If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably been thinking about starting a family and traditional intercourse isn’t working or isn’t even an option. You’ve probably also realized that going right to clinical procedures might not be the next step for you, because fortunately for many parents-to-be, at-home intracervical insemination (ICI) kits have become a first, best option for conceiving.
Gone are the days when spending $10K on a round of treatments is the only possibility for overcoming an unexplained infertility diagnosis—or as a simple alternative to intercourse. We are now able to hold off on expensive procedures like IVF and IUI and start with affordable and effective at-home insemination kits first.
Of course, a great kit can be a life-changer, but not all kits are created equally. Depending on the kit you purchase, you may end up with generic contents that don’t make sense for the female anatomy, or worse (barf!) non-sterilized contents that impact your success.
It’s great to have choices among products, but it’s also natural to wonder—how much is at-home insemination, especially compared to other infertility interventions? And what can you do to sidestep those less-than-reputable insemination kits? Let’s talk about it.
At-Home vs. In-Clinic
Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with yesterday’s first line of fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Patients who have been trying for several months or have been quoted exorbitant amounts for in-clinic procedures are all too aware of the rising stakes of time and money in the process. Your first thought after a doctor’s recommendation for IVF or IUI is usually a tie between “How much is it?” and “Will it even work for me?”
My own reaction upon hearing “unexplained infertility” from my doctor was one of almost laughable shock that it was even a diagnosis. That was followed by even more anger, which served as a catalyst for the founding of PherDal (but we’ll get to that in a minute).
If you choose to go the clinic route, you’ll have the advantages of testing and hands-on expertise, but many families may be priced out of the doctor’s office before they ever get there. Alternatively, if you get an at-home insemination kit, conception stays private and holistic, for a fraction of the price, in the comfort of your bedroom.
The truth is, it’s incredibly frustrating to have to explore options to get pregnant that you hadn’t planned on needing, and any option you choose can cause you to feel broken and upset. A great ICI kit offers you an affordable chance (the best of the best is around $200 for three attempts per month) to take control of this moment with your own hands and do something positive and empowering on your fertility journey.
With advances in at-home insemination kits in recent years, not only do they share similar success rates as IUI, but they don’t break the bank. The biggest difference is that sperm has to be “washed” before being used for IUI in the clinic, though this is an expensive step that’s not necessary for an at-home option like intracervical insemination.
It’s pretty amazing that we now have access to kits that boost your odds of conceiving so considerably. But before you begin looking for a kit of your own, it’s important to note that the cheap stuff won’t get the job done. This isn’t the time to shop for discounts.
You Get What You Pay For
So, how much is at-home insemination? It varies quite a bit, and that variety in expense often coincides with the caliber of the kit in question and whether you’re using a live donor or buying sperm from a lab. As far as the actual kit goes, the lower the cost, the lower the quality, and the higher the risk of exposing yourself to all kinds of unsanitary manufacturing and packaging processes.
That exposure can hinder your fertility goals, as pathogens like bacteria are known to throw off the balance of our microbiomes and therefore jeopardize the chances of getting pregnant. And a lot of kits fail to deliver, ultimately mimicking conventional intercourse and doing nothing to actually improve your chances of conception.
The unfortunate reality of the fertility device market is that many of the products out there are still far below the threshold of what should go in your body.
Even with the addition of FDA clearance being the new standard, there are kits on the market that fall short—check the packaging to confirm! When I think of the unsanitary factories they’re being manufactured in around the globe, where the laws are even less restrictive than they are here… it’s the stuff of nightmares. (For the record, PherDal’s kits are only manufactured in the USA and are the only 100% sterilized insemination kits.)
Still, most at-home insemination kits wouldn’t pass a basic health inspection. Those $50 ones are priced that way for a reason, likely due to inexpensive production using unsafe materials. My philosophy is that if it’s not completely sterile, it has no business being in your body. That’s why we hold two patents for the sterility of all our products as the only company to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in testing to ensure your kit arrives at your door just as clean as when it was packaged.
What Sets PherDal Apart
If you truly get what you pay for, then what do you get with PherDal? Following years of rigorous development, PherDal’s at-home ICI kit eclipses them all. It’s the ideal kit for prospective parents who value their well-being and don’t need to drop a small fortune on IVF or IUI yet.
Ours is the first and only kit that’s guaranteed 100% sterile, meaning the contents of that box on your doorstep are surgical-grade clean, the same level of sterility as an IVF procedure minus several zeroes off the price tag. We’ve earned FDA clearance through more clinical testing and the largest user cohort of any kit too, so you can rest assured that it won’t negatively affect your fertility.
PherDal’s kit is also unique for its ultrasmooth syringe, which helps a sperm sample bypass the vaginal microbiome (without disrupting that delicate environment like others might!) and land right where you want it to: through the opening of the cervix, just one inch lower in the reproductive tract than in-clinic IUI. From there, it’s a much shorter trip to a waiting egg.
Our syringe (or applicator) features a wide opening within a slightly raised tip to protect sperm motility and push them through the cervix effectively, maintaining a comfortable and user-friendly design—it’s as easy as inserting a tampon. You won’t have to sacrifice quality or quantity either, since we include three applicators and three collection cups in each kit.
With PherDal, you never have to worry about the cleanliness of your tools. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on using your kit and, hopefully, making a baby. While no technology could (or should) guarantee a pregnancy, you can give yourself the best possible opportunity to conceive at home when you try PherDal’s 100% sterile, FDA-cleared, ICI kit.
Bring Peace of Mind Home
How much is at-home insemination? The good news is that it’s thousands of dollars cheaper than IVF or IUI, but the not-so-good news is that there are tons of questionable sellers in this industry, so you’ll need to be careful to avoid the bad eggs (no pun intended). A surefire way to do so is to insist on sterility in your kit… and that leads you directly to PherDal! We’re the ONLY 100% sterile insemination kit available.
I founded PherDal as a means of solving my unexplained infertility, and since the beginning, we’ve prioritized our growing community of PherDal families by centering them in everything we do. From the sterility guarantee to the gliding applicator, our ICI kit is priced to cover that top-tier manufacturing and packaging you can trust from an American-made product.
An at-home insemination kit like ours is the best first step in the fight against infertility. If you’re going to put money into fertility support, choose to invest in your health, wellness, and success by opting for a kit that doesn’t compromise your safety to save a buck.
When you’re investing in your future, you deserve the best. Start your fertility journey with the PherDal ICI kit today!
