Influence of Catheter Type and Tenaculum Use on Intrauterine Insemination Outcome

We investigated the impact of the choice of catheter type and tenaculum use on pregnancy related outcomesin intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatments.

A total of 338 consecutive IUI cycles were assessed in this retrospective study. Participantswere divided according to the insemination technique - soft catheter (group 1; n=175), firm catheter (group 2; n=100),or tenaculum (group 3; n=63). Clinical, laboratory, semen parameters and pregnancy related outcomes were compared.

Demographic characteristics and laboratory parameters were similar between the groups (P>0.05). The clinicalpregnancy rate (CPR) was significantly higher in the firm catheter (19%, 19/100) and tenaculum (31.7%, 20/63)groups compared to the soft catheter group (5.1%, 9/175, P<0.001). There were no significant differences betweenthe groups in live birth and miscarriage rates per clinical pregnancy (P>0.05).

Our findings indicate that the use of a firm catheter or tenaculum for IUI might result in a higher CPR, butmight not have a considerable effect on the live birth rate (LBR). Further prospective randomized studies are requiredto determine the long-term effects of the catheter type or tenaculum use on IUI success.