NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:Lala Kent of 'Vanderpump Rules' is using IUI to get pregnant. What is that?

Lala Kent of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules" is NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centertrying to get pregnant via intrauterine insemination (IUI).

What is that?

The actress and reality star, 33, revealed to Cosmopolitan in an interview last month that she's undergoing IUI treatments to conceive her second child with a sperm donor. Kent said she had friends who tried IUI before attempting to get pregnant via in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

"I knew I wanted more kids," she said. "It was such a strange thing that was happening because everyone would tell me, 'You’re going to find somebody.' And I got to thinking, 'Why does my wanting more children need to involve another person?' I think if there’s a will, there’s a way. I knew a donor was an option, and I knew IUI was an option.

Kent added: "I felt this need to start talking about it because there are women out in the world who sit there and wait for a man to come into the picture and are just yearning for children even though there is another way to get pregnant. If you want children and are only waiting for 'that person' to come into your life, let’s talk about a different route that we can take."

Here's what a gynecologist wants you to know about the IUI process.

What is the difference between IUI and IVF? 

The biggest difference between IUI and IVF is that the former involves egg fertilization inside the body, while the latter happens outside.

The process of IVF begins with patients taking medication to stimulate ovary follicle growth, gynecologist Karen Tang, M.D., tells USA TODAY. Doctors then conduct a procedure to retrieve those eggs, during which they put the patient under anesthesia and use a long, thin needle that's inserted through the vagina.

Following the procedure, medical professionals will fertilize the eggs with sperm. Then the "resulting embryos are grown and evaluated for appearance and quality," adds Tang, author of the upcoming book “It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)."

In some cases they're tested genetically, such as if one of the patients is a carrier for a serious medical condition or if they've experienced several miscarriages. Then, the "highest quality embryos are then transferred into the uterus," she says.

The IUI process may or may not require medication for follicle growth, Tang notes. But instead of IVF's process of retrieving eggs, fertilizing them outside of the body and re-inserting them back into the body, IUI inserts sperm directly through the cervix into the uterus, fertilizing the egg inside the body.

IUI is also typically less expensive than IVF.

More:FDA clears at-home artificial insemination kit for first time

Is it painful to have an IUI?

Unlike IVF, the IUI process does not usually involve going under anesthesia, Tang notes. Some patients report a cramping feeling during the procedure, while others don't feel any pain.

How long does it take for IUI to get pregnant? 

The short answer: It depends on how many rounds you need to get pregnant. But the actually process of IUI has less steps than IVF.

IUI has a lower average success rate than IVF, so people may go through more cycles of IUI than IVF, says Tang.

More:Chrissy Teigen, IVF and what women dealing with infertility don't want to hear.