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Following the procedure, the woman should be able to resume normal activities. Although sexual intercourse has not been proven to interfere with the success of artificial insemination, the woman may be advised to abstain from sexual intercourse for 24 hours after the procedure. Many centers require the woman to return the day after the procedure for an ultrasound. The ultrasound can be used to determine if an egg was released from the follicle. When this occurs, the follicle will appear to have shrunk.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the success rate of artificial insemination may be as high as 15 percent each cycle. This rate is based on a number of factors, including:

• The cause of infertility. A couple who is unable to conceive because of a woman’s cervical disorder is more likely to conceive than a couple diagnosed with sperm abnormalities. 
  
  
• Age. Artificial insemination is less likely to be successful in women over age 35.
  
  
• Timing of insemination. The insemination must be done on the expected day of ovulation for fertilization to take place.
  
  
• Ovulation induction. Women taking drugs to induce ovulation are more likely to have a successful insemination.
  
  
• Medical history. Women with endometriosis or a history of pelvic infection or tubal disease are less likely to have a successful artificial insemination.
  
  
• History of pregnancy. The procedure is more likely to be successful in women who have been pregnant before.
  
  
• Condition of sperm. Sperm that has been frozen is less likely to result in pregnancy then fresh sperm.
  
  
• Number of sperm. The higher the concentration of sperm inseminated, the higher the success rate.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the artificial insemination technique with the highest success rate. This procedure most often results in pregnancy because it places the sperm near the fallopian tubes, the site where fertilization normally takes place. However, it is unusual for the first attempt at IUI to be successful. When any form of artificial insemination is successful, it most often occurs within the first six cycles of treatment. When conception fails to occur by this point, other forms of treatment, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), may be recommended.