Does catheter type effect pregnancy rate in intrauterine insemination cycles?

Purpose: To determine if a soft insemination catheter increases pregnancy rates. Methods: Seven hundred forty-seven consecutive intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles in 364 women in a reproductive endocrinology office between October 1998 and March 2000. Patients with even birth years were inseminated with the Tomcat catheter, and those with odd birth year with the Wallace IUI catheter, Clinical pregnancy rates were compared. Results: The Wallace catheter group included 180 women for 372 cycles and an overall pregnancy rate of 16.4%. The Tomcat catheter group included 184 women for 375 cycles and an overall pregnancy rate of 18.1%. This difference is not statistically significant (P = 0.61). Potential confounders were accounted for. Conclusions: When comparing the softer Wallace catheter to the less pliable Tomcat catheter during IUI cycles, there was no significant difference in pregnancy rate when using a standard gentle technique that includes not touching the top of the fundus with the catheter.