Surgical insemination

Surgical insemination requires anesthesia and aseptic preparation after which an abdominal incision is made and the uterus located. Semen is directly injected into an anterior horn of the uterus with a small needle.

While surgical insemination is the most evasive and does have risks because of anesthesia, it is still a useful tool when semen quality is low, when using low-dose frozen semen or when the female has fertility problems related to the cervix. 

 With a natural breeding, the semen must traverse the cervix to enter the uterus for fertilization to take place. Surgical insemination allows direct exposure of the semen to the developing egg. The success rates for pregnancy are excellent using this method of breeding, especially if the female is sub-fertile or if the semen is questionable. 

Because anesthesia and surgery is involved in this process, it is extremely important to have correct timing because only a single breeding is performed. To maximize conception rates and litter sizes with a single insemination, ovulation timing is critical. A comprehensive pre-surgical examination and pre-anesthetic laboratory screening are advised prior to surgery.