At-Home Insemination
In the LGBTQ+ community, we are used to being innovative when it comes to expanding our families. As new assistive reproductive technology develops and becomes available to the public, these options are often used by LGBTQ+ people to advance their families and have children. There are a diverse array of assistive reproductive technologies (aka ARTs). Today, we will be highlighting the process of at-home insemination.
When they think about making a baby, most people imagine an environment that is familiar, personal, and intimate. While medical providers often work hard to make in-office inseminations as comfortable as possible, you may still want to try to conceive at home. Conceiving at home may feel more emotionally safe for some transgender and/or non-binary folks, and it may also be more affordable than an office visit. There are also aspects of insemination that can be done partially in a medical office and partially at home!
Let’s talk about at-home insemination methods. To start with, “at-home insemination” is used to describe processes that are used to get donor sperm close to or inside the uterus of a person who is trying to get pregnant.
Who might use insemination? Solo parents by choice, couples where neither person’s body makes sperm, situations in which previously frozen sperm is being used, or situations in which the sperm being used needs to be processed in some way (such as when there’s a low sperm count).
The most common method of at-home insemination is the infamous “turkey baster” method that appears in so many jokes about LGBTQ+ family creation. Outside of tv shows, an actual turkey baster is not recommended. However, this process of using a tool -- like a syringe with no needle attached -- to insert sperm cells near the cervix is very real, and it’s typically called Intracervical Insemination (ICI).
Once a semen sample has been inserted near the cervix, some people may elevate their pelvis to try to encourage the gametes (sperm cells) to remain in position. Additionally, a soft menstrual may also be used to assist in keeping the gametes where they are needed.
In addition to a simple syringe, there are many tools and products that have been created to assist with at-home insemination. Some are designed specifically for home use (like Mosie Baby and The Stork); these are over-the-counter versions of the same tools that may be found in a clinical environment. These products feature syringes with extended tips to reach deeper or at a different angle into the body, and were designed with the dimensions of the human body in mind during their development.
The success of ICI versus other methods of reproduction is about on par with intercourse. Intrauterine Insemination (IUI, which is when sperm in inserted past the cervix and directly into the uterus) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF, when egg and sperm and combined in a laboratory to create an embryo) are both more statistically successful at achieving pregnancy. Both are more invasive than ICI, and are more expensive (with IUI being marginally more expensive than ICI and IVF being substantially more expensive than ICI).
Families that use ICI cite many reasons why it was the best fit for their families. While some families may be medically able to utilize intercourse, they may not want to. They may prefer the ability to schedule their procedure or they may want to avoid the stress of performance anxiety. The act of gamete production and collection can be stressful for transgender women and others who produce sperm. Being able to be alone or to work at an individual pace can be helpful. And those who produce ova may be uncomfortable with conception via intercourse. ICI can be a way to address dysphoria for both people providing sperm and those becoming pregnant.
If you are considering ICI for your family-building journey, something to consider is the health of the eggs and sperm being used. Unless you’ve received a fertility work-up from a medical provider, you can’t be certain that the quantity and quality of your eggs is such that a pregnancy is possible using ICI. You can’t can’t be sure that your Fallopian tubes (which is how sperm gets from your cervix up to your egg) are clear— many people have cysts, blocked tubes, or fibroids that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring. Similarly, unless the semen you’re using has been viewed under a microscope, you may not know whether it has enough “swimmers” to even result in a pregnancy!
If time is a factor (if you’re over 35, for example), if you’ve been diagnosed with infertility or have experienced other reproductive challenges, if you’re paying for sperm, and/or you’re paying for someone to help with your ICI, you may consider starting with IUI because the rates of success are higher. IUI can also be performed in your home, usually by a midwife or other reproductive health professional.
In order to engage in an IUI procedure, your semen sample will be “washed” so your uterus can accept it. This process helps ensure that the healthiest sperm cells end up being used for your insemination (which means you are more likely to get and stay pregnant). In an IVF procedure, semen isn’t just washed— the sample is also processed so it is highly concentrated. This process of cleaning and selecting is not present in ICI.
Whether you plan to use ICI or IUI for your at-home insemination process, ovulation tracking is critical to the success of your attempts. Counter to popular belief, there is only a small window each month in which a pregnancy can occur. Lots of apps can support you with tracking your fertility, and midwives or other reproductive health practitioners can help you track your cycle on paper (which seems to be a more reliable method). If you don’t have a reliable cycle, at-home insemination may be a tad trickier— be sure to find a support person with expertise in insemination to help you.
Trans Fertility Co. has the goal of providing information on as many diverse resources as possible. This means sharing information about processes that may not work for every family or situation. Please know that we honor all ways of family creation and if you would like us to profile your family’s unique experience you can reach out to us at ademis@collaborate.consulting.
