Ru. Pittrof et al., SUCCESS OF INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION USING CRYOPRESERVED DONOR SPERM IS RELATED TO THE AGE OF THE WOMAN AND THE NUMBER OF PREOVULATORY FOLLICLES, Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 13(4), 1996, pp. 310-314
Objective: Our objective was to assess parameters associated with a su
ccessful outcome of intrauterine insemination (IUI) using cryopreserve
d donor sperm. Design: We analyzed 750 consecutive donor IUI cycles un
dertaken by 363 women in an assisted conception clinic. The main outco
me measure was clinical pregnancy. Results IUI was performed in 94.7%
of the 750 IUI treatment cycles commenced and 180 clinical pregnancies
occurred. The clinical pregnancy rare per cycle was 26.4%. The rate w
as significantly related to the patient's age (30.5% for age less than
or equal to 35 years and 181% for age less than or equal to 35 years;
P < 0.006) and whether there was one or more than one preovulatory fo
llicles [20.9, 34.4, and 31.5% for one, two, and three or four follicl
es with a mean diameter of 14 or more mm at the time of human chorioni
c gonadotropin (hCG) administration; P = 0.006]. Two to four preovulat
ory follicles were present in 12.6% of the natural cycles, 43.6% of cl
omiphene citrate or tamoxifen, and 59.9% of gonadotropin stimulated cy
cles. The difference in the number of preovulatory follicles between s
timulated and unstimulated cycles was highly significant (P < 0.0001).
Pregnancy rates were 29.9% in gonadotropin-stimulated cycles, 23.6% i
n clomiphene citrate- or tamoxifen-stimulated cycles, and 20.1% in uns
timulated cycles. The difference in pregnancy rates between gonadotrop
in-stimulated and natural cycles was significant (P = 0.038). Cycle fe
cundity rates were not significantly affected by the number of previou
s treatment cycles, duration of infertility, gravidity and parity of t
he patient, presence of a spontaneous luteinizing hormone (LH) surge b
efore the administration of hCG, or number of motile sperm in the inse
mination specimen. Conclusions: Success of IUI using cryopreserved don
or sperm is related to the age of the women and whether there is one o
r more than one preovulatory follicles.