How Artificial Insemination Works

How Artificial Insemination Works Artificial insemination is the process by which sperm is placed into a female’s vagina for the purpose of impregnating the female by using artificial means rather than sexual intercourse. Modern techniques for artificial insemination were first developed for the dairy cattle industry to allow many cows to be impregnated with the sperm of a bull with traits for improved milk production. In humans artificial insemination is used as assisted reproductive technology primarily to treat infertility but is increasingly used to enable women without a male partner. The man providing the sperm is usually advised not to ejaculate for two to three days before providing the sample in order to increase the sperm count. If sperm is provided by a sperm donor through a sperm bank, it will be frozen and quarantined for a particular period. When an ovum is released, sperm provided by the woman’s male partner or by a sperm donor is inserted into the female’s vagina or uterus. Semen is occasionally inserted twice within a “Treatment Cycle”. If the procedure is successful, the woman will conceive and carry to term a baby. A pregnancy resulting from artificial insemination is no different from any other pregnancy. Artificial insemination is used in animals to propagate desirable characteristics of one male to many females. Or overcome breeding problems, particularly in the cases of horses, cattle, pigs, pedigree dogs and honeybees. Artificial insemination of farm animals is very common in today’s agriculture industry in the developed world… Especially for breeding dairy cattle (75% of all inseminations).