Intrauterine insemination of washed spermatozoa for treatment of oligozoospermia.

Efficacy of intrauterine insemination (IUI) using washed spermatozoa for treatment of oligozoospermia was evaluated by a prospective randomized study in 50 couples, using LH-timed natural intercourse in the alternate menstrual cycles as a control. The quality of spermatozoa in terms of their concentration and motility before and after sperm washing was compared. Sperm motility increased significantly after sperm preparation but the number of sperm was reduced. Eight pregnancies occurred in 253 cycles of IUI with washed spermatozoa and clomiphene citrate-stimulated cycles (3.16% per cycle). Only one patient conceived in 242 LH-timed natural intercourse cycles (0.41% per cycle). Compared with LH-timed natural intercourse, IUI provided a significantly improved pregnancy rate. When the sperm count was < 5 x 10(6) per ml, no pregnancy occurred with the IUI method. Therefore, IUI is a of rather limited usefulness when the sperm quality is very poor. Few complications occurred after IUI, but included slight cervical contact bleeding and mild abdominal discomfort and/or cramps. In conclusion, IUI should be considered as a useful and relatively non-invasive therapeutic modality for treating caused by moderate oligozoospermia (> 5 x 10(6)/ml), when sexual intercourse fails.