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High Tech Babies: Artificial Insemination

Can Artificial Insemination Help You Conceive?

By Kendeyl Johansen

When the egg is ready for fertilization the male provides a sperm sample or, in some cases, donor sperm is used. "The sperm is treated and washed to concentrate it for the most active, motile sperm," Herbert says.

In the most common AI procedure (intrauterine insemination – IUI) the treated sperm is then inserted into a narrow, flexible catheter and pushed out inside the woman's uterine cavity. IUI is usually painless.

"It was no big deal at all. It wasn't the romantic moment we had planned, but it worked!" says Jane Herman, of Lincoln, Neb.

"IUI was similar to having a pap smear exam. It only took 15 minutes or so and was painless," Taylor adds.

Herbert's patients rest for a few minutes after IUI before they resume normal activities. "We place no activity restriction on the women after IUI. There is no proven benefit to remaining in a horizontal position – even with your feet in the air – for prolonged periods of time after this procedure," he says. He adds that some couples like to have intercourse that evening or the next morning hoping to further improve their pregnancy chances. "Although it is presently unclear whether this does improve pregnancy rates, it isn't harmful and is OK to do," he explains.

Success rates for AI vary depending on factors such as maternal age and ovarian health, medications given to increase the number of eggs released and sperm numbers or quality. "In the more difficult categories, pregnancy rates can be as low as 2 percent to 3 percent but in the more optimistic categories, pregnancy rates can reach 20 percent to 25 percent per cycle. It's very important that each woman have a thorough evaluation and adequate knowledge of her success probability based on her own unique set of circumstances before entering the AI process," Herbert says.