The use of fresh and frozen semen in human artificial insemination

Abstract

In a medical practice in which artificial insemination has been carried out for over 40 years, 40 % of women inseminated with donor semen (AID), and 21 % inseminated with homologous semen (AIH) gave birth to children. Up to December 1975, 399 pregnancies were achieved using fresh donor semen and nineteen with deep-frozen semen. There was no apparent increase in the incidence of birth anomalies in children conceived with frozen semen, nor was there a significant increase in the incidence of stillbirths, ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage when compared to the rate in the normal population. Eight conceptions were achieved using deep-frozen semen stored for 6 months or longer, and one pregnancy was achieved with a specimen frozen for 3 years. Good cryosurvival was observed in semen frozen for up to 6-7 years. The development of many of the children was followed, and it was concluded that the great majority of marriages into which AID children were born, were undoubtedly enriched and psychological and sociological problems were few. The whole field still awaits the implementation of recommendations concerning the legal status of children born as a result of AID.

Influence of caffeine on movement characteristics, fertilizing capacity and ability to penetrate cervical mucus of human spermatozoa

“…The semen samples were frozen and stored by the techniques described by Jackson & Richardson (1977). The cryoprotective medium was composed of glycerol (16% v/v), egg yolk (28% v/v), fructose (1-24% w/v) and 56% (v/v) of a 3-2% (w/v) stock solution of sodium citrate in distilled water, and was gradually added to the semen at room temperature in 0-5 ml aliquants until a 1 :1 dilution was attained.…”

Artificial insemination by frozen donor semen: results of multicentre Australian experience

“…T h e overall results obtained in the present survey compare favourably with data expressed in a similar life-table analysis hy Bromwich et al (1978) using frozen semen. Previous reports indicate that frozen semen has a lower success rate than fresh semen (Behrman & Ackernian 1969;Behrman & Kistner 1975;hnsbacher 1978;Quinlivan 1979) although the results of trials by Steinberger & Smith (1973), Jackson & Richardson (1977), Trounson et al (1979 and Leeton et ;II (1980) would suggest there is very little difference in cumulative pregnancy ratr between fresh and frozrm semen. There would appear to be room for further improvement in the success rate of A1 D if it is true that in the normal population of fertile couples one may expect 25 10 30% of ovulatory cycles to result in successful pregnancies (Leridon 1977;Short 1979).…”

Clinical evaluation of the zona‐free hamster egg penetration test in the management of the infertile couple. Prospective and retrospective studies

“…Patients undergoing treatment by donor insemination fulfilled the criteria for a normal female partner as set out above , while their husbands normally suffered from azoospermia or oligozoospermia. Semen samples used for donor insemination were obtained from a panel of healthy semen donors and were frozen and stored according to the techniques of Jackson & Richardson (1977). Intracervical insemination was performed only once in each cycle of treatment with 0.8 ml of thawed cryostored semen, and was timed to coincide with ovulation on the basis of daily plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) estimation by rapid radioimmunoassay (Djahanbakhch et al 198 1).…”