Artificial insemination - Assisted reproduction for Infertile couples

What is Artificial insemination?

Why do you need it?

Advertisment

• The couple is unable to conceive within one year of trying


• The woman is prone to irregular periods or is over 35 years of age and trying to conceive


• The woman has two or more spontaneous miscarriages.


• A couple that produces healthy sperm and eggs but is unable to have intercourse, possibly due to a medical condition, such as erectile dysfunction.


• Sometimes the cervix either does not produce the mucus that helps sperm travel to the womb, or the mucus contains a substance that kills the sperm. Artificial insemination can help couple to conceive in such cases


• In rare cases, a woman may have an allergic reaction to certain proteins in sperm or semen. The artificial insemination can remove most of these before applying the sperm.


• Some men are unable to produce enough sperm for successful fertilization, or their sperm may not be sufficiently motile. This means the sperm cannot move towards the egg effectively.

Advertisment

The Steps    

1. The woman will have to monitor her ovulation cycle using a calendar method, ultrasound, by taking her temperature regularly, or a combination of these. Sometimes, a doctor may prescribe medications to induce ovulation and increase the likelihood a woman will release multiple eggs.


2. The woman’s partner will donate sperm for use or a woman will obtain a sperm sample from a donor.


3. The doctor will insert sperm into the vagina using a special syringe.


4. The woman will be typically instructed to lie down for 15 to 30 minutes. This ideally allows the sperm to move up from the cervix into the uterus.


5. The woman can return to her regular activities after this time. In about two weeks or slightly longer, she’ll take a pregnancy test to determine if the insemination process was successful.

Advertisment

Factors determining the success of the process

• a woman’s age


• use of fertility medications


• underlying fertility concerns

Risks involved/ Side effects of the procedure

• Pregnancy with more than one fetus increases the chances of complications, such as premature birth or miscarriage.


• Nowadays, doctors only prescribe fertility medication when there are difficulties with ovulation, or producing the egg cells from which an embryo develops.


• Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) can affect the ovaries to swell after combining fertility medication and IUI. It is rare, and symptoms are usually mild-to-moderate, but it can sometimes have serious complications.


• The side effects of the procedure includes  bloating, slight abdominal pain, and possibly nausea and vomiting. More severe cases may feature dehydration, chest pain and shortness of breath.


• Staying hydrated and taking paracetamol normally alleviates the pain, but more severe cases may require hospital treatment.


• Some women may experience some cramping or light bleeding following the procedure. Others may not experience any residual effects at all.