The world of fertility treatments can be intimidating and stressful for couples. You’ve been evaluated by the doctor and told you need artificial insemination. You may worry and wonder what will happen. Our first child was conceived with the help of this procedure. I remember feeling very nervous and unsure during that first cycle.
Often, women take fertility drugs early in the cycle of the insemination. Depending on the cause of your infertility, you may be given oral or injectable fertility medications. The doctor will monitor your eggs with transvaginal ultrasounds to determine how many eggs are developing and the quality of the eggs. The doctor will see when the eggs are ripe and schedule the insemination accordingly.
You may be inseminated with your husband’s sperm or that of a donor, depending on the cause of the infertility. From the woman’s experience, the procedure is the same. If the husband’s sperm is to be used, he will need to provide a sample. If you live close to the clinic, this may be able to be done at home. Otherwise, the sample will need to be given at the clinic.
Once the sample has been delivered, you will have about an hour of free time before the insemination. This was always the most nerve wracking part of the experience. We’d keep busy getting something to eat or browsing in nearby stores, but we would be thinking about the insemination. Would it work this time?
The sperm undergoes a few procedures while you are gone. The sperm will be washed. This is done to prevent strong cramping that results when sperm is placed directly in the uterus without being washed. The sperm is concentrated to ensure a concentration of high quality and motile sperm.
When you arrive back at the fertility clinic, you will be taken to a room and given a gown to put on. The doctor will come in and perform the procedure. A long, thin catheter is used to place the sperm into the uterus. You may feel a very mild cramping sensation during the insemination.
After the procedure, you will be told to stay on the table for a short time. When I had the procedure done, it was about twenty minutes. Take it easy for the day when you get home. Do something that you enjoy and that relaxes you. Avoid strenuous exercise for that day. Now comes the tough part; waiting two weeks to find out if the procedure worked and you are pregnant. Good luck in your journey to parenthood.
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