Outcome Analysis of Transabdominal Ultrasound Guided versus Classical Blind Artificial Insemination in Indian Scenario: A Randomized Retrospective Multicenter Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the role of trans- abdominal ultrasound (TAS) guidance in intrauterine insemination (IUI). Materials and Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted at three centres in Bangalore, Karnataka from November 2012 and December 2014. 146 couples with unexplained infertility and mild male factor infertility were randomized using a computer-generated random numeric table into two groups: Group 1 who underwent TAS-guided IUI (n =73) and Group 2 who underwent classical blind IUI (n =73). 480 IUI cycles were performed for both the groups in total. Results: Of the 480 IUI cycles, 228 were carried out as TAS-guided, while 252 cycles were performed as the classical blind procedure. The difference in pregnancy rates of Group 1 and Group 2 was statistically significant (22.9 and 10.6% respectively (P = 0.00036), thereby indicating that TAS-guidance significantly improves pregnancy rates in IUI. In Group 1, 10.8% cases were difficult whereas in Group 2, 31.2% cases were difficult (P = 0.00001).

Keywords

• artificial insemination
• intrauterine insemination
• ultrasound.