The effect of intrauterine insemination for above 35-year unexplained infertility patients

Abstract

The objective of the study is to evaluate the success of ovarian stimulation (OS) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment for advanced female age (over 35 years) unexplained infertility patients. This was a retrospective study of IUI procedures performed 35 years and over patients from 2017 to 2018 at the infertility department of Konya Education and Research Hospital (a tertiary referral center), in Konya, Turkey. Although several prior studies have documented the poor pregnancy rate outcome of OS and IUI in women aged 40 years and above, we at our setting have continued to provide these services for women who fulfill the criteria for OS-IUI without age restrictions as the demand of the women because of the much lower cost. During the study period there were 142 IUI treatment cycles of which 11 had positive pregnancy test giving a pregnancy rate of %7.7. Simple correlation technique is used to measure the age-related pregnancy sensitivity. We observed in this study that pregnancy rates are lower with increasing age of the female partner. Most pregnancies occur between 35 and 36 years with the ratio %27 and %36 of all pregnancies. We find 38 years and 40 years patients clinical pregnancy rates the same with the ratio %18 of all pregnancies. IUI is a preferred infertility treatment at certain ages because of it is lower cost.