[Results of intrauterine insemination in the Netherlands].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the results of intrauterine insemination (IUI) in the Netherlands.


METHODS
Retrospective.


METHODS
Based on annual reports and individual reports from gynaecologists, we calculated the number of registered IUI cycles performed, the pregnancy rates per cycle, the ongoing pregnancy rates per cycle and the multiple pregnancy rates per ongoing pregnancy in 2003. By extrapolating these results, we estimated the total number of IUI cycles performed in 2003 in the Netherlands and the related outcomes. These results were compared with IUI pregnancy rates from the international literature and Dutch national data on in vitro fertilisation (IVF).


RESULTS
In 2003, IUI was performed in 91 of the 101 hospitals in the Netherlands. Of these 91 hospitals, 58 (64%) registered their IUI results. These 58 hospitals performed 19,846 IUI cycles in 2003. The mean pregnancy rate per cycle was 9.0% and the ongoing pregnancy rate per cycle was 7.3%. Multiple pregnancies occurred in 9.5% of ongoing pregnancies. Extrapolation of the data of these 58 hospitals revealed that approximately 28,500 IUI cycles were performed in the Netherlands in 2003, of which approximately 2,000 resulted in an ongoing pregnancy. The number of multiple pregnancies following IUI was estimated to be 180 (9.0%). In the international literature, a pregnancy rate per cycle of 8.7% has been reported. According to the national IVF registry, 9,761 IVF cycles were started in 2003, resulting in 2,028 ongoing pregnancies (20.8% per cycle) and 439 twin pregnancies (21.6% per ongoing pregnancy).


CONCLUSIONS
The pregnancy rate per IUI cycle in the Netherlands (9.0%) was comparable to that reported in the international literature (8.7%). The contribution of IUI to the number of multiple pregnancies in the Netherlands was much smaller than the contribution of IVF.
Steures
P
P
VU Medisch Centrum, afd Verloskunde en Gynaecologie, Amsterdam. pn.steures@amc.uva.nl
van der Steeg
J W
JW
Hompes
P G A
PG
van der Veen
F
F
Mol
B W J
BW
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple; D012189:Retrospective Studies