Many women are unable to become pregnant due to infertility problems or simply cannot find the ideal partner with whom to have a child and resort to assisted reproductive techniques to become mothers. Since the first girl was born in Spain in 1984 thanks to artificial insemination, much progress has been made and the chances of success increase every year. Thus, many couples see their dream of being parents come true and more and more single women, as Monica Cruz recently confessed, become mothers.
What is artificial insemination
- Although not all women who resort to artificial insemination do so for infertility problems, since more and more women decide to be single mothers without having to wait to find a partner, the truth is that assisted reproductive techniques were born to put a solution to the problems that some couples had to conceive a child.
- Artificial insemination consists of introducing, by means other than coitus, sperm into the woman’s reproductive system. The sperm used can be from the couple’s own or, in the event that it is not valid or you do not have a partner, you can resort to sperm donation. In any case, it is about artificially introducing sperm into the woman so that she can finally become pregnant.
- Generally, the artificial insemination process is long, as well as expensive, but the effort is worth it due to the high chances of success. It must be taken into account that a lot of patience and perseverance is needed, since the process requires a multitude of medical tests, as well as medication.
How artificial insemination is performed
- Before the insemination itself, an ovarian stimulation treatment is necessary, which is why there is a high frequency of multiple pregnancies in cases of assisted reproduction. An exhaustive study of the ovarian cycle of the woman who wants to get pregnant is also necessary to implant the sperm at the right time, since if the spermatozoa arrive too soon or after ovulation, fertilization will not be successful.
- The artificial insemination procedure itself is not painful and does not require hospital admission. It simply consists of preparing the semen and inserting it into the uterus with a fine cannula, so the woman only needs a few minutes of rest and can continue with her usual activities. A hormonal supplement is recommended after the introduction of the sperm in order to promote pregnancy and, after two weeks, a pregnancy test will be done. One in five women gets pregnant on the first try, but most require multiple tries.
- Although the success of artificial insemination is 90%, some factors that can delay pregnancy must be taken into account, such as the increasingly advanced age at which women decide to become mothers, and also the reason for infertility, since that, for example, women with endometriosis have more difficulty getting pregnant.