Insemination can improve chances of pregnancy for some infertile couples, using a catheter through which the sperm is inserted into the woman's reproductive tract.
If in a couple, the man has fertility problems such as sterility, low sperm count or high risk of genetic disease, a sperm donor may be used. Also, in the single women cases, it is used a donor's sperm.
Putting sperm directly into the uterus can cause severe cramps, so, before insemination, the sperm are washed and concentrated. Concentration is achieved through a rigorous selection of the most active and healthy sperm.
IUI (Intrauterine insemination)
IUI is the technique that puts the sperm into a woman's uterus using a catheter when ovulating. The sperm can be used either from the partner or from a donor. In most cases, this procedure is done with the help of hormones based medicine that create super ovulation.
AI (artificial insemination)
AI is still the intrauterine insemination, but in many cases, the sperm is put into the vagina or cervix instead of the uterus. After the insertion, the sperm travel into the fallopian tubes and fertilize the egg. As in the case of IUI, the sperm can be used from the partner of from a donor and it super ovulation may be induced.
What are the expectations after the treatment
After the insemination, the patient may need to take some days of bed rest or not, if certain restraints are met, it all depends on the doctor's recommendation. The nice part of this procedure is the short recovery time that is necessary because it's done on an outpatient basis.
Reasons for insemination
Both artificial and intrauterine inseminations are done because of the following:
* - Unexplained infertility in the couple
* - Retrograde ejaculation (man releases semen and sperm into the urinary bladder instead of out the penis). Sperm are collected, washed and used for insemination.
* - Low count or poor quality of sperm
* - A single woman requires it
* - Sperm is preventing from traveling through the cervix by prior surgical procedures
By: Ruben Knisely -