INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION IN FERTILE WOMEN DELIVERS LARGER NUMBERS OFSPERM TO THE PERITONEAL-FLUID THAN INTRACERVICAL INSEMINATION

Randomized IUI or intracervical insemination of eight fertile women wi th 50 X 10(6) sperm was performed to determine whether IUI delivers mo re spermatozoa to the peritoneal cavity. After IUI (n = 4), 2,053 to 2 9,450 sperm were recovered in the PF at laparoscopy. No sperm were fou nd in the PF after intracervical insemination (n = 4). After IUI, CM c ontained 1.0 X 10(6) to 57.0 X 10(6) sperm/mL; after intracervical ins emination, 0 to 1.2 X 10(3) sperm/mL were seen. One therapeutic mechan ism for IUI is delivery of larger sperm numbers to the fertilization s ite by rapid (4 hours) transport. In addition, there is greater retrog rade colonization of CM that may result in sustained release of sperm.