An IUI cycle day by day: what happens, and when
An IUI cycle follows one menstrual cycle. It begins with a scan early in your period, usually followed by medicines to help an egg grow and a few scans to follow it. A trigger injection then sets the timing, the IUI is done a day or so later, and a pregnancy test follows about two weeks after that.
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This detailed video is in Hindi. In it, Dr Mayur Pai explains IUI, a treatment he carries out very often, from start to finish. Below, the same treatment is set out in English as a timeline, so you know what each stage of the cycle involves. The day numbers are typical; your own plan may shift a little with your cycle and your scans.
The IUI cycle at a glance
- Day 1: your period starts; let the team know.
- Day 2 or 3: the baseline scan; medicines usually begin.
- The next few days: ovulation tablets, sometimes with small injections.
- From around day 8: follicle scans every two or three days until the egg is ready.
- Trigger day: one injection to time the egg's release.
- IUI day: a day or so after the trigger.
- About two weeks later: the pregnancy test.
What happens before the cycle starts?
IUI begins only once the basics are known: at least one open fallopian tube, a semen analysis for the husband, and an idea of whether and when the wife ovulates. These checks are explained in tests before IUI. With the results in hand, the plan for the first cycle is made at the consultation.
Day 1 to day 3: the period and the baseline scan
Day 1 is the first day of proper bleeding, not spotting. Let the team know that day, on WhatsApp or by phone, so your first scan can be booked.
On day 2 or 3, a short internal ultrasound checks that the ovaries are quiet, with no cyst left over from the last cycle, and that the lining of the womb is thin after the period. If all is well, the medicines are started. If a cyst is seen, the cycle may be put off for a month, which is safer than starting on the wrong footing.
The next few days: medicines to help an egg grow
Most IUI cycles use gentle ovulation medicines: tablets for a few days early in the cycle, sometimes with small hormone injections. The aim is modest, one or two good eggs rather than many. Growing too many at once raises the risk of a multiple pregnancy, which is why stimulation for IUI is kept deliberately mild. A woman who ovulates regularly may sometimes have IUI in a natural cycle, with no medicines at all.
From around day 8: follicle scans
From about the second week of the cycle, you come in for a few more scans, usually every two or three days. Each egg grows inside a small, fluid-filled sac called a follicle. The scan measures the leading follicles and the thickness of the lining, and the medicines are adjusted from what it shows. If too many follicles grow, the cycle may be stopped for your safety. Follicle scans explained covers what the doctor measures and why.
Trigger day: the injection that sets the clock
When the leading follicle reaches the right size and the lining looks ready, you are given a trigger injection. It completes the egg's final ripening and makes its release happen at a predictable time, so the IUI can be planned for the right moment, usually a day or so later. The husband is told when to ejaculate last before giving his sample, generally leaving a gap of two to five days.
IUI day: what happens?
On IUI day, the husband gives a fresh sample, which the laboratory washes and concentrates in about an hour. When it is ready, the wife lies down as for a routine internal examination, and the prepared sperm are placed high in the womb through a thin, soft tube. It takes a few minutes and needs no anaesthesia, and most women feel only mild cramping, if anything. After a short rest you go home. What happens on IUI day describes the day in more detail.
The two-week wait: what is normal?
After IUI, normal daily life is fine. Bed rest is not needed; you can go to work, climb stairs and carry on with your usual routine. Some women are given medicine to support the lining after IUI, as tablets or vaginal medicine. Light spotting or mild cramps can happen and are not a sign either way.
For most couples this is the hardest part. Try not to read meaning into every twinge: the medicines can themselves cause breast tenderness, bloating and tiredness, which feel very like early pregnancy. Avoid home pregnancy tests in the first days, because the trigger injection can make a test show positive too early.
Test day, and what comes next
About two weeks after the IUI, a urine or blood pregnancy test gives the answer. If it is positive, an early scan follows a little later to confirm that the pregnancy is in the womb and growing. If it is negative, the period usually arrives around the same time. That is disappointing, but it is not the end of the plan: you can usually start the next cycle with that period, and after a few cycles the doctor reviews whether IUI is still the right path. For the bigger picture, see what IUI is and how it works.
Where treatment happens
This guide is by Dr Mayur Pai, MBBS, MS (Obstetrics & Gynaecology), a fertility and laparoscopy specialist. Pai Hospital in Goa has its own operating theatre and its own IVF laboratory, so the scans, the sperm preparation and the IUI itself happen in one place, under one team. Free patient transport is available: the hospital's car collects you from anywhere in Goa and takes you home again.
Getting started
For questions, send a short message on WhatsApp to +91 95185 02773 with your situation and any reports you already have. To book a consultation, call our reception on +91 95459 20817; consultations are by appointment and are held in Panjim, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco. Treatment packages are transparent and fixed, so ask us for the details. This article is for education only and is not personal medical advice; please consult your doctor about your own situation.
Your questions
How long does one IUI cycle take?
One IUI cycle follows one menstrual cycle. From the first scan in your period to the pregnancy test usually takes about four weeks, with the IUI itself falling around the middle.
How many hospital visits does an IUI cycle need?
Usually a baseline scan early in the period, two or three follicle scans in the middle of the cycle, and the IUI day itself. The exact number depends on how your follicles grow. Free patient transport is available from anywhere in Goa for these visits.
Do I need bed rest after IUI?
No. After a short rest at the hospital you can go home and carry on with normal life, including work. Bed rest does not improve the chance of IUI working.
When can I take a pregnancy test after IUI?
About two weeks after the IUI. Testing earlier can mislead you, because the trigger injection contains a hormone that can make a home test show positive for several days. If your period comes before the test date, let the team know.
What happens if the IUI does not work?
Your period will come, and you can usually start the next cycle with it. After a few well-timed cycles without a pregnancy, the doctor reviews the whole plan with you, which may include moving on to IVF.
Or call +91 95185 02773
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.