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Insemination
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{{Short description|Introduction of semen or sperm into the genital tract of a female animal}} '''Insemination''' is the introduction of [[spermatozoon|sperm]] (in [[semen]]) into a female or hermaphrodite's [[reproductive system]] in order to [[Fertilization|fertilize]] the [[ovum]] through [[sexual reproduction]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Birkhead |first1=Tim R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhvmHW972mAC&q=insemination |title=Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection |last2=Møller |first2=Anders Pape |date=1998-08-12 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-054159-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Birkhead |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3i4Q8SvohfEC&q=insemination |title=Promiscuity: An Evolutionary History of Sperm Competition |date=2000 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-00666-9 |language=en}}</ref> The sperm enters into the [[uterus]] of a [[mammal]] or the [[oviduct]] of an [[oviparous]] (egg-laying) animal. Female humans and other mammals are inseminated during [[sexual intercourse]] or [[Copulation (zoology)|copulation]], but can also be inseminated by [[artificial insemination]]. In humans, the act and form of insemination has legal, moral and interpersonal implications. However, whether insemination takes place naturally or by artificial means, the pregnancy and the progress of it will be the same. Insemination may be called '''in vivo fertilisation''' (from ''[[in vivo]]'' meaning "within the living") because an [[ovum|egg]] is fertilized inside the body, this is in contrast with [[in vitro fertilisation]] (IVF). == Plants == In plants, the fertilization process is referred to as [[pollination]]. It is the process of transfer of [[pollen grains]] from one [[anther]] to the [[Stigma (botany)|stigma]] of other plants. ==Natural insemination== [[File:Naturalinsemination.jpg|thumb|Natural insemination of the female reproductive tract]] Insemination during [[sexual intercourse]] through [[penile–vaginal intercourse|penile–vaginal penetration]] is referred to as ''natural insemination'' (i.e., insemination by natural means).<ref>{{cite web |title=What is natural insemination? |url=https://www.co-parentmatch.com/Natural-Insemination-NI.aspx#2|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="Evan Jones">{{cite book |title=Human Reproductive Biology|isbn =978-0120884650|publisher=[[Academic Press]] |year=2006 <!-- As the title of the book implies, almost the entire book discusses this matter.-->|access-date=November 8, 2012 |url=https://archive.org/details/humanreproductiv0000jone_l0u3|url-access=registration|author1=Richard Evan Jones |author2=Kristin H. López }}</ref> If an [[Personal lubricant#Vaginal lubricants|artificial lubricant]] needs to be used, care must be taken that it does not have spermicidal properties.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mowat |first1=Alex |last2=Newton |first2=Cora |last3=Boothroyd |first3=Clare |last4=Demmers |first4=Kristy |last5=Fleming |first5=Steven |date=March 2014 |title=The effects of vaginal lubricants on sperm function: an in vitro analysis |journal=Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=333–339 |doi=10.1007/s10815-013-0168-x |pmc=3947082 |pmid=24390681}}</ref> During [[ejaculation]], [[semen]], containing male gametes known as [[Spermatozoon|sperm]], is expelled from the [[penis]] through the male [[urethra]] into the moist and warm environment of the female [[Female reproductive system|reproductive tract]]. In humans, semen is usually ejaculated into the posterior [[vaginal fornix]] in direct contact with [[cervical mucus]],<ref name="Adashi">{{cite book |title=Reproductive Endocrinology, Surgery, and Technology|isbn =0781702038|publisher=Lippincott-Raven |year=1996|chapter=Gamete Transport|access-date=April 25, 2021 |url=https://archive.org/details/reproductiveendo0001unse|url-access=registration|author1=Eli Y. Adashi |author2=John A. Rock |author3=Zev Rosenwaks}}</ref> though sperm may swim from other areas of the vagina or vulva to the [[cervix]]. The average volume of semen produced at ejaculation is 2 to 5 millilitres (about a teaspoon),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/sexual-health/a12002/semen-and-sperm-quality/|title=How semen quality affects male fertility|date=18 June 2019|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=8 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108042900/http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealth/facts/semenandsperm.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> containing an average of 182 million sperm.<ref name="Evan Jones"/> Only a small proportion of the sperm in each ejaculation reach the site of fertilization in the [[fallopian tube]]s, their numbers decreasing exponentially as they progress through the female reproductive tract. The majority of sperm either die in the acidic environment of the vagina or drip out with the semen.<ref name="Evan Jones"/> Prior to [[ovulation]], the cervical mucus becomes thinner and more hospitable to sperm. Sperm swim rapidly into the uterus upon encountering cervical mucus, though many become lost in the cervical crypts where they either die or are delayed.<ref name="Adashi"/> Further attrition occurs in the uterus, where sperm are attacked by the female immune system. Only about 100–1000 sperm reach the fallopian tubes,<ref name="Carr and Blackwell">{{cite book |title=Textbook of Reproductive medicine|isbn =083858893X|publisher=Appleton & Lange |year=1998|chapter=Fertilization, Embryogenesis, and Implantation|access-date=April 25, 2021 |url=https://archive.org/details/reproductiveendo0001unse|url-access=registration|author1=Bruce R. Carr|author2=Richard E. Blackwell}}</ref> where they may survive for up to six days.<ref name="Evan Jones"/> If ovulation occurs and the sperm encounter an [[ovum]] in the fallopian tube, fertilization may occur. A woman may also be naturally inseminated while having penile–vaginal intercourse for pleasure without any intent to conceive. This may be unintentional as a result of the failure of a [[birth control#barrier|barrier]] or [[birth control#behavioural|behavioural]] method of [[contraception]], or may be intentional if relying on female contraceptive methods or indifferent to the possibility of pregnancy.<ref name = "Evan Jones"/> In most cultures, insemination by a male through sexual intercourse, whether the woman's husband, normal sex partner or not, is subject to social and sexual inhibitions and taboos, and has legal, moral and interpersonal implications.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Walshe|first1=M. O'C.|title=Buddhism and Sex|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/walshe/wheel225.html|website=Access to Insight|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> The term is also used in the context of third-party insemination, where a male who is not the woman's usual sexual partner (i.e., a sperm donor) fathers a child for the woman by providing his sperm through sexual intercourse rather than by providing his sperm for it to be used to produce a pregnancy in the woman by artificial means.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sex for babies offer: Women desperate to get pregnant offering to sleep with sperm donors|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/natural-insemination-women-desperate-baby-1862462|access-date=4 December 2015|publisher=Mirror|date=1 May 2013}}</ref> The incidence of natural insemination by a sperm donor is usually a private matter, and may also carry greater health risks than where sperm has been processed by a fertility center. Advocates claim natural insemination generates higher pregnancy rates and a more 'natural' conception which does not involve the intervention and intrusion of third parties. However, it has not been medically proven that natural insemination has an increased chance of pregnancy.<ref name="vanda">{{cite web|title=What is natural insemination?|date=10 May 2013|url=http://sg.theasianparent.com/natural-insemination|access-date=4 December 2015 |quote=Natural insemination has not been recognised in any state as a legal contract, and is still viewed as a natural procreation process where the sperm donor, or the biological father in this case, is still liable for care and support of the child. That means that unlike artificial insemination, a woman pregnant through natural insemination has a legal right to claim child support from the donor and the donor has a legal right to the custody of the child. }}</ref> Additionally, conceiving through natural insemination is considered a natural process, so the father may be liable for child support and have custody and other rights of the child.<ref name="vanda"/> The law usually draws a distinction between a man fathering a child by natural means, and a man who provides his sperm for it to be used to father a child by artificial means (i.e. by artificial insemination). ==Artificial insemination== [[image:Blausen 0058 ArtificialInsemination.png|thumb|Artificial insemination]] {{Main|Artificial insemination}} Artificial insemination is the introduction of sperm into the reproductive tract of a female by means other than sexual intercourse for the purpose of impregnating the female.<ref>{{cite web|title=Infertility and Artificial Insemination|url=http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/artificial-insemination|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> In humans, artificial insemination may be used when a woman or her normal sex partner cannot, for any of a number of reasons, conceive by natural means. A number of artificial insemination strategies are available, including [[intracervical insemination]] (ICI) and [[intrauterine insemination]] (IUI). Compared with natural insemination, artificial insemination may be more invasive, and may require professional assistance and medical expertise, which will have a higher cost.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Uffalussy|first1=Jennifer Gerson|title=The Cost of IVF: 4 Things I Learned While Battling Infertility|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2014/02/06/the-cost-of-ivf-4-things-i-learned-while-battling-infertility|access-date=4 December 2015|work=Forbes|date=6 February 2014}}</ref> ICI attempts to simulate natural insemination, without the sexual element. It is painless and is the simplest, easiest and most common method of artificial insemination; it can be performed in the home, either by the female on herself or with non-professional assistance. ICI involves the introduction of unwashed or raw semen into the vagina at the entrance to the [[cervix]], usually by means of a needleless syringe. The sperm for insemination may be provided either by a sexual partner of the female's choice or by a [[sperm donor]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Berkley|first1=Sean|title=6 Terrifying Things Nobody Tells You About Donating Sperm|date=12 November 2011|url=http://www.cracked.com/article_19497_6-terrifying-things-nobody-tells-you-about-donating-sperm.html|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> Donor sperm is most commonly used by lesbian couples and single women,<ref>[http://www.singlemothersbychoice.com/ Single Mothers by Choice.com]</ref> and by heterosexual couples when the male partner is suffering from [[male infertility]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Male infertility|url=https://www.andrologyaustralia.org/your-health/male-infertility|access-date=4 December 2015}}</ref> In some circumstances, sperm has been collected from males before they go off to war, or even right after they have died, and used to inseminate their female partners.<ref>[https://www.health.com/condition/pregnancy/posthumous-sperm-retrieval What Is Posthumous Sperm Retrieval? How a Man Can Father Children Even After His Death]</ref> In some countries, there are [[Sperm donation laws by country|laws restricting and regulating]] who can donate sperm, who can receive artificial insemination, and what the legal consequences are of such insemination. Subject to any such restrictions, donor sperm is available to all women who want or need it. Women who live in a jurisdiction that prohibits them from being artificially inseminated may sometimes choose to obtain it by traveling to a jurisdiction that permits it. Artificial insemination has been and continues to be commonly used in [[livestock breeding]] as an efficient way of increasing production.<ref>{{cite web|title=Benefits of artificial insemination in livestock|url=http://animalsmart.org/animal-science/the-fields-of-animal-science/breeding-and-genetics/learn-more-about-artificial-insemination|website=Animal Smart|publisher=American Society of Animal Science|access-date=4 December 2015|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208181934/http://animalsmart.org/animal-science/the-fields-of-animal-science/breeding-and-genetics/learn-more-about-artificial-insemination|url-status=dead}}</ref> ==Other forms of insemination== In various other animal species, sperm can be introduced into the female's reproductive tract by various means. For example, in some species of [[hemiptera]] sperm can be introduced violently by [[traumatic insemination]],<ref name=":0" /> [[wikt:parenteral|parenteral]] injection through the body wall. In some species of animals, sperm finds its way through the body wall when the [[spermatophore]] is left in contact with the female's skin, such as in the [[onychophora]] (velvet worms). ==See also== *[[Assisted reproductive technology]] *[[Conception device]] *[[Fertilisation]] *[[Fertility fraud]] *[[Internal fertilization]] *[[Sperm bank]] *[[Sperm donation]] *[[Sperm theft]] *[[Traumatic insemination]] ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * Photos of a [http://www.vcelky.cz/fotobanka-16.htm Honeybee's insemination] {{Sex}} {{Reproductive physiology}} {{Human sexuality}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Animal sexuality]] [[Category:Reproduction in mammals]] [[Category:Semen]]
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