Treatment of idiopathic infertility, cervical mucus hostility, and male infertility: artificial insemination with husband's semen or in vitro fertilization?

Couples with male infertility (n = 86), idiopathic infertility (n = 68), and cervical mucus hostility (n = 48) of a long duration were treated either by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination with husband's semen (AIH). The incidence of pregnancy per cycle in couples in whom the male partner was infertile was significantly (P less than 0.01) higher after IVF, compared with AIH (21% versus 5%, respectively). The differences were most apparent in couples with asthenospermia (47% versus 0%, respectively); no significant difference was found when the infertility was caused by oligospermia only (11% versus 9%, respectively). More patients with idiopathic infertility became pregnant after one cycle with IVF, compared with AIH (20% versus 8%, respectively); but, because of intragroup disparity in size, this difference was not significant. A highly significant difference (P less than 0.01) was found after one attempt with IVF, compared with AIH, in patients with cervical mucus hostility (38% versus 3%, respectively).