SINGLE VERSUS DOUBLE INSEMINATION - A RETROSPECTIVE AUDIT OF PREGNANCY RATES WITH 2 TREATMENT PROTOCOLS IN DONOR INSEMINATION

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of a change in treatment prot ocols, suggested following an inspection visit by the regulatory autho rity, from single to double inseminations during donor insemination tr eatment cycles, We therefore conducted a retrospective audit of pregna ncy rates in the reproductive medicine clinic of a major teaching hosp ital, All patients were treated for male factor infertility by donor i nsemination, without ovulation induction with gonadotrophins between O ctober 1992 and December 1995, The main outcome measures were cumulati ve conception and live birth rates, During the study period 250 patien ts underwent treatment and 650 single insemination and 277 double inse mination treatment cycles were undertaken. The pregnancy rate per cycl e was 0.054 and 0.119 for single and double insemination respectively, After six cycles the cumulative pregnancy rates were 0.28 and 0.47 an d the take-home baby rates were 0.25 and 0.37 for single and double in seminations respectively, The change in practice from single to double insemination resulted in a doubling of the pregnancy rate per treatme nt cycle. Cumulative pregnancy rates after two treatment cycles of dou ble insemination were comparable with those achieved after six cycles of single insemination, These results have significant implications fo r both patients and purchasers.