Artificial insemination statistics can vary, depending on a number of factors. We explain five important factors that might affect your personal artificial insemination statistics.
1. Type of insemination
Did you know that there are several types of artificial insemination?
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) often has higher success rates over intracervical insemination (ICI). One study looked at women using donor sperm for insemination. Here is what that study found:
- IUI had an 86 percent chance of success, all cycles combined.
- ICI had a 50 percent chance of success, all cycles combined.
A large part of the success of IUI is due to the special sperm washing procedure. Here is how it works:
- The sperm sample is spun down, separating the healthy sperm from the less mobile sperm.
- The concentrated healthy sperm are then injected directly into the uterus.
Your doctor may recommend IUI to boost your artificial insemination success rates.
2. Age
Like most fertility treatments and natural conception, pregnancy success with artificial insemination often depends on a woman’s age.
Some women that choose artificial insemination, especially those over 35, may be advised to take fertility medications to induce a state of superovulation. Superovulation allows your body to release more eggs during ovulation to boost your chances of pregnancy success.
Here are artificial insemination statistics by age:
- Women under 35 have a 10 to 20 percent chance of getting pregnant using IUI.
- Women between 35 and 40 have a 10 percent chance of getting pregnant using IUI with superovulation.
- Women over 40 have a 5 percent chance of getting pregnant using IUI with superovulation.
3. Use of fertility drugs
Use of fertility drugs can increase your chance of conceiving with IUI. Most women that take Clomid while undergoing IUI become pregnant within 4 to 5 cycles.
Injectable medications may be recommended for those that do not have success with Clomid. Your doctor may recommend that you try 3 to 6 cycles of IUI with injectables before moving on to another fertility treatment option.
4. Multiple inseminations
To boost your artificial insemination success rate, ask your reproductive endocrinologist about doing two inseminations during your cycle. Some research has shown that two inseminations are better than one.
5. Rest after artificial insemination
The debate about the need to rest after artificial insemination is ongoing. Recently, researchers studied 400 couples that used IUI to conceive. They found that women who lie down for 15 minutes after IUI were 10 percent more likely to get pregnant during that cycle than women who got up after the procedure.
The group that rested had artificial insemination success rates of 27 percent. The group of women that got up quickly had lower pregnancy success rates at 17 percent.
Click here to find an artificial insemination expert near you.
If you are looking for a fertility treatment to help you conceive, artificial insemination may help. Discuss the factors listed above with your fertility specialist. Your doctor may be able to fine-tune the artificial insemination procedure to achieve the highest chances of pregnancy success possible for you.
Sources: RESOLVE. Using Donor Sperm. http://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/donor-options/using-donor-sperm.html American Pregnancy Association. Intrauterine Insemination. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/infertility/iui.html National Health Service. Lying down "boosts insemination." http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/10October/Pages/artificial-insemination-pregnancy-chances.aspx American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Third Party Reproduction: A Guide for Patients. http://www.asrm.org/uploadedFiles/ASRM_Content/Resources/Patient_Resources/Fact_Sheets_and_Info_Booklets/thirdparty.pdf
