Infertility Treatment Options

Ovulation Induction (OI)

• In the ovulation induction process, medications are taken (oral or injectable) to stimulate the ovaries to make eggs.
  
• Ovulation Induction Success Rates: When ovulation induction is successful, pregnancy rates per cycle are close to those of normally ovulating women in their age group.
  
• When is OI needed? Women with ovulation problems caused by polycystic ovary disease (PCOD), elevated prolactin levels, absence of periods due to abnormal hormonal secretion by the reproductive portion of the brain (hypothalamus), and premature ovarian failure have good results with this treatment method.
  
• What Brigham and Women's Hospital Offers:
  Ovulation induction (OI) using either oral medication (Clomid or clomiphene) or injectable medications (gonadotropins).
  
  

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Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI)

• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI):
  The male partner's sperm is collected and is then injected into the female partner's cervix usually on two consecutive days at the time of ovulation. An oral medication, Clomid, is often taken on days five to nine increasing the success rate of this treatment.
  • Intrauterine Insemination Success Rates: Ranging 2-20 percent per cycle.
    
  • When is IUI needed? IUI is most appropriate for couples with mild male factor, minimal endometriosis, or unexplained infertility.
    
• Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI):
  This infertility treatment option involves injecting sperm from an anonymous or a known donor into a woman's cervix at the time that she is ovulating. The use of frozen semen to prevent sexually transmitted disease is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control. At sperm banks, donors are tested for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis, and others.
  Commercial sperm banks are the source of donor sperm in the majority of cases. The sperm banks provide information about the physical characteristics, medical history, education, and ethnic or racial background of the donors. More recently, some donors have given permission to sperm banks to reveal their identities if requested by the child at some point in the future.
  
  • Therapeutic Donor Insemination Success Rates: Since success rates for cycles with frozen sperm are slightly less than with fresh sperm, this treatment should be continued for three to six cycles before trying another treatment.
    
  • When is Therapeutic Donor Insemination needed? This treatment is undertaken in couples in whom the male partner has a low sperm count; in women without partners; and in lesbian couples.
    
• What BWH Offers:
  
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) with either oral or injectable ovulation stimulating medications.
  
• Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI)
  

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