IYC for October: An Austrian Jew, a Hungarian Jew, and a Mexican walk into a lab...
And birth control won! So here it is, everything you ever wanted to know about lady parts and birth control.
To get a background on what exactly hormones are, I think you should first watch the awesome video in this entry. It's about how cells talk to each other. That's essentially what hormones are, cell speech within our bodies. Hormones are ( Read more... )
To get a background on what exactly hormones are, I think you should first watch the awesome video in this entry. It's about how cells talk to each other. That's essentially what hormones are, cell speech within our bodies. Hormones are ( Read more... )
There are three commonly-used sperm washing techniques.
Simple Sperm Wash
The simple sperm wash technique is the most basic way of washing and preparing sperm for IUI. Semen is diluted in a test tube with a special solution of antibiotics and protein supplements. It is then placed in a centrifuge, a machine that spins around at extremely high speeds. As the sperm mixture is spun, sperm cells fall to the bottom of the test tube, producing a mass of dense, highly active sperm. These sperm can then be removed from the test tube and used in IUI. A simple sperm wash takes about 20 to 40 minutes.
Density Gradient Sperm Wash
The density gradient sperm wash is one of the most popular sperm washing methods. This is because it also works to separate dead sperm cells, white blood cells, and other waste products from the sperm.
A test tube is filled with multiple layers of liquids of different densities. Semen is then placed on the top layer of liquid and the test tube is spun in a centrifuge. After it is spun, active, healthy sperm will make their way to the very bottom layer of liquid in the test tube, while debris and dead sperm will get caught in the top two layers. These layers can be siphoned off in order to remove the active sperm from the test tube. This sperm is then used in the IUI procedure. Density gradient sperm washes take approximately 60 minutes.
Swim Up Technique
The swim up technique is rapidly becoming more and more popular throughout American fertility clinics. This technique revolves around the fact that sperm need to swim forwards and up in order to reach the uterus. Only the most powerful sperm will be able to do this. In order to retrieve this powerful sperm, semen is placed in a culture dish with a layer of media culture. Sperm are attracted to this culture, and will swim up to it. As the sperm swim up to the culture, they are collected. This technique takes about two hours in order to harvest enough sperm for use in IUI.
Success Rates
Success rates do increase when sperm washing is used with IUI. Because sperm washing ensures that only the most healthy and active sperm are used for fertilization, there is an increased chance that you will become pregnant when using washed sperm. However, success rates do depend on your partner’s overall sperm count. Typically, the lowest sperm count to be used with sperm washing is one million, however, success rates are significantly lower if your sperm count falls beneath five to ten million. The best sperm counts for use with sperm washing are those between 20 and 30 million.
Cost of the Procedure
The cost of sperm washing in itself is relatively low. A basic sperm wash typically costs only $100 or so. If you opt for one of the more advanced forms of sperm washing, it could cost you up to $300. However, sperm washing is only of use when combined with other fertility treatment procedures. One session of natural IUI typically costs under $1,000 while IUI with the use of fertility drugs and monitoring can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $6,000.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment