One of the latest gadgets to recently get FDA and European CE approval is the Israeli company Fertiligent’s new slow release artificial insemination device. This device, presently known as the ‘Evie’, aims to mimic the natural way that sperm enter the womb.
The Device
This device is a small, low cost, disposable pump, strainer and catheter designed to allow healthy sperm to be slowly released into the womb. It prevents loss of sperm from the cervix and allows the sperm to behave in a similar fashion to sperm released naturally during intercourse. The treatment is non-invasive and the woman doesn’t need to stay in hospital, or even bed, after the device is inserted. She can carry on her normal life as usual.
Why Use It
Research shows that this device gives couples a better chance of getting pregnant than other artificial inter-uterine insemination methods. The more time the sperm have to reach their target, the more chance you have of a strong healthy sperm fertilizing your waiting egg.
Too Many Sperm
In normal circumstances the cervix releases the sperm in small groups over a period of time. This is because if too many sperm reach the egg at once, the egg is overwhelmed and refuses to allow any of them access. Up to now IUI methods generally use a one-time injection method either into the cervix or directly into the womb. Another approach is to use a diaphragm with sperm inside cupped over the cervix. This often means that too many sperm reach the egg in one go and then none of them are able to fertilize the egg. The ‘Evie’ slow release pump on the other hand allows the sperm to enter the womb slowly over a period of about three hours. This gives the sperm more time to meet up with the egg and therefore the ‘window of opportunity‘ is longer. This new IUI method therefore makes it easier to get pregnant.
Success Rate
Trials of the device held in England, Germany and Israel showed more than double the success rate of conventional IUI treatment. The approximate 30% conception rate achieved with this device is similar to that of the much more invasive IVF treatment. This means that that if the ‘Evie’ works for you, you will be able to avoid other more unpleasant, invasive and expensive assisted reproduction techniques.
Where Can I Get It?
This new device was shown at the ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) conference held in Rome, in July 2010 where doctors were very enthusiastic about it. Reproductive Sciences Ltd,(RSL), a medical products company, which holds exclusive, worldwide sales and marketing rights to the product, signed a manufacturing agreement with Catheter Research, Inc, based in Indiana. The company hopes to be distributing the Evie before the end of 2010.
Ask your fertility specialist if it is an appropriate treatment for you and when it will be available in your area. Perhaps you will be one of the first people to be able to benefit from this new device since it received FDA approval.
