Artificial Insemination
Artificial Insemination is the placement of sperm into a woman's reproductive tract typically performed when the woman is ovulating. In the event that the male sperm is unsuitable for insemination, donor sperm can be used. East Bay Fertility Center adheres to the guidelines of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) regarding the use of donor sperm. Artificial insemination may also require the use of fertility drugs and other medications.
Artificial insemination is often one of the first infertility treatment options tried out since this method is a simple procedure with few side effects and also cheaper than other complex procedures, such as in vitro fertilization.
The two most common types of artificial insemination procedures include intracervical insemination (ICI) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). ICI involves placing “washed” semen inside the cervix. In IUI, sperm is injected directly into a woman’s uterus.
IUI is performed without anesthesia, using a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is passed through the cervix and into the uterus. These techniques require only a short recovery time. Some amount of cramping may be experienced during the procedure, especially if sperm are inserted into the uterus. The sperm is always washed and tested before the insemination procedure so that there are minimal chances of any genetic defects passing on to the baby.
Artificial insemination may be recommended when the couple or one partner is diagnosed with:
• Premature ejaculation
• Low sperm count
• Decreased sperm motility
• Abnormal sperm morphology
• Poor interaction between sperm and cervical mucus
• Women with "unreceptive cervical mucus"
• Unexplained infertility
• Mild endometriosis
• Impotence
• Cervix disorders
• Drug-induced erectile dysfunction
Factors that lessen the chances of success of artificial insemination include:
• Poor egg quality
• Older age of the woman
• Poor sperm quality
• Severe endometriosis
• Severe damage to fallopian tubes
At East Bay Fertility Center we initiate fertility treatment with a number of mandatory tests to diagnose the causes of infertility. Based on the results of these tests we conclude which of the partners has a problem and start on a suitable line of fertility treatment.
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