Artificial Insemination

Artificial insemination is a procedure to place sperm from a male animal inside the reproductive system of a female animal without sexual contact. Animal breeders use artificial insemination to control the genetic makeup of animal offspring and promote reproduction. Human artificial insemination is generally used in cases where successful conception through natural means is not possible.

The technology for artificial insemination in animals was first practiced in the eighteenth century. Human artificial insemination was also first attempted in the eighteenth century but was not commonly used until the twentieth century. The technology used for all forms of artificial insemination has improved, and new techniques have been developed; however, the procedure has also raised a number of ethical and practical concerns for medical professionals and those involved in the process.

History

Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and his assistant Johan Hamm discovered the existence of sperm in 1678 while examining a semen sample under a microscope. The presence of eggs in the female body was recognized in 1827, and in 1843 scientists determined that conception occurred when sperm entered an egg and began a process of cell division.

Building on this early research and work of his own in animal reproduction, Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani successfully inseminated a dog through artificial means in 1784. The procedure resulted in the birth of three puppies. Near the end of the nineteenth century, a number of Russian researchers were developing techniques for animal insemination. This work and similar undertakings by scientists in Japan and Denmark focused on livestock animals such as cattle, horses, and pigs. As techniques improved to make the process more effective, interest in the technology grew until it became a common practice in animal husbandry.

The earliest known attempt at human artificial insemination was recorded by a Scottish surgeon in 1785. John Hunter instructed his patient, who had a birth defect that prevented insemination through sexual intercourse, to collect his semen and inject it inside his wife's vagina with a syringe. The procedure resulted in a successful pregnancy. Experiments in human insemination followed in England, France, Germany, and the United States. By the middle of the twentieth century, researchers had improved the techniques and added advances such as freezing sperm for later use. By the twenty-first century, artificial insemination became a common approach for treating infertility from a variety of causes.

Techniques

For most of the first hundred years of its use, artificial insemination remained similar to what Hunter had suggested to his patient: a semen sample was collected from the man and then deposited high inside the woman's vagina by the physician. This is known as intravaginal insemination. In the middle of the twentieth century, a new variation of the technique was developed that used a cervical cap—a small, rubber cuplike device—that could be filled with sperm and placed at the cervix, or entrance to the uterus, holding the sperm there. This improved the success rate, as did intracervical insemination, or placing the semen sample into the cervix.

Around the 1960s, techniques were developed to refine the semen sample so that it included more sperm. This enriched sample was then placed directly into the woman's uterus in a variation of artificial insemination known as intrauterine insemination, or IUI.

The success of artificial insemination in humans depends on a number of factors, including the condition of the woman's reproductive system and the health and mobility of the sperm. It is also crucial to synchronize the efforts with the woman's natural reproductive cycle.

Ethical Concerns

William Pancoast, a doctor practicing in Philadelphia, is credited with the first successful artificial insemination in a human using donor sperm in 1884, but he did so through questionable means. Pancoast's examination of the male half of the infertile couple determined that the man produced no live sperm. Rather than telling the couple this, Pancoast swore his medical students to secrecy and had one of them provide a semen sample, which Pancoast used to inseminate the woman. She successfully conceived and delivered a son. Pancoast subsequently told the husband but not the wife about the source of the sperm.

This was the first case that donor sperm was used to impregnate a woman through artificial insemination. The use of donor sperm raises concerns for many people about the possibility of wholesale efforts to control the human race through genetic engineering. Concerns also arise over the parentage of children conceived through the use of donor sperm, with issues including custody disputes and child support. The development of techniques that allow for sperm to be frozen for later use has brought to light questions of whom the sperm belongs to if the couple divorces.

The ability to create a child without the need for a male-female sexual union has also raised issues when single women or same-sex couples seek to use artificial insemination to have a child. Some religious groups oppose all human artificial insemination, while others do not object to inseminating a wife with her husband's sperm but oppose other forms of insemination involving a donor.

Benefits

Artificial insemination makes it possible for couples having trouble conceiving through sexual intercourse to have a child that shares the genetic makeup of at least one parent, and in some cases of both parents if donor sperm is not used.

In the animal kingdom, artificial insemination makes it possible to breed for the most desirable characteristics, allowing for healthier, stronger animals. It can also help to sustain species that are endangered in the wild by allowing them to be bred and raised in controlled, protected environments.

Bibliography

Agarwal, Ashok and Shyam S. R. Allamaneni. "Artificial Insemination." Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. http://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/docs/agrach019.pdf

Foote, R. H. "The History of Artificial Insemination: Selected Notes and Notables." American Society of Animal Science. American Society of Animal Science. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. http://www.asas.org/docs/publications/footehist.pdf?sfvrsn=0

Hollingsworth, Heather and John Hanna. "Sperm Donor Legal Issues Highlighted by Kansas Case." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 4 Jan. 2013. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/sperm-donor‗n‗2408580.html

Ombelet, W. and J. Van Robays. "Artificial Insemination History: Hurdles and Milestones." Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn 7.2 (2015): 137–143. PMC. Web. 2 Feb 2016. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4498171/

"Timeline: The History of In Vitro Fertilization." American Experience. WGBH Educational Foundation. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/babies/

Yuko, Elizabeth. "The First Artificial Insemination Was an Ethical Nightmare." Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/first-artificial-insemination/423198/