Getting an Understanding of Intrauterine Insemination

Reproductive health is not something that many people worry about until they are unable to conceive. Intrauterine insemination, also known as artificial insemination, is one of the advances in medicine that can help with infertility.

Unless the cause of infertility is something extreme, such as tube blockages and damage or bad egg quality, this insemination process is usually a good choice to help with the process of impregnation. If the male partner is the one with the fertility problem, then this is a good choice as well. As long as the candidates are screened and properly tested for the type of infertility they have, this process can be very effective.

The process of intrauterine insemination deals with placing the sperm directly into the uterus. This may sound simple; however, there are many more factors and processes involved. In order to make the most of this procedure, the doctor will make sure the woman is producing multiple eggs by stimulating the ovaries with medication.

It is imperative to make sure that the insemination is timed to coincide with ovulation. The next step is to take the sperm that will be used and to put it through a process called "sperm washing".

What this washing does exactly is separate the sperm from the semen so that it is more concentrated and allows the woman a better chance to get pregnant. Once this is done, the sperm can be introduced into the uterus.

Intrauterine insemination can be done with the sperm of the woman's male partner or if for some reason this is not possible, then a sperm donor can be used. It could be that the woman does not have a male partner or that the male sperm is of a poor quality.

There have been instances of a woman being allergic to her partner's sperm. In these instances, being able to utilize this procedure works wonders for helping the woman to conceive.

Intrauterine insemination is a very effective treatment for infertility and is a fairly uncomplicated medical procedure. It has a high success rate when used in the right medical instances and for the right candidates. If performed correctly, then this process is about as uncomfortable as having a pap smear.

For the chance to have a child, most women do not consider this discomfort too high of a price to pay. A woman can find out if the procedure has been successful, usually as soon as two weeks by conducting a pregnancy test.

Generally, if after three attempts at this insemination process does not work, then the percentages drop that it will work in additional attempts. If this happens, then other courses of action for the woman to conceive will have to be explored.