The more accurate timing of insemination with regard to ovulation does not create a significant improvement in pregnancy rates in a donor insemination program.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the accurate prediction of ovulation before artificial insemination of frozen donor semen was justified by increased pregnancy rates.


METHODS
A retrospective study of inseminations, over a 2-year period, administered to women who were enrolled on a donor insemination program and who were monitored using one of four ovulation timing regimens. Also, a study of the significance of follicle status at the time of insemination with relevance to pregnancy was carried out.


METHODS
A university teaching hospital donor insemination program.


METHODS
Patients entered in this study were undergoing insemination with thawed, cryopreserved, donor semen.


METHODS
Pregnancy and follicle status at the time of insemination.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference in pregnancy rates between the four methods of ovulation detection most commonly used for artificial insemination. Inseminations several hours either side of ovulation did not result in a significantly different pregnancy rate than inseminations carried out closer to ovulation.


CONCLUSIONS
More accurate and expensive methods of detecting changes in ovulation result in no significant increase in fecundity than other less expensive timing techniques.
Brook
P F
PF
University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jessop Hospital for Women, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Barratt
C L
CL
Cooke
I D
ID
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007316:Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010060:Ovulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors