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Insemination Methods & Outcomes

We track success rates associated with

We found these data - along with overall success rates - to be helpful to our recipients when trying to conceive.



TSBC Success Rates


Every year, we calculate the overall success rate of our recipients and the rates associated with method of insemination and recipient age. We use four years' worth of data to provide better estimates of the likelihood of conceiving. The most recent analysis is for conception attempts and outcomes from 2004 through the end of 2007.

Vaginal Insemination & IUI Combined Success Rate: 14.6% per cycle

This rate of 14.6% or a 1 in 7 chance of conceiving each cycle attempt matches industry standards for conception through donor insemination. The rate is based on 4589 cycle attempts. It includes (i) all recipients regardless of their age, and (ii) all insemination attempts done vaginally, intrauterine, and combined vaginal and intrauterine. Based on an older life table analysis across consecutive cycles, 80% of TSBC recipients conceive within 7 cycle attempts.

We have a small group of recipients who use IVF to conceive rather than IUI or vaginal insemination. They are working with a fertility clinic as well as TSBC. This group includes women of all ages who use egg donation or their own eggs. Keeping in mind the small number of cycle attempts (n = 160), the success rate for this group matches or exceeds rates typically reported by clinics and is:

IVF Success Rate: 53.8% per cycle

We include this success rate to provide a comparison basis for IVF success rates published by fertility clinics. In contrast, donor insemination programs typically do not publish their success rates (for an exception beyond us, see Rainbow Flag Health Services).




Success Rate: Insemination Method & Age


Using information from all reported conceptions from 2004 through the end of 2007, we calculated the success rate per cycle attempt according to the recipient's age and method of insemination. In other words, we compared the total number of conceptions resulting for each recipient age group according to insemination method to the total number of conception attempts by each age group according to insemination method. From this, we then calculated a percent success rate per cycle attempt for each method of insemination dependent on the age of the recipient (see Figure 1).


Figure 1: Success rate by age group and method of insemination (vaginal pool insemination - VP; intrauterine insemination - IUI)

Based on these data

  • Vaginal pool inseminations work better among younger recipients.

  • IUI tends to be twice as successful as vaginal pool insemination.

  • Success rate is related to a woman's age: As you get older, the probability of conceiving decreases. Nevertheless, IUI still results in reasonable success rates, with women ages 40 - 44 on average experiencing a 1 in 10 probability of conceiving in a given cycle attempt.



Notes & Conclusions

  • Vaginal pool inseminations: recipients varied in whether they did one or two inseminations per cycle. Two inseminations was weakly associated with a better success rate.

  • Our IUI sample included both recipients who did one IUI and recipients who did more than one IUI in a cycle. Direct success rate comparison was not possible however, due to unequal distribution of those using fertility drugs.

  • Our sample of recipients under age 30 was too small to calculate a success rate. Fertility studies indicate, however, that this age group has the highest chance of conceiving in a cycle attempt.

  • In our sample, no conceptions were reported for recipients over age 44 when they used vaginal pool inseminations alone.

  • Typically recipients conceive within 4-8 cycle attempts.

  • Given that fertility is so closely tied to maternal age, any recipient over the age of 35 should read our Conception Strategies for Women 35 and Older.


These results match findings from the fertility industry and confirm our recommendation that recipients can expect to inseminate for four to eight cycles before conceiving. The results are also consistent with clinical research indicating that IUI tends to be twice as successful as vaginal pool insemination.






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