on all the research I have done. here is one sentence from a article I read
Current research indicates that washed sperm can live 24-72 hours; however, it does lose potency after 24 hours
Q: How long does washed sperm live?
A: Washed sperm is supposed to only live for 6-12 hours, but sometimes as long as 24 -- not nearly as long as sperm can live in fertile cervical mucus (sperm can live up to 5 days in fertile mucus, 2-3 days being pretty common). This is why timing is so important.
Hey i was just reading what you guys had to say, and i have read both 6-12 hours and up to 3 days. . . I have subscribed to an REs infertility blog. he is an RE at New York university. Here is the link to his blog about IUI. . . I thought it was interesting. http://infertilityblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/little-more-about-iui.html
I was really worried about timing for mine, but this made me feel a little better.