Intrauterine Insemination: Relationship of Postwash Total Motile Sperm Count to Pregnancy Rates per Cycle in Siriraj Hospital

Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the effect of postwash total motile sperm count (TMSC) of <10 million

and >10 million to pregnancy rates per cycle after intrauterine insemination (IUI) with husband’s

spermatozoa in Siriraj Hospital.

Study design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective study of 900 IUI treatment cycles from July 2006 to July

2009 at Siriraj Hospital. Two groups were selected, 300 cycles in postwash TMSC <10 million

group and 600 cycles in postwash TMSC >10 million group. The patients might stimulate ovarian

follicles by several protocols. Bilateral tubal occlusions were excluded from this study. Sperm

parameters before and after preparation for IUI were evaluated and correlated with pregnancy rate.

Results:

The overall pregnancy rate was 5.7% per cycle. Pregnancy rates per cycle in couples

with postwash TMSC of <10 million and >10 million were 1.7% and 7.7%, these differences were

significant. The couples with postwash TMSC of >10 million were 4.60 times higher pregnancy

rate than group of <10 million (95% CI 1.85 – 11.46). Moreover, the pregnancy rate was signifi-

cantly lower for couples with <20 million/ml of prewash sperm concentration and <10 million of

prewash TMSC.

Conclusion:

Postwash TMSC significantly affected the pregnancy rate after IUI. Cycles with <10

million postwash TMSC are significantly less likely to result in a pregnancy.