History of human artificial insemination

Artificial insemination with homologous (AIH) or donor semen (AID) is nowadays a very popular treatment option for many subfertile women worldwide. The rationale for the use of artificial insemination is to increase gamete density at the site of fertilisation. The main reason for the renewed interest in artificial insemination is undoubtly the refinement of techniques for the preparation of washed motile spermatozoa. The sequence of events leading to today’s common use of artificial insemination traces back to scientific studies and experimentation many centuries ago. Modern techniques used in human artificial insemination programmes are mostly adapted from the work on cattle by dairy farmers wishing to improve milk production by using artificial insemination with sperm of selected bulls with well chosen genetic traits. The history of artificial insemination is reviewed with particular interest to the most important hurdles and milestones.