We are so thrilled and fortunate to be given this opportunity once again, to expand our family.

Jaime & Michele More Testimonials

Intrauterine Insemination

Artificial Insemination with Husband's Sperm (AIH)

Although about 40 percent of infertility cases are the result of a disorder in the male partner - or a combination of disorders in both the male and female – many couples can experience the joy of a family through a procedure known as AIH (Artificial Insemination with the Husband’s Sperm).

AIH is an effective procedure in treating male infertility, and sometime female infertility. It is often used with couples who have not been able to conceive due to the male’s impotence or an ejaculatory disorder, or when the male has excessively high or low sperm counts or low sperm motility. AIH may also be successful in cases when female cervical disorders may interfere with sperm interaction, or when the woman is undergoing ovulation induction.

Indications for AIH

AIH may be used to overcome several conditions which prevent conception, such as when the male is unable to ejaculate inside his partner’s vagina, due to a medical disorder such as retrograde ejaculation (when sperm is discharged back into the man’s bladder). Infertility due to trauma, drug – or chemical – induced penile dysfunction, or cervical dysfunction may also be helped by AIH.

Additionally, AIH may be utilized by men who wish to store their sperm for future use, as in cases of vasectomy, testicular surgery or chemotherapy. Finally, AIH may be appropriate for couples who wish to select the sex of their child through sperm separation, the percent of sperm for either male or female can be enriched from 50% to 70-75%.

Is AIH for you?

Before proceeding with AIH, a detailed evaluation of the couple must be performed. This will include a medical history and a complete physical examination. The male will be asked to supply several semen samples for analysis, and possibly testing for diseases, including HIV, hepatitis and venereal diseases.

The female partner will undergo a full pelvic examination which will screen for infections, diseases such as endometriosis, and damage to her reproductive organs. These examinations may involve a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, or an endometrial biopsy to determine ovarian hormone production.

The AIH Procedure

The assisted insemination procedure takes only a few minutes, and is performed in the doctor’s office. AIH is performed once or twice each month, coinciding with the female’s ovulation cycle. The female lies on an examination table, and the sperm is inserted into the cervix with a syringe or cannula, a procedure called intracervical insemination (ICI). In some cases, the sperm may be delivered directly into the uterus trough intrauterine insemination, or IUI. This enables “washed sperm” (sperm that has been separated from the semen) to bypass the cervix, increasing the number of sperm reaching the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes.

IUI may be indicated in cases when there is poor sperm/cervical mucus interaction, and the cervix actually acts as a barrier to conception. IUI may also be effective in cases of unexplained infertility.

Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI)

The most common indications for TDI are a severe reduction in sperm production (oligospermia), complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia), or when sperm are present in the ejaculate  but are not moving (asthenospermia). Additional indications for TDI include cases where the husband is a carrier for known hereditary or genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease, cystic fibroids, Tay-Sachs disease, hemophilia or certain chromosomal abnormalities.

Donor Screening

It is now recommended that all sperm be frozen and stored for adequate screening. Because it may take as long as five months for HIV to show up on a test, a sperm donor is initialy screened for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis. Sometimes couples wish to use a known donor or relative of the husband so that the baby will be related to both parents. However if you decide to preceed using a known donor it is very important that screening and counseling be completed. It is also important to have the appropriate legal documents drawn up to prevent future issues regarding paternity.