Intrauterine Insemination with sperm donation (IUI-D)

Improving the odds

First Line Treatment

IUI, also known as artificial insemination, involves placing pre-treated sperm from a donor into a woman’s uterus at the time of ovulation, often following mild ovarian stimulation. It’s suitable for:

Severe male factor infertility.
Women without a male partner.

What you’ll get

Tailor-made treatment

Treatment plans are highly personalised to each patient, maximising chances of a successful pregnancy.

Best-in-class clinical care

Our exceptional medical care and laboratory protocols exceed established standards for quality and excellence.

Transparency and choice

Choose from a broad donor selection at Portugal’s largest open-ID egg and sperm donor bank, with comprehensive donor profiles.

Treatment phases

Initial Medical Consultation & Testing

During your first consultation, your fertility specialist will thoroughly assess your medical history, and discuss available treatment types with you. You may be asked to undergo further health checks, to help tailor your treatment and maximise your chances of a successful pregnancy. These include bloodwork, semen analysis (if applicable), ultrasound of the uterus, tubal patency check and other tests. Please note that IUI can’t be used if your tubes are not permeable.

Treatment Plan Confirmation

After receiving your test results, you will chat with your doctor to review the findings and solidify your personalised treatment plan. Your committed patient coordinator will then provide you with a detailed breakdown of the associated costs, for your approval.

Finding Your Donor

If you are using donor sperm, our dedicated Donation Team is committed to guiding you through your options and helping you discover the ideal sperm donor.

At Ferticentro, we meticulously select, screen, and subject all donors to comprehensive psychological evaluations. We exclusively offer non-anonymous donations, ensuring you access detailed donor profiles for your selection.

While boasting the largest sperm bank in Portugal, we also collaborate with European Union-based international sperm banks. Irrespective of the donor’s origin, we highly recommend reserving an adequate number of straws, not only to ensure your current treatment but also to facilitate future options, such as the pursuit of a second child.

In the specific case of IUI-D, it is of utmost importance to make sure that you order the correct type of samples, as not all straws are compatible with this technique’s requirements – be sure to order MOT20 or superior straws if you’re planning to do a IUI-D.

All of our sperm donors are pre-screened for a list of baseline genetic tests, following the applicable regulations. However, at Ferticentro we encourage all patients to do the extended panel of genetic carrier screening to check the genetic compatibility between the male partner (or the sperm donor) and the egg donor – we offer tests that allow patients to exclude up to more than 2200 diseases.

Ovarian Stimulation

Your doctor will prescribe a tailored hormonal medication plan to mildly stimulate the development of a controlled number of follicles in your ovaries (usually 1 or 2). We will control the progress of the cycle, until we can verify that the number and size of the follicles are suitable.

Natural cycle IUI-D might also be a possibility for some patients – this is a question that you can discuss with your fertility doctor while planning treatment.

Insemination

When the ovarian follicles reach the desired maturity, we induce ovulation through medication and conduct the IUI procedure approximately 36 hours later. Using a slender cannula, we carefully introduce the specially selected and optimised sperm into your uterus. This is a straightforward, painless, and brief process, typically completed within a few minutes.