed pregnant; then no amount of alcohol is safe.
  • Extreme, strenuous exercise that raises your heart rate over 140 beats per minute for more than 60 minutes. We encourage regular moderate physical activity, raising your heart rate to 140 beats per minute for 30 minutes per day.
  • Saunas, hot tubs, pools and hot yoga

If progesterone supplementation is part of your treatment plan, please start your progesterone medication as instructed by your nurse. Do not stop until your nurse tells you to. If you run out of medication before your pregnancy test date, do not stop; please tell your care team.

Your pregnancy test

We recommend that all pregnancy tests are completed no sooner than 14 days after ovulation. If you have taken Ovidrel as part of your treatment cycle, a pregnancy test may show a false positive for up to 12 days after taking it. This means that if you take an early home pregnancy test, you may get a false positive result.

Some people get an “implantation bleed”, known as spotting, and some people do not. Both are normal. The two-week wait can be challenging mentally and emotionally. If you are having a difficult time, please connect with us.