reference is now made to fig1 which illustrates an insemination device 10 , constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . insemination device 10 may comprise a sperm reservoir 12 comprising sperm 14 therein . sperm 14 ( also referred to as semen ) may typically comprise materials such as viable spermatozoa , paternal plasma , rcm ( residual cytoplasmic masses ) that secrete ros ( reactive oxygen species ), proteins , hormones ( such as prostaglandins ), leukocytes and other round cells , and dead , agglutinated or nonviable spermatozoa . the nonviable materials may interfere with successful fertilization and with the successful maintenance of a fertilized ovum in the female patient . moreover , seminal plasma may cause severe uterine cramping , and worse , may result in spontaneous abortion of the fertilized ovum . sperm reservoir may hold any suitable volume of sperm 14 , such as but not limited to , about 0 . 3 - 1 . 5 cc . a pump 16 may be in fluid communication with sperm reservoir 12 . pump 14 may comprise , without limitation , a diaphragm pump , a peristaltic pump , or an electromechanical pump , among others . for example , in one embodiment of the invention , pump 16 may comprise a miniature pump with sperm reservoir 12 being bounded by two diaphragms . pump 16 is preferably disposable and made of medical grade sperm compatible plastics . pump 16 may include an inner gas generator that pushes the sperm contained between the two inner diaphragms out of a pump outlet 18 . pump 16 may be , but is not limited to , a size of about 5 cm long , 4 cm wide and 2 cm thick , and may be adhered to a portion of a patient &# 39 ; s body , such as but not limited to , the groin . however , the invention is not limited to this size , and in general , pump 16 may be external to the body or internal , e . g ., small enough to pass into or through the vagina . pump 16 may have an operation button 20 . pump 16 may pump sperm 14 via outlet 18 to a filter housing 22 . pump 16 may be connected to filter housing 22 by means of , but not limited to , a standard luer lock adaptor . filter housing 22 may have , but is not limited to , a disc like shape . filter housing 22 comprises therein a filter 24 , which is adapted to filter sperm 14 to form a sperm filtrate 26 that has a higher fertility potential than the non - filtered sperm 14 . filter 24 may comprise , without limitation , a nylon filter with a pore size under 8 microns , e . g ., 3 - 8 microns . non - human sperm samples may require different pore sizes . the invention is not limited to nylon mesh , and other mesh materials may be used . one purpose of filter 24 is to ensure that throughout the slow insemination only the motile sperm are capable for active penetration ( by “ drilling ”) of the filter &# 39 ; s pores , while “ round cells ” ( which are , for example , greater than 8 microns in diameter ) and immotile , agglutinated or nonviable spermatozoa may not pass through filter 24 , thereby preventing them from secreting their harmful chemicals in the uterus and fertilization site . a finer pore size may also be used and yield even a higher quality sperm filtrate 26 , but may reduce the amount of sperm filtrate 26 . conversely , a greater pore size may also be used and yield a larger amount of sperm filtrate 26 , but with a lower quality , i . e ., less motile sperm . of course , the higher percent quality of the sperm filtrate 26 , the greater the likelihood of achieving fertilization . minimal force is needed in order to ensure contact between the sperm 14 and filter 24 . the natural , self - actuated migration of the more motile sperm in sperm reservoir 12 may assure that the sperm that do encounter and work their way through filter 24 may have a significantly higher motility index than the remaining sperm . moreover , the less motile sperms and the dead sperms are accumulated in the lower portion of the semen sample while the motile sperm move ( against gravity force ) to the upper portion of the semen sample to contact and penetrate filter 24 . in the illustrated embodiment , filter 24 is in fluid communication with outlet 18 of pump 16 . a catheter 28 may be in fluid communication with filter 24 downstream of pump 16 . catheter 28 may comprise , without limitation , a hysterosalpingography ( hsg ) catheter that includes a fixing balloon 30 ( e . g ., with up to 3 cc volume ). for example , catheter may be about 280 mm in length with an upper orifice and may be 5 f ( 1f = 0 . 3 mm ) in diameter . the invention is not limited to this example . such catheters are readily available from a variety of manufacturers , such as cook urological and marina medical . the entire insemination device 10 may be supplied as one unit in a sterilized package . catheter 28 may pass through the cervix and into the uterus ( not shown ) to deliver the sperm filtrate 26 to the fertilization site . insemination device 10 may comprise a controller 32 , which may control operation and timing of pump 16 . for example , the insemination may be a slow - release insemination , wherein the sperm filtrate 26 is delivered to the fertilization site over 4 - 6 hours , although the invention is not limited to this range . reference is now made to fig2 which illustrates a variation of insemination device 10 , called insemination device 40 , constructed and operative in accordance with another embodiment of the invention . in this variation , filter 24 may be in fluid communication with an inlet 42 of pump 16 , wherein the sperm is pre - filtered before entering pump 16 . another filter 24 may be provided downstream of pump 16 , as in the embodiment of fig1 . it is appreciated that various features of the invention which are , for clarity , described in the contexts of separate embodiments , may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features of the invention which are , for brevity , described in the context of a single embodiment , may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination .
a slow - release insemination device is disclosed , which enables in - vivo , real time sperm improvement . the present invention may minimize loss of sperm by slow - release of fluid . the sperm may be injected directly into the uterus of a female , avoiding the cervical hostile environment . the female may be free to ambulate within , for example , 2 - 6 hours of injection , minimizing discomfort .