Artificial insemination has a long, successful history of helping women achieve a pregnancy that might otherwise be impossible. In fact, the first recorded baby born through artificial insemination let out its first cry in the 18th Century.
Since then, artificial insemination (AI) has been used to conceive countless children. There may come a point in your journey toward parenthood where AI’s your best choice.
With AI, either your male partner or a male donor provides sperm that we then insert into your uterus after you’ve released a ripe egg. The procedure is simple and performed in our office.
We may suggest that you take fertility drugs, however, to increase the chances of producing a viable egg. Or, we time the AI for the correct point in your cycle, when you release a single egg.
At OC Fertility in Newport Beach, California, Sharon Moayeri, MD, Nidhee Sachdev, MD, and our team are dedicated to helping you have the baby you so desire. The following are some situations where AI might be your best chance.
Although most people spend their lives imagining that they’d conceive a child through sexual intercourse, that’s not always possible. Even though sexual expression and intimacy are essential parts of an individual’s life and a couple’s relationship, not everyone can have penetrative intercourse.
Some women have a condition called vaginismus, wherein their vaginal muscles contract and spasm any time an object — a tampon or a penis — attempts penetration. Vaginismus makes intercourse extremely painful at best and impossible at worst.
Men may also have conditions that don’t allow penetrative sex, such as erectile dysfunction (ED). Or, he may have retrograde ejaculation or another condition that prevents sperm from passing from his testes into the vagina.
If your male partner produces sperm, AI may help you conceive a baby that shares both of your DNA.
If your male partner produces too few sperm, no sperm at all, or abnormal sperm, you may need to use a sperm donor. A baby born from donor sperm won’t share your partner’s DNA (unless the donor is a blood-related family member), but the baby will have your DNA.
Sperm donors need to undergo tests to be sure they’re healthy and have enough normal sperm. You can choose an anonymous donor from a sperm bank. If you decide to have a family member or friend donate, they must also go through the screening process.
Women whose male partners produce plenty of normal sperm may still need AI. If you have endometriosis, excessive cervical mucus, or a sperm allergy, AI gives you the best chance of conception.
Whether in a same-sex relationship or a single woman, you may choose AI when it’s time to conceive a child. Again, you can use either donated sperm or ask a friend or family member to go through the screening process and donate for you. As with all AI, sperm insertion into your uterus occurs in our safe and private clinic.
Just as all acts of intercourse don’t result in a child, neither does AI. Pregnancies per cycle with AI range from 5%-15%. If you don’t conceive after a few cycles, we may recommend moving on to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Are you ready to increase your chances of pregnancy with artificial insemination? Contact us at 949-706-2229 or book an appointment online.
