Insemination

Insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female animal or plant for the purpose of impregnating or fertilizing the female for sexual reproduction. The sperm is introduced into the uterus of a mammal or the oviduct of an oviparous (egg-laying) animal.

In mammals, insemination normally occurs during sexual intercourse, but insemination can take place in other ways, such as artificial insemination. Each form of insemination has legal, moral and interpersonal implications. Whether insemination takes place naturally or by artificial means, however, 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 egg is fertilized inside the body, and is thus essentially the opposite of in vitro fertilisation.

In plants, the process of insemination is referred to as pollination.

Insemination of a woman by sexual intercourse is technically referred to as "natural insemination" (NI) i.e. insemination by natural means. In humans, a woman is most commonly inseminated or impregnated by sexual intercourse with a male, who can be the woman's normal sexual partner or a sperm donor, ejaculating within a fertile woman's reproductive tract during sexual intercourse.

The incidence of natural insemination by sperm donor is usually a private matter, and may also carry greater risks than where sperm has been processed by a fertility center. However, advocates claim natural insemination generates higher pregnancy rates and a more 'natural' conception which does not involve the intervention and intrusion of third parties. Natural insemination by sperm donor will usually only take place during the woman's monthly fertile period to ensure the best chance of a pregnancy.

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Wikipedia