Child Development

A sample of the APGAR scoring system devised by Virginia Apgar (1909–1974). (Standley Publication)

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Artificial insemination is a procedure in which sperm
obtained by masturbation or other methods of me-
chanical stimulation are deposited in the vagina, cer-
vix, or uterus of the female by means other than
natural intercourse, with the specific intent to achieve
pregnancy. Artificial insemination is a brief office
procedure that may be performed using the fresh
sperm of the male partner or the frozen/thawed
sperm of an anonymous sperm donor, and involves
injection of the sperm into the female through a thin
tube. Intrauterine insemination requires preliminary
processing of the semen sample to isolate the sperm
for insemination since seminal plasma cannot be di-
rectly injected into the uterus. To be effective, insemi-
nation must be performed in close proximity to the
time of ovulation (release of an egg) in the female as
both sperm and eggs have a relatively short lifespan.
Situations in which artificial insemination may be a
recommended procedure include: (1) anatomical
problems that prevent effective natural intercourse or
interfere with normal sperm movement through the
female reproductive tract; (2) poor semen quality with
an abnormally low sperm count and/or poor sperm
motility (ability to move); and (3) ‘‘unexplained infer-
tility’’ in which the purpose is to increase the proba-
bility of pregnancy by introducing more than the
usual numbers of sperm, typically in a cycle involving
stimulation of the female with fertility drugs in efforts
to cause release of more than a single mature egg.

See also: BIRTH

Bibliography
Friedman, Andrew J., Mary Juneau-Norcross, Beverly Sedensky,
Nina Andrews, Jayne Dorfman, and Daniel W. Cramer. ‘‘Life
Table Analysis of Intrauterine Insemination Pregnancy Rates

for Couples with Cervical Factor, Male Factor, and Idiopathic

Infertility.’’ Fertility and Sterility 55 (1991):1005–1007.

Shenfield F., P. Doyle, A. Valentine, S. J. Steele, S. L. Tan. ‘‘Effects

of Age, Gravidity and Male Infertility Status on Cumulative

Conception Rates Following Artificial Insemination with

Cryopreserved Donor Semen: Analysis of 2,998 Cycles of

Treatment in One Centre Over Ten Years. Human Reproduc-

tion 8 (1993):60–64.

Wilcox Allen J., Clarice R. Weinberg, Donna D. Baird. ‘‘Timing of

Sexual Intercourse in Relation to Ovulation—Effects on the

Probability of Conception, Survival of the Pregnancy, and Sex

of the Baby.’’ New England Journal of Medicine 333

(1995):1517–1521.

Marc Fritz

ASIAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN

Asian Americans are a diverse group of individuals

made up of several ‘‘micro’’ cultures under the um-

brella of a larger shared ‘‘macro’’ heritage. It is im-

portant to note this inner diversity—Americans of

Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other

Asian heritages—as the various groups are at times as

different as they are similar. Nonetheless, there are

some common features that may help in better under-

standing Asian-American children.

The Shared Asian-American Heritage

Before considering some of the shared values and

practices of Asian-American groups, it is necessary to

reiterate that these groups are exteremly diverse and

that individual differences must be kept in mind as

these broad generalizations are discussed. There are,

however, some similar threads found in various Asian

culutres, including the tendency to be more collectiv-

istic (as opposed to the more individualistic Western

orientation), as well as the tendency to view the role

ASIAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN 27