Microfluidics for IUI to improve outcomes A comparative study in an Indian context

Intra uterine insemination is one of the most basic treatments offered to an infertile couple before any complex treatments like In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)/ Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

A number of factors determine the success of an IUI cycle, age of couple, duration of infertility, ovarian reserve and sperm parameters.

Total motile sperm count of the male partner is the most important prognostic factor determining the success of IUI treatment

The swim Up and density gradient method are frequently used to isolate the motile sperms from a raw sample of semen which can be inseminated into the uterus.

Although these methods help in isolating the motile sperms the clinical pregnancy rates with these methods is not more than 10-12 % and also there is a concern about the potential harmful effects on the natural properties of the sperm as these methods involve repeated centrifugation, and high-pressure forces being applied. Moreover, they are time consuming, and outcomes depend on the skill of the technician.

Micro fluidics is a cutting-edge technology which has proven benefits for sperm selection with greater DNA integrity in IVF/ICSI cycles simply because it is a much milder and efficient way to select the sperm based on its properties that of size and motility. The method takes a shorter time and is independent of the technician skills.

While there are multiple studies for Micro fluidics being used for IVF its benefit on IUI has not be