The effect of delaying intrauterine insemination till 48 h after hCG injection on pregnancy rate

Objective: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple procedure which has been used to treat unexplained infertility. There is no agreement about the optimum time for IUI. An interval of only a few hours exists in which it can be performed. The aim of this study was to find out whether there is a difference in pregnancy rate if IUI is performed 48 h rather than later than 36 h after Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) Injection. Setting: infertility clinic, Kasr Alainy, Cairo University Hospital. Materials and methods: A randomized case-control prospective study in which subjects in Group A will perform IUI 48 h after hCG injection after controlled ovarian stimulation, in comparison with Group B (control) in which the IUI will be performed 36 h after hCG injection. Main outcome measures: Pregnancy rate in group A was 22.6% while group B was 10.6% (p = 0.049). The mean Number of mature follicles in group A was 2.6 ± 1 follicles, while that of group B was 2.1 ± 0.9 follicles (p = 0.002). Conclusions: A lot of controversy surrounds the correct timing of IUI. Our study showed a statistically significant increase in pregnancy rate up to 22.6% in patients performing IUI 48 h after hCG trigger, compared to the 10.6% in the patients having the procedure done 12 h earlier.