FACTORS INFLUENCING INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION OUTCOMES IN BRUNEI FEMALES

Objective: To determine the effects of female age, body mass index (BMI), hormonal profile, infertility duration and causes on pregnancy outcomes in females undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI). Material and Method: This retrospective study included 199 infertile females who underwent IUI from 2015 to 2019 at Raja-Isteri-Pengiran- Anak-Saleha Hospital, Brunei Darussalam. Age, BMI, hormonal profile, duration of infertility, and causes of infertility associated with pregnancy outcome during treatment were studied. Urine pregnancy test confirmed the pregnancy post-IUI. The statistical analysis tests for categorical variables were the Chi-Square test and Fisher's exact test. One-way ANOVA was used to assess numerical variables. P-values <0.05 were deemed statistically significant. Result: The mean age of the pregnant females was 32.8±4.9 years, the mean BMI was 24.7 kg/m2 and 12.5% of the participants had normal weight, 5.5% were overweight, and 9% were obese. Overall, 18 females (9%) achieved successful outcomes. Despite the lack of a significant relationship between BMI and pregnancy outcome, 83% of females with positive outcomes were obese. Furthermore, 72.2% of the females who were infertile for <6 years had conceived. A decreasing trend of hormones was noticed with an increasing BMI (p<0.05). Overall hormonal values did not significantly determine IUI outcome (p>0.05). Conclusion: Successful outcomes after IUI were observed in females with unexplained or female-caused infertility. Male infertility did not influence the positive pregnancy outcome. Females with an age range of 30-39 years, duration of infertility less than six years, and BMI index of >25 kg/m2 were able to conceive.