The growing popularity of at-home self-insemination kits in response to infertility’s rising rates and expense has led to a simultaneous spike in the number of options available—making it much more difficult to figure out which kit is ideal for you.
When a good thing gets popular, it’s natural for many different companies to try to get in on the market as quickly as possible. That can lead to products that seem fine but aren’t particularly effective or sanitary, and that’s the last thing you need when your fertility hopes are on the line.
I want to save you the time and energy of sifting through every word on those product pages. With a few key details to look for in a self-insemination kit, you’ll be able to refine your search and come to an informed decision. Before you hit “add to cart,” it’s helpful to recognize what to look for in one of these kits in order to choose the best one for you and your family.
Check These Boxes First
Self-insemination kits are quickly becoming the first option for couples struggling with infertility. Known as intracervical insemination (ICI) kits, they use a needleless syringe to insert and deposit sperm at the entrance to the cervix to increase the odds they’ll make it to a waiting egg. These kits may also be advertised as intravaginal insemination kits (IVI), but the terms are nearly identical in terms of how you use them!
Fortunately, the IVI industry is much more controlled now that companies have to earn FDA clearance, and it’s a huge step forward for health and safety. In fact, that’s Big Red Flag #2: if your kit that isn’t on this list, it’s not FDA-cleared. That means it can’t legally be sold in the United States!
Are there a few manufacturers who are doing it anyway? Yes—and they’re just paying huge fines and filing lawsuits. Frankly, working through infertility is hard enough, and you deserve an ICI kit that’s meeting federal standards without playing legal games with your health and well-being!
OK, It’s a Real Kit! Now What?
ICI offers the opportunity to try a lower cost, lower risk option rather than going straight to expensive, in-clinic procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and IUI. These options typically run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and sterile ICI kits can offer similar odds without the big price tag.
For between $100 and $200, you’ll find everything from highly effective ICI kits like PherDal to what we call KSOs—“kit-shaped objects.” There are many factors that distinguish a box full of random cups and plungers from generic supply companies to a truly effective product that’s 100% sterile and is uniquely engineered for your body and has been tested as safe for women and sperm.
Every single component can make a big difference in the results you get, and a little research is all it takes to separate the zeroes from the heroes. Here’s what you need to look for.
Is It Sterile?
As a biologist, I simply can’t compromise on health and safety. There are many things happening to your body during your ovulation window, and an IVI kit should be completely neutral and safe when it interacts with your body. After all, this is a process that’s supported at every step by science, including ovulation tracking, syringe tip design, and all the information you’re getting from doctors and fertility specialists. Every one of these variables can have an impact on a kit’s success, and using an unsterile product can affect every one of them.
Believe it or not, there’s only one kit on the market that’s guaranteed to be 100% sterile: the PherDal At Home Insemination kit! We’ve gone ahead and patented this feature to ensure it’s the absolute safest kit available. That way, you can focus on using our kit—not worrying about what it’s leaving behind inside your body.
Is It Designed with You in Mind?
ICI kits can empower you to take control of your fertility journey in the privacy of your own home. It’s an incredible option to have, but that means you’ll be relying on your manufacturer of choice—not a doctor—to ensure the contents of the kit are designed to work with your natural physiology.
A well-designed syringe needs to be long enough to bring sperm all the way to your cervix, and it should have a contoured tip that’s extremely safe to use while being as effective as possible. The top applicator on the market belongs to PherDal, as its perfect length and efficient tip can deliver up to 100 times more sperm through your cervical opening than conventional intercourse does.
Does It Match Your Cycle?
For the best results, an ICI kit should be paired with a scientifically sound ovulation tracking method so you can determine the perfect moment when your body is ready to conceive. This is usually exactly between your periods, and once it’s released, an egg only has 12-24 hours to be fertilized. That means your ovulation window is about three days total, and an ICI kit should give you three separate attempts so you can cover all three days. And we know we’ve said this before…
… but PherDal gives you everything you need for three 100%-sterile attempts. Plus, to make sure you get the best possible chance to be successful, we include our patented ovulation tracking method with every kit we sell.
PherDal’s Kit Outranks Them All
Backed by science and founded by a biologist (yours truly!), PherDal's ICI kit delivers the highest quality at-home insemination option on the market. With PherDal, you’re at the forefront of fertility science from the comfort and privacy of your home, without compromising on quality.
The rise of self-insemination kits will continue to expand the fight against infertility, but not all kits are created equal. Our kit’s contents are clinically validated for safety (with the largest FDA-clearance cohort in the study!) to remove the guesswork from self-insemination and follow a user-friendly design to clarify the process. Even though it’s a milestone moment filled with such anticipation, self-insemination shouldn’t be confusing or unapproachable, and you should have the peace of mind that comes with a 100% sterility guarantee and FDA clearance.
So, let’s put your kit to the test: is it 100%-guaranteed sterile, designed with you in mind, and aligned with your natural cycle? Yes, yes, and yes? Then it’s PherDal! These are the values that make a difference as you try to conceive, and they’re the values that make PherDal so special.
Learn more about what makes PherDal the best ICI kit on the market, and take your fertility into your own hands today—literally.
