Exact Answer: After 3 hours to 2 days
Intrauterine or Artificial insemination termed as IUI is a very simple and safe procedure that can be performed by a specialist. The procedure consists of placing the sperm in the uterine cavity of the women which is already collected and placed in the lab. It is the most common fertility treatment done so far.
IUI is often the first choice for most people before proceeding with higher treatments such as IVF. Fertility drugs may be used when required. Chances increase and become better when you undergo more cycles. After every IUI cycle, there is a nearly 10 to 20 percent chance of pregnancy. According to the study, IUI would be the only treatment required to achieve it.
How Long After IUI Does Sperm Meet Egg?
IUI procedure takes only 5 to 10 minutes in the lab or respective clinic. It is very much quicker than other therapies or treatments and does not require any type of anesthesia to get rid of pain during the procedure. Post-treatment is painless, and invasive treatment. It is done by natural cycle procedure where no additional medication or supplements are required. Sperm is generally placed in the lab during ovulation time and a woman starts to ovulate naturally.
Before the procedure, the doctor tries to find out the certain time of ovulation to ensure that the sperm can meet the egg rapidly without any complications. Immediately, before women start ovulating, the doctor implants the sperm directly into the uterus.
Time is a very much important factor to consider during this process, and it depends on two facts like how long the egg stays in a women’s body and how fast the sperm reaches the egg, this improves the chance of pregnancy and sperm finds an easy way to reach the uterus and meet egg as soon as possible. When a doctor takes care of the time and place during the time of ovulation, sperm takes from few hours to two days to meet the egg after the procedure.
Once the sperm is placed, it can be in the reproductive tract for more than 7 days. In rare cases, when the fertilization process gets delayed, as the sperm stays for one week, it can fertilize up to a week.
In summary,
| Patient’s age | IUI success rate | Time taken to reach egg |
| Under 35 | 13% | Within a day |
| 35-40 | 9% | 24 hours to 37 hours |
| Above 40 | 4% | Minimum 48 hours |
Why Does It Take That Long for Sperm to meet Egg After IUI?
Once the sperm meets the egg, it penetrates deeper into the egg and tries to change the surface of the egg, so that no other sperm could not enter into it. Most women start to expect being pregnant as soon as fertilization complete but it is a type of myth women believe. Science says that until implantation there is no chance of pregnancy.
When sperm meets the egg, it would be the initial procedure and women will never expertise any symptoms of pregnancy. When fertilization happens, everything is completed, even the genetic makeup of the baby is built. Once the egg is fertilized, it grows rapidly and starts dividing into numerous cells, and enters into the uterus within 3 to 4 days of post-fertilization.
If you have taken additional medications for fertility before the IUI to stimulate ovulation, you should be more careful and protected. You should be in a better environment with a low internal temperature for implantation. Few things like swimming, bathing should be avoided to get rid of few infections, You may feel a little crampy which is a sign of working procedure, and taking a rest for a short while after IUI makes a woman more comfortable.
To know the reliable and optimum results, a pregnancy test should be taken exactly after 2 weeks of IUI treatment. The test results would show negative before 14 days due to the development of low pregnancy hormone. It will be the right choice to take a blood test to make sure about the pregnancy after fertilization as it provides accurate information and sensitive too which also gives the information about the right level of HCG.
Conclusion:
If the result is negative, after the first IUI treatment, you may take a chance by undergoing a second IUI treatment before proceeding with other fertility treatments. Though IVF has a higher success rate than IUI, it is more invasive and doctors recommend trying IUI before undergoing IVF.
Procedures of IUI differs concerning specialist and hospitals but the chance of getting pregnant is same. In rare cases, infections may occur due to reactions but it is avoided as far as possible by using sterile instruments. But this does not affect the chance of being pregnant.
References
- https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article-abstract/31/6/1141/1749910
- https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article-abstract/11/9/1892/616007
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