Artificial Insemination (AI)


Fertility Treatments

Artificial Insemination (AI) is a form of Assisted Reproductive Technique (ART) whereby the male’s semen sample is deposited into the female’s reproductive tract in hope to maximize the chances of the sperm meeting the egg without sexual intercourse. There are two main techniques used in AI which are Intra-Cervical Insemination (ICI) and Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI).

Those that can benefit from this technique are:

  1. Couples who are not having sexual intercourse adequately due to erectile dysfunction or vaginismus (painful intercourse).
  2. Females whose partners are azoospermic (no sperm in the semen) can opt for donor sperm insemination.
  3. Females whose partners’ semen sample are of poor or average quality.
  4. Females with no partners that want to have children of their own.
  5. Men who travel away from home frequently.

ICI is used when “unwashed” semen is placed in the cervix. Unwashed or untreated semen sample cannot be placed in the uterus due to the presence of prostaglandins in the seminal fluid which can cause severe uterine cramping, in turn expelling the semen from the uterus. Therefore, semen sample must go through a series of dilution with culture medium and high speed centrifugation to neutralize the effect of seminal fluid in the uterus. After the sperm sample has been washed and treated, a small plastic tube is inserted into the woman’s womb and the processed semen is inseminated close to the eggs, at the time she is most fertile. This usually takes place in conjunction with stimulation of the ovaries with medications.

For many infertile couples, IUI or ICI is less invasive and more affordable when compared to IVF or ICSI treatment. However, there are limitations to these techniques. Success rates for AI are expected to be lower than IVF or ICSI due to many factors, for example, age of the recipient, sperm quality, timing of insemination and outcome of the ovarian stimulation.


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