Insemination
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple and painless procedure involving the direct introduction of pre-selected sperm into the female reproductive tract.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple and painless procedure involving the direct introduction of pre-selected sperm into the female reproductive tract.
What is insemination?
What is insemination?
Intrauterine insemination is usually the first step in treating a couple’s infertility, categorised as impaired fertility, and aims to increase the chances of fertilisation of the egg. It is the least complicated and also the least invasive method used to treat infertility.
Insemination largely resembles the natural way in which fertilisation occurs. It involves the direct introduction into the female reproductive tract of specially treated (prepared) semen collected from the patient’s partner or an anonymous donor, at a time of natural or hormonally stimulated ovulation. Semen is administered to the patient with a thin catheter.
Diagnostics
Required testing
Female partner
Female partner
Male partner
Male partner
In order to carry out the insemination procedure, it is necessary to adequately prepare the cycle, perform the above tests, and complete the necessary documentation by both the female and male partner.
Treatment
Course of treatment
Stage I
Hormonal stimulation and monitoring of the patient’s cycle
The insemination procedure can be performed at a time immediately preceding natural or stimulated ovulation. The use of hormonal stimulation aims to produce a greater number of maturing egg cells. For both natural and artificial cycles, the growth of the ovarian follicle and the thickness of the endometrium are monitored using transvaginal ultrasound.
Once the follicles have reached the appropriate size and maturity, the doctor orders an injection to induce the final maturation of the follicle for ovulation. The procedure is usually performed after 24-36 hours.
Stage II
Donation of a partner’s sperm
Semen donation takes place on the day of the scheduled insemination.There should be 2-7 days of sexual abstinence before semen donation. This has important implications for semen quality and quantity.
The semen donated by the man must be properly prepared before it is applied to the woman’s reproductive tract. Semen arriving at the andrology laboratory is first assessed. All semen parameters are assessed according to WHO guidelines. The semen is then subjected to a detailed preparation in order to select the best fraction for insemination, i.e. to select and then concentrate the sperm with the correct structure and motility. The decision on the appropriate sperm preparation technique is informed by the assessed sperm parameters and patient history.
Methods of sperm preparation for assisted reproduction procedures
- Density gradient centrufugation methodDGC The most commonly used sperm selection technique. It allows for separating actively moving sperm from sperm plasma and other cells.
- Swim up method: A technique that harnesses the natural ability of sperm to migrate from the seminal plasma towards the medium.
- Flushing method: The simplest semen preparation technique. It allows for separating sperm from sperm plasma.
- FertileChip (Zymot): A device designed to obtain the highest quality sperm with the lowest possible level of DNA fragmentation, without the use of sperm-damaging centrifugation. The selected sperms have better motility, morphology and DNA integrity, as compared to traditional sperm separation techniques.
Stage III
Semen application
The application of semen is carried out using a special insemination catheter through the cervix directly into the uterine cavity, thus bypassing the barrier of cervical mucus and the sperm-damaging agents contained therein (antibodies, bacteria, protozoa, fungi). The procedure is painless and the woman can go home afterwards.
The procedure takes about 15 minutes.
Good to know
All you should know
about this method
The procedure of intrauterine insemination is available to couples who are experiencing infertility:
· induced by a male factor; in the presence of antisperm antibodies, slightly impaired semen parameters (not less than 5 million normal and motile sperm, ejaculatory disorders)
· induced by female factor; caused by cervical infertility (anatomical abnormalities of the cervix including the presence of a diverticulum in the caesarean section scar, mucosal abnormalities, absence of mucus) with concomitant evidence of fallopian tube patency and normal uterine structure, in stage I and II endometriosis
· idiopathic infertility
The insemination procedure is recommended for couples with a diagnosis of any of the following abnormalities:
· Impaired semen parameters: low sperm concentration and motility
· Ejaculatory disorders, inability to have sexual intercourse
· Presence of anti-sperm antibodies
· Use of donor sperm required
· Stage 1/2 endometriosis
· Cervical structural changes
· Ovulation disorders
· Idiopathic infertility
Contraindications to the insemination procedure are an existing obstruction of the fallopian tubes in women and known inflammation of the reproductive organs. This method is also not suitable for very poor semen parameters (< 5 million/ml).
Intrauterine insemination requires that both men and women undergo the tests necessary for the procedure.
Preparation for women
To perform the insemination procedure, a gynecological examination, ultrasound scan and hormone tests prescribed by the physician are required.We also recommend a Sono-Hsg fallopian tube patency test. To prepare for the insemination procedure, the woman undergoes hormonal stimulation (oral medication, injections), which improves the chance of fertilisation by increasing the number of maturing cells. The number of follicles, their size and the thickness of the endometrium are assessed by a regular ultrasound scan so that the day of ovulation can be correctly determined.
During insemination, the patient’s bladder should be full. This is facilitated by entering with a thin catheter, which delivers the prepared semen into the uterine cavity.
Preparation for men
A semen test is an essential test that a man must take before the insemination procedure. This examination will allow for determining eligibility for the procedure and, on the basis of the results, facilitate the appropriate selection of the method for sperm selection.
Prior to donating semen for insemination, you must observe a 2- to 7-day period of sexual abstinence.
When you know that you will be going for a semen test, you should maintain a minimum of two days of alcohol abstinence and also limit excessive physical exertion for at least a day before the test.
Semen testing should not be carried out during antibiotic therapy, in which case you should wait 14 days after the end of the therapy. The result is also negatively affected by an elevated temperature, e.g. the onset of fever – in this case, it is recommended to perform the test 2.5 to 3 months after its onset.
More about this procedure
Types of insemination
Intrauterine insemination
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) – the sperm goes into the uterine cavity.
Intracervical insemination
Intracervical insemination (ICI) – the semen goes into the cervix.
Intratubal insemination
Fallopian sperm perfusion – the sperm goes into the fallopian tube. Nowadays, it is performed very rarely, due to the fact that intrauterine insemination is less complicated and more effective.
When insemination with the partner’s sperm is not possible due to poor sperm quality, lack of sperm or the presence of certain genetic diseases, it is possible to carry out the procedure using sperm from an anonymous donor.The selection of a suitable donor takes place during a medical consultation. The doctor selects the sperm donor on the basis of the blood group (AB0 Rh system), which must be compatible with the patient’s blood group. In addition, phenotypic characteristics such as height, weight, eye colour, hair colour, body build are taken into account. All donors whose semen is used for AID intrauterine insemination are rigorously screened for: infectious diseases, i.e. HIV, HBV, HCV, bacterial diseases, i.e. chlamydiosis and syphilis, and genetic diseases, i.e. CFTR gene mutations and karyotype testing. In a situation where the couple is not married, the partner of the patient who proceeds with insemination using an anonymous donor must sign a declaration of acknowledgement of paternity at the Registry Office. If the man does not make a declaration to the Registry Office, the couple will not be able to proceed with the insemination procedure using donor sperm. The validity of the declaration is 14 months
Effectiveness of insemination procedure per cycle
Effectiveness of insemination procedure per cycle
from 10% to 25%*
The chances of success increase up to 40% if several insemination procedures are performed one after the other in successive cycles.
*The effectiveness of treatment depends on the patient’s age and the cause of infertility.
Test price list
| Intrauterine insemination with husband’s/partner’s sperm – AIH supervised by Matcher IVF electronic witnessing safety system |
PLN 1 250 |
| Additional charge for preparation of donor sperm for AID/ICSI/IVF |
PLN 2 150 |
| Additional charge for Fertile chip IUI (sperm segregation by microfluidics) |
PLN 1 100 |
Opinions
How patients see us
I would like to wholeheartedly thank the ARTVIMED staff for making our dream of becoming parents come true. Our beloved baby son was born on 15 May this year.
Thanks to the physicians at the clinic, the whole IVF procedure was successful on the first try 🙂 We received the best care at each step. I had the opportunity to meet several doctors at the clinic during my appointments, and each one proved to be an outstanding professional.
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I highly recommend this doctor. Competent, committed, empathetic. Specific treatment plan. You know you are in good hands.
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Opinion by B. on Dr. Joanna Figuła (Znany Lekarz) |
Thanks to the Doctor, we welcomed our son into the world 2 weeks ago.
We found this doctor after several years of struggling to conceive a child and being treated by specialists who knew nothing about infertility. The doctor immediately outlined a definite plan of action, ordered the right diagnostic tests, and referred us to the hospital for testing. As a result, the treatment progressed in the right direction.[…]
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Opinion on Dr Ewa Posadzka Agnieszka L. (Znany Lekarz) |
The best doctor we could have come across; she managed our pregnancy with great commitment.
Patient and taking every moment to help or clear up doubts if necessary. Thanks to the Doctor, we are parents of a 5-month-old miracle baby. Highly recommended
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Opinion on Dr Agnieszka Wolak Anna (Znany Lekarz) |
Dr Baran is by far the gentlest, most thorough gynaecologist interested in the patient’s concerns that I have ever encountered.
Immense knowledge of endometriosis, the skills to provide complete ultrasound testing for it and the know how to guide a patient dealing with this unpleasant disease. […]
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Opinion on Dr. Rafał Baran (Znany Lekarz) |
I highly recommend pregnancy management. My past experience with other doctors was that there was little to be gained from the appointments, the doctors were reluctant to tell me what they saw, unwilling to answer questions, and Ms Joanna answered every single one, demonstrating an enormous amount of patience. Highly recommended.
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Opinion on Dr. Joanna Figuła Katarzyna (Znany Lekarz) |
Although our little sunshine is already 6 years old, so far, when I look at her, I still have Dr Chrostowski and the Artvimed clinic in my mind… Dr Chrostowski has got that something about him that, when you are in his office, you know that you couldn’t have found a better place. I will always highly recommend ARTVIMED to everyone.
Ps. I still am in awe of how the embryologists work…how they ‘managed’ to create such a miracle… 😉 Thank you for being there
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Very matter-of-fact doctor; she informs you thoroughly about everything and explains everything comprehensively. She informed me of the treatment plan and was very kind, gentle and understanding.
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Opinion on Dr Katarzyna Doroszewska (Znany Lekarz) |
We would like to thank the entire ARTVIMED Team – our little miracle was born 2 weeks ago. Many thanks are due, in particular, to Dr Posadzka, through whom the right diagnostic work began, and to Dr Chrostowski, who guided further treatment, punctures, and transfer. I also had the pleasure of dealing with most of the doctors during the course of my diagnosis and each one showed a great deal of support and professionalism. We would also like to thank the Embryology Team – without you, our son would not be here. Thank you for the beautiful work of the whole clinic!
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