Infertility Treatments

INSEMINATION

Insemination is the most affordable and simple technique for a couple to start fertility treatments and is indicated:

• for women without a regular cycle who need to undergo ovulation;
• for women with short-term infertility when their partner has a moderate degree of oligo-astheno spermia, provided that the fallopian tubes are patent and free of adhesions,
• when there is indication of hostile cervical mucus,
• when using donor sperm.

Pregnancy rates by insemination are 10-20% per cycle, which is better compared to physical intercourse but worse compared to IVF. However, this technique has the advantage that it is clearly less intrusive than IVF, it is seen as a more natural way of conception and has less cost.

There are two types of insemination:

Conventional Insemination (IUI)

Conventional Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) involves processing and enhancing the partner’s sperm and placing it with a thin catheter through the cervix inside the uterus near the ovulation time. This is a totally painless procedure that resembles the Pap test and takes only 5 minutes. [B6]

It is performed in the Assisted Reproduction Unit of MITERA and you will need a total of about 2 hours, as long as it takes to strengthen and cleanse the sperm. After completing the process, the woman may return to her activities.

Insemination can be performed during a natural cycle or after ovarian stimulation (causing ovulation).

With insemination there is improved fertility because:

• the sperm has undergone specific treatment (cleansing from potential germs and waste cells) and laboratory enhancement,
• the sperm is placed into the endometrial cavity, so it needs to travel shorter to reach the eggs at the time of ovulation,
• the semen has bypassed the cervical mucus, which can be quite hostile sometimes,
• the sperm is placed at the right time that the ovulation is guaranteed.

What should I expect from insemination?

Insemination has an indication of “easy” infertility incidents.

If the woman is over 40 years of age or has a low ovarian reserve (low AMH), thus maximizing the probability of getting pregnant occurs with IVF having higher success rates.

The lower cost compared to IVF is not always a substantial advantage because the probability of success is much lower to offset the economic benefit.

There is no maximum number of inseminations that a woman can or must undergo. We recommend that this process should not be repeated more than 3 times, although after two failed attempts, most couples decide to proceed to IVF.

It is important to stress that repeated failed insemination attempts can be extremely frustrating and adversely affect the couple’s psychology, resulting in the loss of valuable time, therefore delaying the achievement of pregnancy (especially if the woman’s age is over 35).

IUTPI insemination (IntraUterine TuboPeritoneal Insemination)

A variation of conventional insemination is the IUTPI insemination. It is the injection of 10 ml of sperm (as opposed to 1 – 4 ml used in the classic insemination process) using a properly designed vaginal speculum sealing the cervix. The sperm is thus propagated along the entire female genital system (uterus, fallopian tubes). The efficacy of the method has not yet been sufficiently documented in the literature.

Watch the preparation of the sperm for insemination in the laboratory