The effect of preserving prepared sperm samples at room temperature or at 37 °C before intrauterine insemination (IUI) on clinical pregnancy rate

OBJECTIVE: The comparison of the effect of preserving prepared sperm samples at room temperature or at 37 °C before intrauterine insemination (IUI) on clinical pregnancy rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective clinical research. University hospital, infertility clinic. Patients with one or two follicles, between the ages of 20 and 40, whose infertility period was less than 6 years and the injected total motile sperm count was more than 10 million. Preserving sperm samples prepared for IUI at 37 ºC or at room temperature before IUI. The clinical pregnancy rate of IUI cycles between 1(st) of January 2004 and 1(st) of December 2011 in which prepared sperm samples were preserved at 37 ºC and the clinical pregnancy rate of IUI cycles between 1(st) of December 2011 and 31(st) of May 2014 in which prepared sperm samples preserved at room temperature. RESULTS: Clinical pregnancy rates were similar in IUI cycles in which prepared sperm samples were preserved at 37 ºC and at room temperature (9.3% vs. 8.9%). Clinical pregnancy rates in IUI cycles with 2 follicles were higher than IUI cycles with 1 follicle (10.8% vs. 7.6%) (p=0.002). Further statistical analysis after splitting data according to the number of the follicles revealed that there was no statistical difference between clinical pregnancy rates after IUI cycles in which prepared sperm samples were preserved at 37 ºC or at room temperature in both one follicle (7.6% vs. 7.6%), and two follicle cycles (11.5% vs. 10.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Preserving prepared sperm samples at room temperature had no negative effect on clinical pregnancy rates when compared with reserving prepared sperm samples at 37 ºC during IUI cycles.