Artificial insemination using homologous semen: a review of 158 cases

One hundred fifty-eight women underwent artificial insemination with homologous semen (AIH) in an attempt to achieve conception. Only 15 (9.5%) were successful. Women with anatomical abnormalities were not excluded from the study and they were less successful than the normal women, but results were disappointing in both groups. The most frequently recorded indication for AIH was decreased density or motility of the husband's sperm, but pregnancy occurred in only 2 of the 48 cases in which sperm count was consistently less than 50 X 10(6)/ml and in only 3 of the 63 cases in which sperm motility was consistently less than 60%. When several semen analyses revealed considerable fluctuation in semen quality, the chances for impregnation by natural means appeared to be greater than the likelihood of success with AIH. The procedure does not seem to compensate for diminished count or motility, does not seem to be of particular value in cases of unexplained infertility, and appears to be indicated only in very special cases, if at all.