Insemination

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 of other plants. ==Natural insemination==

Insemination during sexual intercourse through penile–vaginal penetration is referred to as natural insemination (i.e., insemination by natural means). If an artificial lubricant needs to be used, care must be taken that it does not have spermicidal properties. During ejaculation, semen, containing male gametes known as sperm, is expelled from the penis through the male urethra into the moist and warm environment of the female reproductive tract. In humans, semen is usually ejaculated into the posterior vaginal fornix in direct contact with cervical mucus, 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), containing an average of 182 million sperm. where they may survive for up to six days. 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. 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. 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. 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==

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. 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. 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. Donor sperm is most commonly used by lesbian couples and single women, and by heterosexual couples when the male partner is suffering from male infertility. 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. In some countries, there are 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. ==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, 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==