Artificial Insemination Success Rate

With the advancements in medical science, millions of couple with infertility disorders become successful in planning a safe pregnancy. One of the cost-effective infertility treatments is artificial insemination (AI), wherein the male gamete (sperm) is introduced in the female reproductive tract for the purpose of fertilizing the egg. A type of assisted reproductive technology, the positive outcome of AI is formation of zygote and then, conception.

The sperm used in the human artificial insemination procedure is taken from the male partner or a sperm donor. With this technique, a single woman can bear a baby without a male partner. In case of artificial insemination for single women, donor sperm is used in the process. But, what about the artificial insemination success rate? Is it a reliable infertility treatment? Or are there any considerations for undergoing AI? Let's try to delve more on success rate of AI.

What is the Success Rate of Artificial Insemination?

In order to elevate production of eggs, an ovarian stimulation medication is usually administered several days before the actual artificial insemination procedure. The concerned physician then plans the AI day, so that it falls within the ovulation cycle. You may have come across medical reports that claim that using ovarian stimulation medicine increases the success rate of artificial insemination, rather than carrying out AI in normal menstruation cycle.

Besides inserting sperm in the cervix or uterine cavity, artificial insemination involves natural fertilization. After gaining proper knowledge about the hygiene and safety, artificial insemination at home can also be conducted effectively. Factors that determine artificial insemination success rate are age of the woman, ovarian stimulation used (if any), sperm quality and number, underlying reason for infertility and infertility duration.

Coming to the success rate of artificial insemination process, couples who have tried this procedure have 5-20 percent chances of conceiving a baby. Success rate is closer to 20 percent, if the female is below 35 years old and has been trying to conceive for 2 years or less. Needless to say, at home artificial insemination success rate is lower than the procedure performed by a qualified doctor under hospital facilities.

It is suggested that couples with more than 3 years of infertility have a lower success rate with artificial insemination. With any type of infertility treatments, the earlier you act, the higher will be the success rate. Thus, prospective couples who want to start a family should not delay in undergoing artificial insemination. Speaking about artificial insemination cost, procedure that involves using a partner's sperm may come to about USD 300-800. In case of using a donor's sperm, the charges will be a bit higher than this range.

Who Should not Go for Artificial Insemination?

No doubt, artificial insemination is an effective way to conceive a baby for several women worldwide. But, it is not recommended for some infertility problems. Practically speaking, every women below 40 years old can opt for Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and there is no virtual complication for trying. However, the chances of becoming pregnant is very low. Likewise, artificial insemination success rate of the following infertility cases is negligible:

• Women having blocked fallopian tube or having serious tubal damages.
• Women with ovarian failure or those who have entered their menopausal stages.
• Young women with low ovarian reserve or high day 3 follicle-stimulating hormone.
• Women diagnosed with moderate or severe symptoms of endometriosis.
• Couples with severe cases of male factor infertility (low sperm count, reduced motility, etc.)

Conceiving a baby in the natural way is a very complex process, associated with hormonal fluctuations and many other physiological changes. The same is applicable for intrauterine insemination and any other assisted reproductive technology. To be more precise, determining artificial insemination success rate is really difficult, as several factors contribute to fertilization of egg and pregnancy. Couples with mild cases of male fertility problems and unexplained infertility cases can expect a better outcome with AI, instead of relying on sexual intercourse for conception.