5 Ways to Do Artificial Insemination

1. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Artificial insemination makes it possible for infertile couples and same sex couples to have their own biological children. The "test tube baby/turkey baster" phenomenon has come a long way from its inception in the 1980s. Doctors and clinics routinely counsel infertile couples on the various types of artificial insemination. If a man has a low sperm count, or if a woman has an allergy to sperm, a doctor can use an injection called Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A doctor injects fertility drugs into a woman's ovaries, and then injects sperm into the eggs she produces. Then he places the newly formed embryos in the woman's uterus. In most cases, however, artificial insemination procedures are less involved.

2. Warming Up the Oven

A doctor treats a woman with fertility drugs before the actual insemination to increase her chances of getting pregnant. A gynecologist administers these drugs at the beginning of the woman's menstrual cycle to increase the number of eggs she produces. This sometimes causes multiple births. The success rate for fertility drugs decreases with a woman's age. Women over 40 may need to take fertility treatment for a longer period to boost the chance of conception.

3. Intrauterine Insemination

IUI, the acronym for Intrauterine Insemination, remains the most popular insemination procedure for infertile couples. The doctor deposits sperm in the uterus so that it's closer to the fallopian tubes, increasing the chance of pregnancy. The male provides a sperm sample that's tested and "washed" to separate it from other substances in semen, and then it's injected with a catheter into the woman's vagina and directed towards the fallopian tubes.

4. Intracervical Insemination

A doctor deposits sperm into the cervix during Intracervical Insemination, another quick and painless form of artificial insemination. ICI increases the chances of sperm attaching to the fallopian tubes and causing pregnancy. It costs less than other insemination procedures, and results in more pregnancies than other methods.

5. Artificial Insemination by Donor

Single women, same-sex couples and some married women choose to be inseminated with sperm from a donor dubbed AID (artificial insemination by donor). Prospective sperm donors go through an exhaustive process before they are allowed to participate. Doctors examine their medical and sexual history and if they pass screening they may be allowed to provide sperm for several pregnancies. A doctor monitors a woman's menstrual cycle until she releases an egg. He then deposits the donor sperm into her uterus. Since the chance of pregnancy increases when the timing is right, your significant other or donor's sperm must either be frozen and thawed (its called sperm cryopreservation) and then released at the time of ovulation, or you better be pretty quick with the cup in the bathroom, buddy.