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Couples who live apart turn to science to reproduce

A growing number of married couples who live apart for economic reasons are turning to artificial insemination, gynecologists say.

"It's a matter of logistics," said Yeat Sew-khee (葉紹錤), a gynecologist at Cathay General Hospital.

The odds are against couples who try to conceive while the husband is working and spending most of his time in a different country, she said.

"A woman only ovulates once a month and that egg only survives for less than 24 hours," Yeat said. "Meanwhile, her husband might only come home from China on certain important holidays, perhaps just a few times a year."

Couples generally turn to a gynecologist when they fail to conceive even after four or five years of trying, she said.

Yeat said that she saw four or five couples a month inquiring about artificial insemination. Of those, one or two couples go through with the procedure.

"There has been an increase in demand," she said.

If the couple is not actually infertile, there is no need for in vitro fertilization. Instead, the husband's sperm is frozen and kept at storage facilities at the hospital. The woman's ovulation cycle is observed through ultrasound and blood tests so that she can be impregnated with her husband's sperm at the right time.

The success rate for each insemination procedure is around 20 percent, which is comparable to the likelihood of conceiving through having sex while the woman is ovulating, Yeat said.

Li Mao-sheng (李茂盛), former director of the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said that he had observed the same trends in his clinic.

"I used to see two or three couples a month, but now it is up to five or six. Most of them are in their mid-30s. These couples are not infertile, but they simply can't arrange to be in the same place at the right time," Li said.
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