IUI query

Hello Anonymous,

Welcome to EmpowHER. Thank you for reaching out to our community with your questions.
However, your gynecologist or fertility specialist is the best person to answer your questions and advise you.

For the benefit of all our readers, Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilization. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.

The success of IUI depends on several factors. If a couple has the IUI procedure performed each month, success rates may reach as high as 20% per cycle depending on variables such as female age, the reason for infertility, and whether fertility drugs were used, among other variables.

A hCG level of less than 5 mlU/ml is negative for pregnancy.

Prolactin is a hormone whose primary function is helping women produce milk after childbirth.

The condition of having too much prolactin circulating in the blood is called hyperprolactinaemia. The most common causes of hyperprolactinaemia include pregnancy, medications that reduce dopamine action in the body, thyroid underactivity and benign pituitary tumors.

Hyperprolactinemia can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant. High prolactin levels can interrupt the normal production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This can cause the ovaries to release eggs irregularly or stop altogether.

It can be treated successfully using drugs which mimic the action of dopamine. The most commonly used is cabergoline.

Prolactin values can vary slightly among different labs. Normal results usually look like the following (ng/mL = nanograms per milliliter):

Women who are not pregnant < 25 ng/mL
Women who are pregnant 34 to 386 ng/mL

Anonymous, speak with your physician about your low prolactin level.

Regards,
Maryann