IUI-D

 Insemination using donor semen (IUI-D)

Insemination using donor sperm is carried out if you wish to have a child without a male partner, if the man's sperm quality is severely reduced, or if the man produces no sperm cells at all. If living sperm cells are present, you may also opt for IVF treatment with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Often we will attempt to inseminate in a natural cycle where we use ultrasound scans to follow the development of the one egg that is normally shed during each cycle. When the egg is mature, you must yourself administer an injection of ovulation hormone so that ovulation can be timed.

When sperm cells are inseminated they are led through the cervix into the uterine cavity and the fallopian tubes around the time of ovulation, when the chance of fertilisation is greatest. In that way up to 100 times more sperm cells are led to the fallopian tubes than is the case during normal sexual intercourse. For further information, have a look at our guide on Insemination Treatment.

Generally we will attempt not more than three treatments without hormone stimulation. If you have not become pregnant after those treatments, we normally employ light hormone stimulation with injections into the skin of the abdomen for a few days so that two or three mature eggs are formed instead of the one egg that is normally shed during a natural cycle. We will teach you to make these injections yourself. You will find more information on administration of medication by using our links.

The pregnancy rate per insemination is about 20 % for women under 40 years. See our results. Since the chance of pregnancy by insemination is extremely low for women over 43 years, we do not offer insemination treatment for that age group but recommend IVF.

Should you not succeed in getting pregnant, IVF treatment using donor sperm may be attempted.

Single women and lesbian couples may also receive donor insemination. It is thus no longer a requirement that you live in a permanent partnership between a man and a woman. According to the National Board of Health sperm donation must continue to be anonymous, and the new EU Directive that came into force on 1^st April 2007 presented new requirements to sperm banks. For this reason we only use donor sperm from Danish sperm banks that can be certified in accordance with the new requirements, see Nordic Cryobank or Cryos.