Objective: To compare pregnancy rates after intrauterine insemination (IUI) versus pericervical insemination in absolute male factor infertility using each patient as her own control.
Design: Ovulatory women with patent fallopian tubes without male partners were alternately inseminated with cryopreserved donor semen using either IUI or pericervical insemination techniques. A total of 81 cycles, which included up to 4 cycles per patient were performed. In this manner a comparison between the efficacy of each method could be evaluated.
Setting: The donor insemination program at the Center For Assisted Reproduction at Northwestern University Medical School.
Patients: Twenty-six single, healthy, unmarried women with patent fallopian tubes and < 40 years of age without male partners (absolute male factor infertility).
Main outcome measures: Positive quantitative serum subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin followed by the presence of an intrauterine gestational sac seen by transvaginal ultrasonography.
Results: Fourteen (54%) of 26 patients conceived including two (14%) miscarriages within four insemination cycles. Seven (17.5%) patients after IUI, and 7 (17.1%) patients after pericervical insemination conceived. The pregnancy rates were similar regardless of the order of insemination method.
Conclusion: These findings reveal that there is no statistical difference in the pregnancy outcome between these two methods of insemination in absolute male factor infertility.