Normal, healthy sperm live approximately 48-72 hours. We do know that washed sperm can survive in the IVF incubator for up to 72 hours. That would be considered the upper practical limit.

This depends on your individual situation, but it usually should not be less than 3 days and not more than 7 days in order to ensure the best motility and morphology. We advise that you have an intercourse around the 7th or 8th day of your cycle and then abstain.

Usually the sample is collected through ejaculation by masturbation into a sterile semen collection container in a private room at the clinic. From the time the sample is received, it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to make the sample ready for insemination. The amount of time may vary depending on the sperm quality, as special techniques may be required.

Usually you can have intercourse anytime after an IUI. We suggest waiting 48 hours to resume relations if you had any bleeding during the IUI or if a tentaculum is used.

Sperm can live up to 7 days inside a woman’s vagina. If you are within 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex emergency contraception is an option. If you are more than 10 days after unprotected sex, you may want to take a pregnancy test. These are available at most Planned Parenthood clinics.

Current research indicates that washed sperm can live 24-72 hours; however, it does lose potency after 12-24 hours. Another issue with IUI is that the sperm can keep on swimming beyond the fallopian tube, so the ideal window is really within 6-12 hours of the egg being released; with a larger margin before ovulation than after since the egg's viability is shorter. Sperm can live up to 5 days in fertile mucus, 2-3 days being common, so combining IUI with intercourse may provide better coverage.

A count above one million (after sperm preparation) appears necessary for success, with a significant reduction in pregnancy rates when the inseminated is count is lower than 5-10 million (in other words, in most cases one should consider 5 million a lower limit for success, 10 million for cost-effective). Higher success rates are with washed counts over 20-30 million, while increasing counts over 50 million did not appear to offer advantage.

Sperm moving up the cervix and into the uterus can survive in the female genital tract up to several days, if "fertile" quaility cervical fluid is present.

Sperm ejaculated into a woman's vagina remain alive in the mucus of the cervix and are able to fertilize an egg for three to five days. Sperm ejaculated outside the body usually live only a few hours.

IUI can help patients taking only tablets containing clomiphene citrate where cervical mucus is a problem, and IUI increases the chance of success in patients on injections no matter what the sperm count. It does make sense to try IUI if you have tried but haven't had success with intercourse. It is important to note that with intercourse, only the best and strongest sperm make it through the cervical mucus and up into the uterus and fallopian tubes.

The catheter loosens cervical mucus and lets it come out more easily. It is common to see more fertile mucus after an IUI for this reason.