In vitro baby procedures, artificial insemination...What is the best infertility treatment?
Mar 28, 2025
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According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients who performed assisted reproductive techniques for infertility treatment has steadily increased every year from 168,144 in 2019 to 265,405 in 2023.
Infertility is a case in which pregnancy is not carried out for more than 12 months (more than 6 months for those aged 35 and over) without contraception, and professional evaluation and consultation on the cause and active infertility treatment may be required.
Assisted reproductive techniques, which are infertility treatments, are largely divided into in vitro baby procedures and artificial insemination.
In vitro baby surgery is a procedure in which eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized with sperm to transplant embryos into the uterus. Usually, hyperovulation is induced through self-injection drugs so that several eggs are large in the ovary before collecting eggs. Self-injecting follicle-stimulating hormone every day for about 10 to 14 days to induce hyperovulation, and sleep anesthesia is required because there may be pain when collecting eggs. In vitro baby procedures have the highest success rate among infertility treatments.
Artificial insemination is a procedure in which a sperm with good mobility is collected from a male spouse's semen and injected into the uterine cavity.
It is a principle that increases the probability of fertilization and pregnancy by injecting sperm around the ovary and fertilizing ovaries during the ovulation period when eggs are released from the ovary, thereby reducing the distance between sperm and eggs.
Even in the artificial insemination cycle, two to three eggs are grown by hyperovulation induction injections, but the burden is relatively low because the dose or frequency of injection drugs is less than that of in vitro baby procedures. Artificial insemination, which injects sperm into the uterine cavity, is usually performed without anesthesia because it is painless or mild. However, the pregnancy success rate per procedure of artificial insemination is lower than that of in vitro baby procedures, and the risk of multiple pregnancy may increase if the number of eggs grows excessively when overovulation is induced.
Professor Lee Kyung-wook of obstetrics and gynecology at Korea University Ansan Hospital said, `In vitro fertilization is different in that an egg is collected and then fertilized with sperm in the laboratory, while artificial insemination induces natural fertilization by injecting sperm directly into the uterus cavity", he explained.
The two procedures can be performed differently depending on each patient's situation, such as the patient's age, the cause of infertility, treatment method, and prognosis. Artificial insemination can be performed as long as neither oviduct is blocked in the oviduct imaging test. In addition, it is mainly performed in cases of mild male factor infertility, cervical mucus abnormalities, or infertility of unknown cause. In vitro baby procedures can be performed in any case, but they are considered first when infertility or both difficulties are blocked due to severe male factors that have decreased sperm count and mobility.
Professor Lee said, "There are many cases where infertile couples cannot decide on treatment due to vague concerns and fears about treatment and procedures. As appropriate methods may vary depending on individual patients' circumstances, it is important to select the optimal treatment method through sufficient consultation with professional medical staff."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
