Artificial Insemination Means, Benefits and Disadvantages

Infertility is a very such a reproductive issue that has become quite common in the recent times. These infertility issues, that is, problems and complications related to reproductive health and obstructions in conceiving are found in both male and female individuals. But there is no such thing to worry about this, because medical science in the present day has incredibly progressed and there are various types of treatment methods that are often prescribed by obstetricians and infertility experts, which can help many people to get rid of their health problems related to infertility.

One such type of fertility treatment is artificial insemination. Artificial insemination is a very common procedure of treatment that is advised by many doctors among patients who are struggling with fertility issues. It is an artificial process that can be conducted both in the clinic or at home.

So, if you are somebody who is interested to know more about artificial insemination, you have arrived at the right place. This is because we here intend to provide you with all the necessary information that you need to know about artificial insemination, so that you can benefit the most from this procedure.

What do you need to know about artificial insemination?

Artificial insemination, as the name suggests, is an artificial and clinical procedure for treating fertility issues by delivering sperm cells directly to the cervix or uterus, which can ensure the increased chances of pregnancy. To further increase the chances of pregnancy, many doctors advise people to go through this process, particularly when a woman is ovulating and/or the sperms are washed and prepared, that is, they are made more potential for ensuring pregnancy. Therefore, artificial insemination is such a process that occur close to the time of ovulation, so the sperm is in the Fallopian tube , ready to fertilize the egg.

Since artificial insemination is a process that ensures pregnancy through human-made technologies and procedures, many at times it has been found that same-sex couples or transgender individuals who find it difficult to get pregnant naturally but still want to have a child, generally opt for artificial insemination.

Ovulation and its importance for artificial insemination:

Though it is an artificial process, artificial insemination is a process that requires the female partner to be ovulating. Ovulation is vital for going through the procedure of artificial insemination because when the process is performed during or close to the ovulation dates of the female partner, then there would be much higher chances of getting pregnant, that is, to increase the chances of fertilization. It is mostly due to this reason that in many cases, doctors recommend their people to take in medications that can induce ovulation while they are planning to go through artificial insemination. Some of the most common types of drugs that are often prescribed for induced ovulation during artificial insemination include Gonadotropin medicines , Aromatose inhibitors, Clomid or clomiphene citrate, and there are many other types of medicines as well, that are safer to be taken in and help inducing ovulation for better results of artificial insemination.

But how will you know if you are ovulating or not? The best way to go through the process of artificial insemination during ovulation, is to track your ovulation date by understanding your menstrual cycle, as ovulation can tentatively occur between days 12 and 14 of a 28-day cycles. Apart from this, you will also know that you are ovulating, when you check your cervical mucus, that becomes thinner and slippery during ovulation. Ovulation can also be checked through at-home urine tests.

What can be the benefits of having artificial insemination?

Artificial insemination is a very helpful procedure for those who are struggling to become pregnant. Experts advise people to rely on this method of conceiving a child, particularly when a male partner has a low sperm count and the sperms have motility, that is, the movement of the sperms is not efficient enough for impregnating the female partner. Apart from these, artificial insemination involves low-risk and noninvasive techniques, so it is highly recommendable among those who have been facing problems of infertility and having obstructions in pregnancy for a long time.

This method is such a method that is also highly beneficial for a patient when you are somebody who has sperm shapes that are abnormally formed and are incapable of fertilization. Other than these, artificial insemination is also used by those who trying to conceive for over a year with no known cause for infertility. Moreover, this method is also used by those who are trying to get pregnant scars on the cervix or using donor sperm to get pregnant.

What are the different types of procedures for an artificial insemination?

There are various types of artificial insemination that are known to be recommended by doctors for those who are trying to get rid of infertility. The types can be broadly divided into two major categories that are considered to be quite important for the artificial insemination process, and the two types include the following:

1. Intrauterine insemination or IUI:

This is the type of artificial insemination that involves insertion of sperm cells into the uterine cavity using a catheter under the supervision of an experienced health care professional. This is quite an effective process in which the doctor helps to remove the proteins from semen. When prepared properly, it helps in making the sperm more concentrated. Ideally, this will increase the likelihood you will conceive. This removal is done because the proteins in semen can lead to mild chances of preventing proper fertilization of the eggs, and thus reduces the uncertainty of pregnancy, and this also helps to concentrate the sperm to increase the chance of pregnancy.

In this case, for carrying out the procedure, a small speculum is placed inside the vagina by a health care expert, which helps to visualize the cervix. A small tube is now inserted to place the sperm cell in the uterine cavity, and it is mostly during this time that one may experience mild levels of cramping.

2. Inter-cervical insemination or ICI:

The second and the most important (and also, the most commonly used) type known as Inter-cervical insemination includes direct insertion of the semen into the cervix through a syringe or cervical cap under the supervision of a doctor. In this process, your partner can donate sperm for or otherwise you can also obtain a sperm sample from any other healthy donor.

While in many cases, doctors suggest that the semen should be prepared before the procedure begins, in this case, the semen is not needed to be washed for the removal of the seminal fluid before this procedure the procedure begins and thus is primarily because ICI can be done at home or in a clinic.

To carry out this procedure, a syringe or cervical cap will be used to insert sperm if the procedure is carried out in a clinic. If the process is to be done at home, then doctors advise the person to lie down in a recumbent position and have a support with pillows or any soft cushion under the hips of the patient. A doctor or the other partner is expected to use a syringe or cervical cap to deliver the sperm into the vagina at the cervix level. If the sperm is frozen, then you must allow it to thaw for 15 minutes before the procedure.

Both the types of processes of artificial insemination are quite helpful for those who are planning to conceive, because the procedures are easy, hustle-free, and both the process of inserting sperm will only take a few minutes. Your health care professional may suggest lying down for 15 minutes after the process gets over.

These are the people who are recommended to have artificial insemination:

If in case you are wondering who must go through the process of artificial insemination, here is the complete list for you:

• if the after-birthing parent is older than age 35 after six months of having unprotected sex
• after a year of having unprotected sex if the birthing parent is younger than age 35
• in cases of known male factor infertility
• LGBTQIA+ couples.

Is artificial insemination able to guarantee fertility? The success rate of the procedure:

Many a times, doctors are usually known to suggest their patients to choose artificial insemination to get pregnant by resolving their problems related to infertility. The average pregnancy rate for ICI is almost around 37.9 percent after six treatment cycles. But have you wondered, if this process is effective at all? When you are going through any clinical procedure like artificial insemination, it is important to consider the success rate of the process, so that you do not end up wasting your money for a process that is not fruitful at all.

Generally, a patient may require a number of procedures, that is, rounds of artificial insemination to become pregnant. Moreover, there are certain factors on which the success rates of artificial insemination will largely depend, some of which include the following:

• The use of medications that can help inducing ovulation
• The sperm count and health of the sperms
• The age of the mother and the father
• Health conditions of the female reproductive organs, for instance, if your blockages in the Fallopian tubes or have cysts, endometriosis, and other reproductive health issues, then conceiving might become difficult.

But, in spite of all these aspects, considering all these, one can still depend on artificial insemination for getting pregnant by getting rid of infertility issues, because this procedure can help you to have a healthy pregnancy without any issues.

Is there any risk factor related to artificial insemination?

Artificial insemination is a process, is more or less safe to be used by anybody who is facing problems with getting pregnant as a result of infertility issues. But recent studies show that there can be chances of developing some side effects as well. Though the side effects that happen to people as a result of artificial insemination may differ from one person to the other, some of the most common types of side effects that are known to affect people may include the following:

• Chances of having multiple pregnancies, that is, twins or triplets
• Risks of developing infections in the reproductive organs
• Increased number of eggs released by the ovary.

How much can it cost to go through artificial insemination?

The average cost of undergoing Artificial insemination treatment will depend on a number of factors such as the location, that is, the city in which you are undergoing the process, the fees of the doctor or any health care expert involved, the cost of the process, and so on. In fact, the costs can also vary based on insurance coverage and your state. But more or less, artificial insemination is quite a costly procedure to go through to get rid of infertility. Before going to proceed for an artificial insemination process, you must check with your insurance company first and then with the state law, and local family planning organizations and related processes to help calculate the cost of artificial insemination in your area.

One particular type of artificial insemination, that is IUI can be costly when it is more invasive, performed at a doctor’s clinic or at a hospital or when having the sperm processed in a laboratory. IUI is also costly because it often involves the use of a thin instrument that is inserted by a health care expert through the vagina for placing the sperm into the uterus.

Although infertility is the most common reason for artificial insemination, this procedure is a valuable fertility option for many families who struggle with infertility and pregnancy problems or for those who are in same-sex relationships and a partner is unable to conceive a child through natural biological procedures. In vitro fertilization or IVF is often recommended as an alternative to procedure that couples may consider if they do not wish to go through artificial insemination.