Intra-uterine insemination in farm animals and humans.
Abstract: Artificial insemination (AI) is the oldest and currently most common technique in the assisted reproduction of animals and humans. The introduction of AI in farm animals was forced by sanitary reasons and the first large-scale applications with a commercial goal were performed in cattle in the late 1930s of last century. After the Second World War, cryopreservation of semen facilitated distribution and AI was mainly performed for economic reasons, especially in dairy cattle industry. In humans however, AI was initially performed in cases of physiological and psychological sexual dysfunction, but later on also in cases of infertility caused by immunological problems. Currently, the most common indications for intra-uterine insemination (IUI) in humans are unexplained infertility and male subfertility. In these cases, IUI is considered as the treatment of the first choice, before more invasive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI) are used. In contrast with humans, the quantity and quality of semen produced by farm animals is much higher and permits dilution and production of several insemination doses per ejaculate. However, with the introduction of sex-sorted semen in farm animals, the same problem of low-quality semen as in humans has arisen. In cattle, pigs and horses, conventional insemination with low numbers of sex-sorted spermatozoa results in a significant decrease in fertility. To improve the fertility rates with this semen, new insemination techniques have been developed in order to deposit spermatozoa closer to the site of fertilization. In sows and mares the advantage of utero-tubal junction (UTJ) insemination has already been proven; however, in cattle it is still under investigation. In this review, the differences and similarities in the application of AI between animals and humans are discussed and as AI in farm animals is most successful in cattle, the situation in this species is elaborated the most.
Publication Date: 2004-06-09 PubMed ID: 15182297DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2004.00512.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Review
Summary
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The research article discusses the history, utility, common uses, and evolution of the artificial insemination (AI) technique in both animals and humans, including recent challenges and advancements.
Introduction and Background
- The study begins by highlighting how AI, as the most widespread method in assisted reproduction, was initially used for sanitary reasons in farm animals in the late 1930s. The following increase in AI was due to the ease of distribution enabled by semen cryopreservation and the economical benefits of such a procedure, especially in the dairy cattle industry.
- When it comes to humans, AI was initially employed to deal with physiological and psychological sexual dysfunctions, and was later extended to tackle issues related to infertility caused by immunological problems.
Current Indications for AI in Humans and Animals
- The article goes on to list the most common indications for intra-uterine insemination (IUI) in humans. These include unexplained infertility and male subfertility. In such cases, IUI is usually the primary line of treatment, followed by more invasive techniques like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI), if required.
- The article contrasts farm animals with humans in terms of the quality and quantity of semen available.
Challenges with Sex-Sorted Semen and Emerging Techniques
- The introduction of sex-sorted semen in farm animals has led to a challenge of lower quality semen that parallels the issue faced in humans. The article discusses research surrounding this, including studies in cattle, pigs, and horses which show that conventional insemination with a reduced amount of sex-sorted spermatozoa negatively impacts fertility.
- In response to this challenge, the article highlights recent developments of insemination techniques to place spermatozoa closer to the site of fertilization. While the efficacy of this new approach has already been proven effective in pigs and horses, studies on its utility in cattle are ongoing.
Focus on AI in Farm Animals
- The article concludes by stating that despite the similarities and differences between the application of AI in humans and animals, the focus of the study is primarily on cattle because AI in farm animals has been most successful in this species.
Cite This Article
APA
Verberckmoes S, Van Soom A, de Kruif A.
(2004).
Intra-uterine insemination in farm animals and humans.
Reprod Domest Anim, 39(3), 195-204.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0531.2004.00512.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. stevenv.verberckmoes@Ugent.ac.be
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Domestic
- Cattle
- Female
- Humans
- Insemination, Artificial / methods
- Pregnancy
References
This article includes 130 references
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