The Journey To IUI Success: IUI Costs and Emotions

IUI is one of the most effective infertility treatments but the road its success can be long and rough. Especially for those who have no experience to IUI, it may be hard to understand its process. Some refer to it as an emotional coaster which costs both couples money to a journey that is full of ups and downs.

Couples who undergo IUI basically experience stress and a variety of mixed emotions like fear an excitement; hope and despair; as well as happiness and disappointment.

How Much Does IUI Cost Compared To IVF Costs?

IUI or Intrauterine Insemination is a less invasive procedure compared to IVF. In this case when copulation alone is not successful, the sperm may be directly injected to woman’s uterus. This can be achieved either through the woman’s partner (AID) or through a donor’s sperm (AID). The IUI cost varies from one clinic to another.  In records, the average cost is Rs 3000 to Rs 8000 for the entire treatment cycle. The treatment is less than the IVF costs, but it can cost higher when gonadotropins injection is administered to boost up healthy follicle production or to initiate superovulation. In this case, the cost can be as expensive as Rs 20000.

Basically the intrauterine insemination costs breakdown includes a lot of things. For instance, 10% of its total cost may come from the initial consultation only. Another 10% to 20% comes from Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. Hormonal drugs and further investigations for IUI patient consist 50% to 80% of the UIU treatment. Cost also varies from one country to another. The table below shows a comparison of IUI cost in different countries as per records show since 2005 up to the present.

But just as IUI success also depends on the cooperation and viability of the couples and the clinic itself, one try might not be as successful as expected. This is where various emotions start to set in.

The following are possible emotions that may arise on the process of IUI and ways on how to counteract them:

Loss or mourning over lost pregnancies

Grievance is the one of the most commonly felt emotion to women who did not succeed at first try or more. It is hard to accept the fact that despite the cost, physical pressure, preparations, and excitement; everything would suddenly go into nothing. The lost of pregnancy, failed cycles, and loss of ovaries is one of the hardest probability in IUI and women simply have to face these cons. That is why before any IUI treatment couples may need to see a psychotherapist to assist emotional preparedness and readiness. Psychotherapists actually have the best features that will guide couples in the pursuit of pregnancy.

Fear for not being the real parents

Not all successful pregnancy comes from the parents’ real genes. Some successful IUI can be achieved by egg or sperm donation or it can be both. At times, the IUI will not be performed to the biological mother for some medical complication and incapability but to the surrogate mother. Though a child may be owned after birth or through some paper works, part of the child’s genes or all may not be truly owned by the biological parents.

This is when parents have a hard time adjusting on how to raise, discipline, and comfort the child’s attitude, behavior, and habits. Even so, this is a normal situation. The only thing parents can do is to eliminate the thought of being not the real parents and focus on raising the child as an own. This is because, the child’s behavior and attitude largely depends on how parents raise them as well as the environment they are living in.

Fear of failure

Some fear that after all the hard work and investments, the IUI may not work at all. Failure is an evitable instance in the IUI process, but couples have no escape to this. In this case, couples need to be open-minded that not all things can come successful in an instant. Patience is highly needed in the IUI process. Some couples who are living with a happy family today have waited for years to achieve it.

Despite all these negative emotions, it is patent that there is a glimpse of hope that settles inside the couples hearts. This positive emotion should then persist together with happiness along the state of open mindedness and positive outlook towards IUI despite its possible cons. After all, there is no such thing as mistake in allowing oneself to hope and pray for success.