dm24angel
Happiness
Member since 5/05 34581 total posts
Name:
Donna
|
Re: does artificial insemination
HERE...This explains it well
As a couple dealing with infertility, you may be faced with various options in your journey to become loving parents. Artificial insemination or AI is just one of those options that may be considered prior to attempting more involved treatments, such as IVF. AI is typically recommended for the treatment of infertility due to:
mild to moderate male factor infertility
"unexplained" infertility
cervical mucus insufficiency
hostile cervical mucus
various structural abnormalities in the woman
Many couples are presented with the AI option after a trial of clomiphene is unsuccessful.
AI is a relatively simple procedure that involves injecting a sample of specially treated sperm from the male partner into the female partner's reproductive tract. For most couples, AI is performed with the husband's sperm. However, when the husband's ejaculate contains few or no live sperm, the couple may consider undergoing more advanced procedures including IVF, ICSI, or donor sperm insemination.
It's important to note that AI is a general term - there are actually several different types of AI, and they are named for the location of sperm insemination into the female. The types of AI are intracervical (in the cervical canal), intrauterine (in the uterine cavity), intrafollicular (in the ovarian follicle) or intratubal (in the fallopian tubes). Therefore, AI merely describes a procedure where a qualified reproductive specialist injects sperm into the female reproductive tract. The different types of AI are recommended based on your diagnosis and probability of success with each method.
Of the four different types of AI, intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the most commonly used form. It is very useful if the cause of infertility is insufficient or hostile cervical mucus or low sperm count or motility. The reason for this is IUI allows sperm to bypass the cervix without encountering "unfriendly" cervical mucus which could "inactivate" the sperm. The reason that IUI is helpful for low sperm count or motility is based upon the knowledge that only about 1% of the total numbers of sperm deposited into the vagina at ejaculation will find their way into the upper female genital tract. IUI places the healthiest sperm into the female genital tract to increase the likelihood that one of those sperm will fertilize an egg.
IUI is a relatively quick procedure that takes place in the clinic office. It is performed by passing a sterile catheter containing the sperm through the cervix and into the uterine cavity. The sperm are then injected directly into the uterus. Usually the insemination itself causes little if any discomfort. Following the insemination procedure, you will likely be asked to remain lying down with your hips elevated for about 45 minutes.
Although IUI is relatively uncomplicated, and less invasive than IVF, one disadvantage associated with IUI is that it does not allow the doctor to evaluate whether or not fertilization is capable of taking place. With IVF/ET, fertilization can be confirmed since it takes place outside of the body, in a lab. With IUI, however, fertilization still takes place within the body, much like a natural cycle. Although IUI is more natural, it is unknown whether or not the sperm actually fertilizes the egg to make an embryo (unless the woman gets pregnant after the first IUI cycle). Therefore, if you repeatedly are unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy following IUI, consider discussing the IVF option with your healthcare team.
The pregnancy rates for IUI treatment cycles average about 15-20% per cycle when IUI is performed for the correct indications. If all other conditions affecting fertility are thought to be normal or adequately treated, then a reasonable length of treatment with IUI is about three to six treatment cycles. If you and your partner are unable to achieve pregnancy by the end of this course of treatment, then speak with your doctors about other options available to you. Perhaps a reassessment of your diagnosis should be made since some other factor may be present which has been unrecognized and inadequately treated.
|
