Artificial Insemination Cost

Artificial insemination certainly isn’t a new-fangled 21st century procedure. Long a common practice in animal breeding, the first reported case of successful human artificial insemination happened in 1884 and the first sperm bank was developed in Iowa in the 1920s at the University of Iowa Medical School.

Used at times instead of other sorts of assisted reproductive technology, artificial insemination is often an option for single women who want to give birth to their own biological child, women in a same-sex relationship who desire to use the eggs from one of the partners, and heterosexual women whose male partner is infertile or whose physical impairment restricts normal intercourse. Sperm donors can be the partner in a marriage or relationship, another male of the recipient’s choice, or may be anonymous.

How does Artificial Insemination work?

Intrauterine insemination is often the choice of the two types of artificial insemination available. It is suitable not only for couples suffering from male infertility issues but also for women who have thick cervical mucus that prevents the sperm from reaching the egg during intercourse.

To prepare for the procedure, the woman is given medications to enhance fertility. Once the doctor is satisfied that fertility has been elevated, the sperm being used is separated from its seminal fluid, mixed with liquid, placed in a catheter, and injected into the uterus. Because it’s injected into the uterine cavity, the chance of conception is higher than that of normal intercourse.

ICI, or intracervical insemination, attempts to imitate natural intercourse. Semen (sometimes washed and sometimes not) is loaded into a specially-designed syringe and inserted into the vagina to be emptied near the cervix. The recipient lies on her back for a while after the procedure in hopes that the sperm will travel to the fallopian tubes and fertilize an egg.

This procedure can be done at home or at a medical facility. Success rates tend to range somewhere from about 5% to 30% per cycle, according to data.

Artificial insemination cost varies

The cost of artificial insemination varies according to whether a couple is using their sperm or a donor sperm and which procedure is being used. Most doctors report that the cost is anywhere from about $300 – $1000 per cycle for intrauterine insemination and less for intracervical insemination.

Many couples will try artificial insemination before trying more costly in-vitro insemination (IVF). Because the success rate isn’t terribly high, some will try more than one round of this course of treatment. Some health insurance may cover the procedure for at least one round or may cover some of the extra expenses associated with the process, such as scans or medications.

The cost of IVF is much, much higher but the success rate is as well, with studies showing that in-vitro fertilization works in about 54% of all cases, especially if the woman is under the age of 35.