How is an IUI done? The catheter, the speculum and the scan
In an IUI, the prepared sperm is placed inside the uterus through a thin, soft-tipped tube, the IUI catheter. A speculum is placed first. In our video, the doctor passes the catheter while watching the ultrasound screen, stops when its tip is about one centimetre from the top of the uterus, and injects the husband's sample slowly.
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This video is in Konkani; the guide on this page is in English.
Many couples are told that an IUI is the next step, and then wonder what will actually be done on the day. This three-minute video was filmed during a real IUI. For her privacy, the patient is not shown: you see our doctor with the two instruments he uses, and then the ultrasound screen while the IUI is done.
What is the IUI catheter, and why is its tip soft?
The catheter is the thin tube that takes the prepared sperm into the uterus. In the video, our doctor holds it up to the camera to show its tip. The tip is very soft, he explains, so that it does not damage the lining of the uterus as it goes in. That is why the softness of the tip matters.
By the time the catheter is used, the sperm sample for that day's IUI is already prepared. How a semen sample is washed and concentrated in the laboratory before an IUI is explained in sperm preparation for IUI.
What is the speculum for?
Next, our doctor shows the speculum, a steel instrument whose blades open like a beak. He calls this part its chonch, the Konkani word for a beak. The speculum is placed in the vagina and then opened, so that the neck of the uterus, called the cervix, can be seen. It is the same instrument that is used for a routine internal examination or a Pap smear.
Is IUI done under anaesthesia?
Usually not. Most IUIs take only a few minutes and are done while the woman is awake, without anaesthesia; most women feel little more than some pressure, as in a routine internal examination. If you are anxious, tell the doctor before starting. Our guide to what happens on IUI day explains how it usually feels.
The IUI in this video, however, was done under anaesthesia. Our doctor points this out so that couples know an IUI can also be done this way.
How does the ultrasound scan help during the IUI?
In the IUI shown here, the ultrasound is already running when the catheter goes in, and its picture appears on a screen. Our doctor passes the catheter while watching that screen, so he can follow the tube into the uterus. The video lets you watch the same screen.
What are the introducer and the cannula?
The catheter used in this video has two parts. First, while watching the scan, our doctor passes the introducer, which acts as a guide. Then the main cannula is loaded and passed through the introducer. On the screen, you can watch the thin tube go inside the uterus.
Where exactly in the uterus is the sperm placed?
Once the tube is inside, you can see its tip on the screen. Our doctor explains that it sits right in the centre of the uterus, roughly one centimetre from the top. Only then does he inject the husband's sperm sample, prepared beforehand, slowly through the tube.
What does the sample look like on the scan?
On an ultrasound, fluid looks black. Once the sample has gone in, our doctor points to a little fluid inside the uterus, which shows up as a black area on the screen.
What happens after the insemination?
The tube and the speculum are then taken out. The insemination itself takes only a few minutes. Most women rest for a short while and then go home the same day. There is no need for long bed rest: getting up, walking or passing urine will not make the sperm come out.
The pregnancy test is usually done about two weeks after the IUI, on a date your doctor gives you. Testing earlier at home can mislead.
Is IUI the right treatment for you, or IVF?
IUI is generally considered for mild male-factor infertility, for unexplained infertility, or when ovulation needs a little help, and at least one fallopian tube must be open. It is not suitable when both tubes are blocked or when the sperm problem is more severe, and after several IUI cycles have not worked, IVF is usually the next step.
How an IUI cycle is monitored is set out on our IUI treatment page, the step to IVF on our fertility and IVF treatment page, and what IVF costs on our IVF cost page.
About this guide
This guide is by the Pai Hospital Team. Pai Hospital is at Vaddem, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa. It has its own operating theatre and its own IVF laboratory, and the same team looks after the scans, the preparation of the sample and the procedure. More of our doctor's talks in Konkani are on our Konkani fertility videos page.
This article is for education only and is not personal medical advice; please speak to your own doctor about your situation.
Your questions
How is an IUI done?
A speculum is placed so that the neck of the uterus can be seen. A thin tube with a soft tip, the IUI catheter, is then passed into the uterus; in our video this is done while the doctor watches the ultrasound screen. When the tip is about one centimetre from the top of the uterus, the prepared sperm sample is injected slowly.
Why does the IUI catheter have a soft tip?
So that it does not damage the lining of the uterus as it goes in. Our doctor shows the soft tip close up at the start of the video.
Can an IUI be done under anaesthesia?
Yes. Most IUIs are done without anaesthesia, in a few minutes, while the woman is awake. But an IUI can also be done under anaesthesia, and the IUI shown in our video was done this way.
Is an ultrasound scan used during an IUI?
In the IUI shown in our video, yes. The scan runs while the tube goes in, so the doctor can follow it into the uterus and see its tip about one centimetre from the top before the sample goes in.
How long does the IUI take?
The insemination itself takes only a few minutes. Before that, preparing the sperm sample in the laboratory usually takes about an hour, and afterwards you rest for a short while before going home.
Will the sperm come out when I get up after the IUI?
No. Getting up, walking or passing urine will not make the sperm come out, and long bed rest is not needed.
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This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.