Stimulated intra-uterine insemination is not a natural choice for the treatment of unexplained subfertility: Should the guidelines be changed?

Jane A. Stewart
In: Human Reproduction · 2003 · vol. 18(5) , pp. 903–907 · doi:10.1093/humrep/deg237 · PMID:12721159 · W2150577472
review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 5 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This paper challenges the Grade A evidence supporting stimulated intrauterine insemination for unexplained infertility, advocating for a formal trial to justify its continued use and minimize multiple pregnancies.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Guidelines for the management of infertility in secondary care (1998) states that stimulated intrauterine insemination (IUI) has Grade A evidence to confirm its effective use in unexplained infertility. This paper challenges that assertion after closer assessment of the papers upon which it was based. With the current appraisal of the Guidelines as part of the 'scope' of the assessment of infertility management by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence it is important that the guidelines are indeed critically reviewed prior to their updated publication. With the emphasis on minimizing the risk of multiple pregnancies, a formal trial of stimulated IUI is called for in order to justify its continued use in this setting. Strict attention to limiting the number of follicles treated in verified unexplained subfertility is necessary to validate such a trial.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

infertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (30)

Cited by (5)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK