IUI or IVF: How Doctors Decide Which Treatment Is Right for You
When a couple is told they need fertility treatment, the first question is almost always the same: should we try IUI first, or go straight to IVF? It feels like a choice between a gentler option and a more serious one. In practice, that isn't how fertility specialists think about it. IUI and IVF are not two rungs on a ladder where everyone starts at the bottom. They are two different tools that solve two different sets of problems. For some couples, starting with IUI is the right medical decision. For others, it would waste months of time and money on a treatment that was never likely to work for their specific diagnosis. This article explains what actually drives that decision — the test results, the age thresholds, the sperm parameters, and the clinical reasoning a doctor uses before recommending one over the other. The short answer IUI is usually considered when the fallopian tubes are open, sperm quality is reasonable, and the reason for infertility is mild or unexplained. IVF ...