INSEMINATION

Insemination is the process of the entry of sperm into the reproductive system of a female for the intention of impregnating or fertilizing the female for sexual reproduction. The sperm is introduced into the womb of a mammal or the oviduct of an animal that can lay eggs. In mammals, insemination naturally occurs during sexual activity, but insemination can take place in other ways, such as by artificial insemination.

In humans, insemination has legal, moral, and interpersonal inferences. However, whatever way of insemination takes place naturally or by artificial means, the progress and the result of it will be the same. The insemination may be called in vivo fertilization where the meaning of in vivo is ‘within the living’ because the ovum is fertilized inside the body, this is in contrast with in vitro filtration (IVF).

In plants, the process of fertilization is referred to as pollination. The process of movement of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma of other plants is termed pollination.

PROCESS OF INSEMINATION

When a woman inseminates naturally, sperm travels from the vagina through the narrow and lower part of the womb called the cervix, into the womb or the uterus, and up into one of the fallopian tubes. If sperm come in a tube right after the issue of the egg from the ovary, the sperm and egg can meet and fertilize in the tube.

The cervix naturally sets the number of sperm that can take entry into the uterus. This means that only a small rate of the sperm in the ejaculate can actually make their way into the fallopian tubes. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a method that places sperm past the cervix and in a woman’s uterus around the time of ovulation. This makes the way to the fallopian tubes shorter, and there is a greater chance that more sperm will meet the egg. This procedure helps to improve the chance of a woman getting pregnant.

TYPES OF INSEMINATION

The most common types of insemination are natural insemination and artificial insemination.

NATURAL INSEMINATION

Insemination of a woman by sexual intercourse or deposition of sperm into a female organ through a male organ is referred to as natural insemination (NI). Natural insemination is a term used to describe the sexual relationship between a donor of sperm and his recipient. Natural insemination is the oldest and the most common method of getting pregnant. 

Natural insemination to many people may seem like a more natural way to have a baby. For those who feel comfortable with the concept of sex with their sperm donor, natural insemination may seem to be more convenient as it does not involve the use of a syringe or other artificial medical procedure.

Natural insemination is superior to other methods of insemination and it achieves a greater rate of positive results than artificial insemination using a syringe. This reason may be stated by potential sperm donors as an explanation to encourage natural insemination, however, there is no complete evidence of which type of insemination is best. 

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Artificial insemination is a method of treating infertility by inserting semen directly into a womb. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the most common method of artificial insemination.

The advantages of artificial insemination are that the women who desire to give birth to their own child who may be single, or women who are in a sexual relationship but with a male partner who is incompetent to fertilize or who has physical damage that prevents sexual intercourse to take place. 

Intracervical insemination is one more type of artificial insemination. It is the easiest and most common insemination method and can be used in the home for self-insemination without the help of any medical expert. Compared with natural insemination, artificial insemination can be more expensive and more invasive and may require guidance from medical experts.

TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Intracervical Insemination

This procedure is one of the easiest and most economical of the types of artificial insemination in humans because it is closely related to sexual intercourse. Intracervical insemination (ICI) simulates the ejaculation of semen into the vagina of the female by the penis during intercourse. It is painless and is the easiest and most common method of artificial insemination. ICI involves the introduction of unwashed or raw semen into the vagina at the entrance to the cervix, with the help of a needleless syringe.

Intrauterine insemination

The method of intrauterine insemination involves the jabbing of washed sperm into the uterus with a catheter. If unwashed semen is used, it may cause cramping of the uterus, expelling the semen, and causing discomfort, due to the presence of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are the compounds responsible for causing the myometrium to contract and expel the menses from the uterus, during menstruation. Using this technique, fertilization takes place in the external part of the fallopian tubes, just the same way that occurs in natural insemination.

Intrauterine tuboperitoneal

Intrauterine Tuboperitoneal insemination (IUTPI) involves the jabbing of washed sperm into both the uterus and fallopian tubes. The cervix is then compressed to prevent leakage to the vagina, best achieved with a designed double nut bivalve (DNB) speculum. IUTPI can be utilized in unexplained infertility, mild or moderate male infertility, and mild or moderate endometriosis. In infertility that is non-tubal, fallopian tube sperm perfusion may be the preferred technique over intrauterine insemination. 

Intratubal Insemination

Intratubal insemination (ITI) involves the jabbing of washed sperm into the fallopian tube, although this procedure is no longer generally advised as having any advantageous effect compared with IUI. ITI however, should not be confused with gamete intrafallopian transfer, where both eggs and sperm are mixed outside the woman’s body and then immediately put into the fallopian tube where fertilization takes place.

CONCLUSION

To conclude the article, we may summarize that insemination is the process of the entry of sperm into the reproductive system of a female with the intention of impregnating or fertilizing the female for sexual reproduction. The types of insemination have also been discussed in the article. Natural insemination is a term used to describe the sexual relationship between a donor of sperm and his recipient. Artificial insemination is a method of treating infertility by inserting semen directly into a womb. Different types of artificial insemination to treat infertility have also been discussed in the article.