Artificial insemination

Artificial insemination is a treatment for infertility that involves directly inserting sperm into a woman’s womb.

When is artificial insemination used?

Artificial insemination can be useful in helping couples to conceive where:

• there is a problem with the man’s sperm, or he cannot produce sperm during sexual intercourse,
• there is no obvious reason why the couple can not conceive a child (unexplained infertility), or
• the woman has minimal to mild endometriosis. This is a condition where cells that are usually only found in the lining of the uterus (womb) begin to grow in other parts of the reproductive system, which can be a cause of infertility.

Women in same-sex partnerships have also used artificial insemination as a way of conceiving a child.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

Different techniques can be used to carry out artificial insemination. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the most widely used technique and has a good success record.

In IUI, a man will provide a sample of sperm which is then "washed" and filtered using special techniques. This ensures that only the most potent, high-quality sperm is used for the procedure.

During the procedure, the concentrated sperm is passed directly into the woman’s womb (uterus) through a tube called a catheter.

Sperm donation

In some circumstances, the man may not be able to produce any healthy sperm. If this is the case, frozen sperm, obtained from a donor, can be used.

Some couples have chosen to obtain donated sperm from somebody they know, a relative or a friend. In the majority of cases, sperm is taken from an anonymous donation.

Donor anonymity

In the past, sperm donors remained anonymous, from the parents and the child produced by the donated sperm. In 2005, the law regarding donor anonymity changed.

Any person who is born from donated sperm after April 1 2005 is entitled to apply to the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to obtain information about the identity of the donor, once they have reached 18 years of age.

The HFEA is responsible for regulating all fertility clinics in the UK.

Artificial insemination on the NHS

Six courses (or cycles) of IUI treatment are available free of charge on the NHS for couples where:

• the man’s sperm count is abnormal,
• the woman has minimal to mild endometriosis, or
• the couple have unexplained fertility problems.

IUI is also available from private fertility clinics. Costs can vary from between £500 to £1,000 for each cycle of treatment. The term cycle is used to refer to one course of IUI treatment, as each course should be timed to coincide with the woman’s natural reproductive cycle.

Therefore, you will only be able to receive one cycle of IUI treatment a month.