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#65 Artificial Insemination with Marianne Pelletier, CNM

Although today’s topic is not only utilized by LGBTQIA families, they are one of the biggest groups that do! This episode was recorded at the start of June, which is Pride Month, and with this episode we are celebrating just one of the many different ways to make a family.

Our guest today is Certified Nurse Midwife Marianne Pelletier, who was inspired to enter birth work after the birth of her own children. After becoming a nurse, she worked for 12 years in labor & delivery in both a hospital and a birth center.  Then in 1998 she completed her education as a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  Since then, she has worked in a variety of settings, including a free standing birth center, a small community hospital, and large teaching hospitals, providing holistic midwifery and gynecological care for people of all ages. After more than twenty three years of practice, she felt a calling to return to a more personalized, intimate form of midwifery care and began attending births at home.   In 2020, Marianne officially partnered with certified professional midwife Rachel Blessington to co-found Embrace Midwifery, providing full spectrum midwifery care, planned home birth and holistic gynecology care throughout Central Massachusetts, with offices in Worcester, Fitchburg and Dudley. 

In this episode, we discuss the definition of Artificial insemination (AI) and the two types of AI, Intracervical insemination (ICI) and Intrauterine insemination (IUI).  Marianne provides this service in her beautiful home office in Fitchburg for Embrace Midwifery.  

We discuss with Marianne why someone would elect to come to her for this procedure instead of a fertility clinic, who her typical clients are and who makes a good candidate for this provider in a basic office setting.  We talk about what one can expect during a consultation, how they might get donor sperm, how they would arrange to have it at the office, the "washing" process and what to expect during and after.

We also talk with Marianne about why she offers this service, given that it's rare for a homebirth or private practice midwife to provide this option. 

 If you are located in Central Massachusetts and would like to learn more about intrauterine insemination with Marianne, visit www.embracemidwifery.care/services

If you are not in Central Massachusetts, try “Alternative Insemination (AI) Programs near me” in your search engine to see if there are any holistic, family centered artificial insemination providers near you!