Artificial insemination with donor, a modern alternative for parenting

     The wonderful experience of being a parent does not have to be forbidden for those Dominican couples who can not conceive.

And is that infertility has been increasing among Dominican couples.

"At present, about 20% of the general population has infertility problems," says Dr. Magda Álvarez, a member of the San Rafael Maternity Institute medical team.

It indicates that of this percentage, 50% is of female cause, 40% is attributed to male factors and 10% is of unknown cause.

The most frequent causes of female infertility are: absence or disease of the fallopian tubes, cervical factors, hormonal disorders and endometriosis ??, explains Alvarez.

While in the male case, he adds, it is related to a low production of spermatazoids, a decrease in their movement and morphological alterations.

the alternative

Interested in offering infertile couples the opportunity to conceive, the San Rafael Maternity Institute created the First Unit of Sterility and In Vitro Fertilization in the country.

They carry out the artificial donor insemination program (IAD), which consists of the placement of male semen (usually obtained by masturbation) in a part of the female genital tract, specifically in the neck of the womb.

"This procedure is performed at a time in the menstrual cycle that is close to or coincident with ovulation," says Magda, manager of the new unit.

     Semen can be obtained from the husband, in most cases, or from a donor, in case of male infertility.

In the latter case, the IAD is the simplest alternative to achieve fertility if they do not wish to opt for adoption.

The ethical side

The Sterility and In Vitro Fertilization Unit will be governed by the ethical regulations that have been established internationally for this type of procedure.

The first rule consists of the anonymity of the donor and the strict confidentiality of the information and the procedure.

Under no circumstances will we accept the express identity of the donor, much less patients or friends of the couple ??, says Álvarez.

For this they will use a semen bank, located in the United States.

It is established with strict ethical criteria for donor selection, including psychological profile, study of genetic and communicable diseases.

It has a regularly updated catalog listing the physical characteristics of donors (height, weight, skin color) and other data (profession, skills).

     Professor Ami Amit, founder of the in vitro fertilization unit at Israel's Ha-Kiriah Hospital, a pioneering establishment and leader in its specialty, and Dr. Yona Barak, who is in charge of embryology specialization at the University of Bar- Ilan and heads the in vitro fertilization laboratory at Herzliah Medical Center in Israel, as well as the renowned Dominican gynecologist Dr. José Plácido Montero, reported that the average age of the group of patients undergoing treatment was 34.6 years (range: 23-44) .

Patients suffered from tubal (mechanical) factor, endometriosis, male factor and low hormonal response, so they were candidates for in vitro fertilization. In some of them, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was used to ensure fertilization of the patient's eggs.

Among the IRIP medical team, Professor Joseph Lessing, Dr. Israel Yovel, director of the in vitro fertilization unit of Herzlyia Medical Center; Dr. Abraham Kogosowski and Dr. Amnom Botcham, among other trained specialists, who have extensive experience since Israel is the only country in the world to provide these services for free.

The IRIP also offers the advantage to Dominican couples resident in the country and abroad, as well as to those belonging to neighboring countries, that treatment costs a third of the cost in the United States, as well as the facilities in the management Financing with local banks.