What is Insemination?
Insemination refers to the process of placing sperm in or near an egg (oocyte) in an effort for the sperm to fertilize the egg. During in vivo (in the body) conception, semen (sperm and seminal fluid) enters the female reproductive tract following ejaculation. Motile sperm swim toward an egg inside the fallopian tube, where one sperm enters and deposits its genetic material (DNA) into the egg to achieve fertilization.
Insemination can also occur outside of the body through in vitro fertilization (IVF) following an egg retrieval. A semen sample is washed to isolate motile sperm from immotile sperm and other contents of the seminal plasma. The washed sperm sample can then be used to inseminate the retrieved eggs through either conventional insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI):
Conventional insemination: retrieved eggs are placed in a culture medium (fluid) with a portion of the washed sperm sample overnight. In that time, the hope is that the sperm will work together so that one healthy sperm fertilizes each egg.
ICSI: one normal looking sperm is injected into a mature egg.
The eggs are observed the following day to determine if fertilization occurred properly.
Considerations:
ICSI is recommended in cases of male factor infertility, including low sperm count or motility, or when there is a history of poor fertilization following conventional insemination. If there is no male factor present, ICSI or conventional insemination can be utilized and typically yield similar success rates. Talk with your doctor about the best option for you.
