IUI (intrauterine insemination) and IVF (in vitro fertilization) Cyprus are fertility treatments used to help couples and individuals who struggle with infertility.
When patients first decide to seek medical help for their infertility problem, the wide range of infertility treatments can seem overwhelming.
The simple fact that both treatments start with the letter “I” can also cause confusion among couples. Both treatments have the ultimate goal to achieve a successful pregnancy, but they are different in many ways.
Determining the difference between IUI Cyprus and IVF Cyprus can help people choose the right treatment for their infertility problem and increase their chance for pregnancy and childbirth success.
What is IUI Treatment in Cyprus?
IUI in Cyprus is a simple non-invasive medical procedure that is carried out by inserting the sperm with a soft tube into the uterine cavity. The sperm is collected on the same day when the IUI procedure is performed. The sperm is then processed in the lab. During the preparation, the sperm is separated from the seminal fluid (sperm washing).
Placing sperm higher into the uterine cavity makes the path to the fallopian tubes shorter. The increased quantity of healthy sperm injected into the uterus raises the chance that more motile sperm will encounter the egg. Ultimately, the fastest sperm will fertilize the single egg.
IUI may be performed during a woman’s menstrual cycle which can be timed with fertility medication to assist ovulation.
Why do IUI in Cyprus?
In order to be the right candidate for IUI in Cyprus, your fallopian tubes should not be blocked. You will also need to have enough quality eggs in your ovaries.
IUI in Cyprus is generally recommended for:
- Women with unexplained infertility;
- Women with ovulation problems who have not been able to conceive using medications for inducing ovulation;
- Women who have cervical mucus problems;
- Men with minor sperm abnormalities (such as concentration, motility, and morphology of the sperm);
- Men with ejaculation dysfunction;
- Men who have previously frozen sperm before surgery or chemotherapy.
Generally, IUI in Cyprus is often the first option in cases of unexplained infertility, mild endometriosis, and mild male factor infertility.
Benefits of IUI Cyprus
- IUI Cyprus is a non-invasive procedure which may require little medication.
- IUI takes only a few minutes and there is no or little discomfort.
- IUI in Cyprus is a relatively inexpensive procedure.
IVF Cyprus is a form of ART (assisted reproductive technology) in which the eggs are fertilized with the sperm outside the woman’s body in a lab. The woman receives fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs are fully grown, a minor procedure under sedation using transvaginal ultrasound is performed to remove the eggs from the ovaries.
The collected eggs are then fertilized with the father’s or donor’s sperm in a procedure called ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection). This is the most effective method of fertilization used in conjunction with IVF in Cyprus to increase the chance for pregnancy success. Fertilization rates for ICSI range from 50 to 80%.
Who benefits from IVF Cyprus?
IVF Cyprus is typically recommended for couples who have been trying to get pregnant without success for one year and who have one or more fertility problems, such as:
- Blocked or damaged fallopian tubes;
- Ovulation disorders;
- Advanced endometriosis;
- Severe sperm abnormalities;
- After a vasectomy;
- Diminished egg supply;
- Egg donation and/or IVF surrogacy.
IVF is generally advised after other less invasive fertility treatments such as IUI failed or were unlikely to work.
Benefits of IVF
- Depending on the woman’s age and type of infertility, the success rate per IVF cycle ranges between 49 and 78%.
- IVF in Cyprus allows parents to have PGS or PGD genetic testing before embryo transfer.
- IVF decreases the chance for miscarriage and increases the chance for having a healthy baby.
Difference between IUI and IVF Cyprus
The main difference between IUI and IVF in Cyprus is the procedure(s) followed by each fertility treatment. IVF involves ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization, and embryo transfer. In IUI washed sperm is injected directly into the woman’s uterus to achieve a pregnancy.
IUI in Cyprus, often referred to as artificial insemination, is timed around ovulation as at this time the egg grows and moves from the ovaries to the fallopian tubes, waiting to be fertilized. By injecting a large quantity of concentrated motile sperm, fertility doctors increase a woman’s chance for becoming pregnant.
IVF Cyprus is a far more complex process that doesn’t rely on natural egg release. Instead, IVF stimulates the woman’s ovaries using fertility drugs to produce multiple eggs. The collected eggs are then fertilized in a lab. The resulting embryo(s) are transferred to the woman’s uterus to establish a pregnancy.
The woman’s chances of pregnancy depends on her age. There are other factors that contribute to the success of IUI and IVF Cyprus.
IUI vs IVF Cyprus: Treatment Aspects
Let’s break each fertility treatment down so we can clarify the other differences between IUI and IVF Cyprus.
- Procedure. As already mentioned, IUI is far less complex than IVF. IUI Cyprus is one procedure. It may be performed between day 12 and day 16 of a woman’s natural menstrual cycle. Alternatively, IUI is timed with fertility medications to stimulate ovulation. IVF Cyprus, on the other hand, is a process that follows multiple steps and requires more than one procedure. First, the ovaries are stimulated with fertility drugs, then the eggs are collected from the ovaries and are combined with the sperm in a lab. Finally, the fertilized eggs (embryos) are placed into the woman’s uterus in the embryo transfer procedure. The whole process of IVF can take up to 20 days.
- Hyperstimulation. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a medical condition that occurs rarely in some women who take fertility drugs to stimulate egg production during IVF. With IUI, the risk of developing OHSS can be avoided by using no or very little fertility drugs.
- Risk of multiples. The chief risk of IUI using fertility drugs are multiple pregnancies, including higher-order multiples (triplets or more). Our clinic in Cyprus will carefully monitor your follicles to make sure that only a safe number are mature before the start of the IUI treatment. In IVF, only two, and rarely four, embryos are transferred per cycle, thus reducing the risk of multiples.
- Success rates. Success rates are individual and depend on a number of factors. However, IUI has been recorded to have generally lower success rates than IVF.
- IUI with fertility medication: average success rates range from 10% to 20% per cycle for women under 35 to 2% to 5% for women over 40.
- IVF with own eggs: average success rates range from 49% to 78% for women under 35 to 29% and less for women over 40.
- Duration. IUI is a much shorter process than IVF Cyprus. If the first cycle of IUI is successful, this is the fastest way to bring home a baby. But this is not always the case. That is why women in their late 30s to early 40s may get pregnant faster by going straight to IVF rather than undergoing multiple cycles of IUI.
- Cost. An IUI treatment costs less than an IVF cycle, and this is reason why many patients choose IUI over IVF. However, depending on your circumstances, IUI may cost you more in the long run. It might be more cost-effective to go directly to IVF rather than wasting money and time on IUI treatments.
IUI or IVF Cyprus: Which is better?
Depending on your medical condition, the fertility doctor may recommend you to first try other less invasive fertility treatments such as IUI. Many couples also choose IUI in Cyprus because of its significantly lower costs when compared to IVF.
However, IUI is considerably less effective than IVF, and it may require couples to undergo multiple cycles before they reach success. Couples have between 10 to 20% chance for success with one IUI cycle. Pregnancy rates can go as high as 80% after the third to sixth cycle of IUI.
There are times when a woman is likely to have better results by skipping over the IUI option and going straight to IVF. This is a choice each patient will have to make themselves, after close consultation with their fertility specialist.
IVF in Cyprus can cost more, but again, it has considerably higher success rates than IUI.