Why You Shouldn’t Use a Lube Launcher or Turkey Baster to Get Pregnant

The infertility community is nothing if not resilient. It’s also full of creative problem-solvers who don’t gatekeep different ideas for getting pregnant, which could be helpful if you’ve been struggling to conceive. And I should know. I was one of those hopeful mothers who successfully troubleshooted my unexplained infertility and created the first and best FDA-cleared, 100% guaranteed sterile at-home insemination kit on the market.  

These online communities of practical fertility advisors are why you’ve probably heard of using a lube launcher to become pregnant. These personal lubricant delivery systems have actually achieved fertility ignition for some couples and single mothers by choice, garnering a bit of a cult following as a result. And understandably so: when your back’s against the wall and there are no other solutions on the horizon, nearly anything that’s not obviously harmful could be worth a try. 

Of course, a lube launcher might sound like a savvy strategy to outsmart these issues, but it’s far from your best option. Devices like this are only meant for their intended purpose, and the plastic they use, the hygiene standards they maintain for manufacturing and packaging, and the design issues they incorporate can actually put a serious dent in your pregnancy odds. And where does that hit you? 

In the wallet, in the heart, and worst of all, below the belt.  

If you’re considering trying to get pregnant with a lube launcher, there’s a better way to make a baby… An intracervical insemination (ICI) kit like the one from PherDal!

Why Lube Launchers Just Don’t Cut It

Much like the “turkey baster method” (gag), lube launchers don’t meet the minimum standards for health and safety when you’re trying to conceive. They may work for anal and vaginal lubrication, but I can promise you that the well-being of sperm cells and your fertility health didn’t factor into their design process whatsoever.

One of the biggest issues you’ll face is that the BPA plastics used in the average lube launcher build up in human tissues and are directly linked to issues like testicular dysgenesis syndrome, cryptorchidism, cancers, and decreased fertility through hormonal imbalances.

Horrified? We are, and we’re not even talking about how inefficient or impractical a surrogate lube launcher is compared to the best options available. 

Instead of risking an unsanitary or even dangerous self-insemination, it’s better to invest in something that actually works—and I’m not talking about exorbitantly priced IUI or IVF procedures. Cost-effective, at-home insemination kits are truly designed to deposit a sperm sample past the vagina and into the cervical opening. A kit expedites the journey to a waiting egg, and you don’t have to compromise on a less-than-perfect product to do so.

PherDal’s ICI Kit Is a Cut Above

Intracervical insemination (ICI) kits are a far better choice for fighting infertility and starting a family on your own terms than a lube launcher, and your best first option is PherDal. Our at-home insemination kit includes all the tools you need to safely conceive from the comfort and privacy of your bedroom, giving you peace of mind for one of the most important moments of your life.

And the #1 benefit of PherDal is that you maintain the same level of cleanliness you’d get if you went the in-clinic route. It’s the only kit on the market that’s FDA-cleared and 100% guaranteed sterile from the manufacturer to your doorstep. 

Does it cost more than a lube launcher? Yep. In fact, all the details, design, testing, and health standards make it one of the pricier kits at $200. Of course, I could have thrown a generic lube launcher in the box and slapped on a lower price tag, but there’s no way I’d compromise on health and safety. Why? 

Because I designed this kit for myself, to actually work. And it did. 

As a biologist with a PhD (PherDal?) facing an unexplained infertility diagnosis, I did everything I possibly could to ensure it maximizes the odds of conception, and it worked for me! Let me tell you everything you need to know.

We’re Sterile—They’re Not

I know the word “sterile” in an infertility product seems counterintuitive, but in reality, you want your kit to be 100% sterile to protect sperm cells as well as the vaginal microbiome, both of which are critical to the success of your insemination.

The vaginal microbiome plays an important role in getting pregnant: it’s the environment that sperm cells travel through in order to fertilize an egg. So, if there are imbalances or foreign microbes in that environment, they don’t stand a very good chance of surviving, let alone reaching the egg, not to mention the potential for infections from subpar insemination tools.

A generic insemination kit (or the DIY lube launcher technique) jeopardizes the vaginal microbiome in ways that a sterile kit just doesn’t. Think of all that factory dust and debris, plus the shipping and handling germs. Who knows how many people have casually touched the syringe that’s going inside your body?

PherDal maintains sterility from start to finish so that you can trust where it’s been and feel confident in where it’s going. An FDA-cleared, 100% sterile kit like ours won’t affect a semen sample or your vaginal microbiome, so it’ll keep conditions ideal for conception. Anything less than that is less than you deserve and less likely to work.

We’re Designed for It—They’re Not

Lube launchers for conception are great in theory until you realize what goes into their design. They’re equipped for coating the inside of the anus or vagina with lube for sex, and that’s where the ingenuity ends. No BPA-free materials, no science-backed applicator tip, and no sterilized tools to preserve your sperm sample. Compared to the unregulated plastics used in lube launchers, our kit raises the bar on at-home infertility interventions.

A mere 1% of sperm in an ejaculation naturally gets as far as the cervix, but the PherDal kit ensures that 95% of your sample makes it through the cervical opening. A lube launcher can’t do that. By designing a kit that plans for your health and wellness (and comfort!), we’ve taken the unknowns out of the equation and brought medical-grade insemination to your door.

PherDal’s needleless syringe is the longest of any kit for maximum reach, yet it’s smooth and edgeless for easy insertion; the plunger and two-finger grip are also carefully engineered to streamline the insemination process, which you can tackle on your own with a thawed sperm sample or with the help of a partner/live donor. 

With the PherDal kit, you can expect individually wrapped sterile syringes and collection cups—three of each, in fact, since we provide enough of these single-use tools to cover the three-day fertile window that occurs during a month-long menstrual cycle (timing your use within this window really ups your odds of conceiving!). We’ve thought of it all, so you don’t have to.

An Alternative to Sex Toy DIY

As someone who desperately wanted to be a mother, I can appreciate the inventiveness of lube launchers for conception; however, as a scientist and founder of PherDal, I can’t condone it.

Everyone deserves the right tool for the job, not a workaround when you’re starting a family, which is why I created the only ICI kit that’s 100% guaranteed sterile with FDA clearance. Try PherDal today to see just how valuable the differences are between a simple lube launcher and our patented kit: it’s a clinically validated method for conception that elevates the insemination experience from DIY to ICI.