Sanjay Kumar
February 21, 2018
Different Vial Types:
If you have been curious about using sperm donors to help start your family, you may have looked at the prices of vials and noticed several different types available. What is an IUI, ICI, A.R.T., and IVF vial? This blog will let you know the differences between each one so that it can guide you in figuring out which vial is best for you.
IUI Premium Vials
IUI (Intrauterine insemination) vials undergo a "washing" procedure utilizing gradient separation methods, resulting in only the sperm and stabilizing media, making it safe for the uterus.
At Cryobank America, we guarantee 25 Million cells per milliliter (25M/ml). Each IUI vial is sold in a half-milliliter (0.5ml) unit, giving you 12.5M/ml of motile sperm cells per premium IUI vial. IUI specimens can be safely placed directly into the uterus by your treating physician because there are no "round" cells or other "junk" in them that causes cramping. These units are also ideal for at-home inseminations, where they'll be placed near the top of the vagina and cervix.
ICI Premium Vials
ICI (intracervical insemination) vials are considered "unwashed" since they have not undergone gradient separation steps, which remove the non-motile sperm cells, round cells, and other junk found in the ejaculate.
At Cryobank America, we guarantee 17 Million cells per milliliter (17M/ml). Each vial sold comprises one milliliter (1ml). ICI units are typically used for at-home insemination since these specimens cannot be placed into the uterus due to severe cramping. Some fertility clinics prefer to wash their patient's specimens in-house (usually at an additional cost to the patient); therefore, these units contain one milliliter of a specimen compared to IUI units, which are sold in half milliliter units (0.5ml). We recommend that our clients purchase IUI units since they can work for both in-clinic procedures and at-home inseminations.
IUI A.R.T. & ICI A.R.T.
A.R.T., or artificial reproductive technology, vials are lower quantity units. At Cryobank America, we guarantee 3-12 Million per half a milliliter (and 6-24 M/ml) for IUI ART and 6-24 M/ml for ICI ART units. These vials cost less since they contain fewer progressively motile sperm cells.
IUI/IVF & ICI/IVF (For IVF/ICSI)
Lastly, our IUI/IVF undergoes our wash process and is guaranteed at 0.5-2.5 Million per half (0.5) milliliter (1-5 M/ml). Our ICI/IVF vials are unwashed, guaranteeing 1-5 Million per (1) milliliter. We recommend these units for clients utilizing in-vitro fertilization or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedures, where only a few sperm are needed.
If you still have questions concerning vial types and differences between the classes, don't hesitate to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable Cryobank America staff members today!
Please email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 817-945-8708
All pricing can be found at https://cryobankamerica.com/pricing/