Artificial insemination is usually a painless procedure, although some women experience cramping. Most inseminations are performed by the nursing staff. In rare cases, the cervical canal that provides access to the uterine cavity may be narrowed, and it may be difficult to pass the insemination catheter into the uterine cavity. Therefore, it may become necessary dilate the cervix which often provides lasting relaxation of the cervical canal. If you are going to undergo artificial insemination with your husband's sperm, then your risk of contracting an infection from this insemination should be similar to that associated with normal intercourse with your husband.
Donor sperm is subjected to extensive testing before use.
Although there are several hundred thousand artificial inseminations with donor sperm performed each year in the U.S., there are no reported cases of the transmission of HIV from appropriately screened donor sperm. Children conceived through artificial insemination with fresh or frozen sperm are no more likely than naturally conceived children to suffer from any anomalies. The freezing process for donor sperm does not appear to produce an additional risk for genetic anomaly. Sperm donors are carefully screened for a large variety of potentially heritable illnesses. Infertility and the involved testing and treatment can be emotionally taxing.