In the past, getting pregnant when the time-honored technique wasn’t a good option meant either taking a second mortgage for treatment or reading up on astrology. There wasn’t a cost-effective option out there, and the middle ground was packed with couples and single mothers by choice who were caught in an infertility limbo hoping for a miracle.
Thankfully, we now have more choices than ever before, but traditional (and expensive) solutions are still disproportionately prescribed because the healthcare industry tends to rely first only on solutions like IVF (in vitro fertilization) and IUI (intrauterine insemination) that give doctors as much control over your body as possible. But you know what?
Today, you can have control over your body when you start your fertility journey with an at-home self-insemination kit. With a success rate on par with IUI, it’s a much more private first fertility option.
The reputation of IUI boils down to simply being well-known, effective, and regularly relied upon. However, when it comes to affordability, autonomy, and accessibility, intracervical insemination (ICI) self-insemination kits for home use that are safe and sterile, provide a much better option to try first. In fact, they’re required by law to receive FDA clearance, and PherDal has even gone a step further as the only 100% guaranteed sterile kit on the market.
So how do ICI kits work? Are they just an at-home version of IUI? Great questions. We’re going to answer both of them and many more about what sets these two apart.
Differences Between IUI and Self-Insemination
The most obvious distinction between ICI and IUI is in that second letter. “Intracervical” (ICI) kits bring sperm past the vagina to the opening of the cervix, whereas “intrauterine” insemination (IUI) goes through the cervix entirely. However, the noninvasive nature of ICI means it can be safely done at home up to three times a cycle while IUI requires a healthcare professional and washing of the sperm beforehand and is done once per cycle in the clinic. And it has a big impact on the following factors:
1. Cost
The contrast in cost between IUI and a self-insemination kit for home use is staggering. IUI will run you anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 (the latter of which was quoted to me after my unexplained infertility diagnosis). Meanwhile, the PherDal ICI kit costs less than $200. Nope, we’re not missing another zero there!
The price tag is one of the main reasons ICI why is becoming the first, best option for people experiencing fertility challenges. A PherDal kit is several decimal places cheaper than IUI and IVI, so you don’t have to choose between buying a boost in fertility and paying your rent or mortgage that same month. We aim to minimize barriers and maximize access to care so that every hopeful parent can make their dream come true.
2. Comfort
Needless to say, doctors’ offices can be awkward places. Unfortunately, IUI resembles a Pap smear since you’re stuck with your feet in stirrups and your legs spread open for the insertion of a catheter full of sperm. It’s anxiety-inducing, which isn’t how you imagined conceiving.
The truth? Think of how awkward a penis can be. Any artificial solution is going to move you a bit out of your comfort zone, which is why it’s so valuable to have options that maintain as much privacy and ownership over the experience as you can.
With an at-home self-insemination kit, you get to keep this special moment in the bedroom, giving you control of the situation without compromising safety. Plus, our applicator (a needleless syringe) was designed for someone with a female anatomy—that means you don’t have to worry about any unwelcome pokes or painful angles! Our ultrasmooth applicator has a small raised opening scientifically designed to safely and comfortably deliver sperm to the opening of your cervix.
3. Convenience
Raise your hand if you’d happily submit yourself to multiple appointments for preparatory blood work, hormone injections, sample testing, and an eventual procedure by a doctor, all for less than a 35% chance of conceiving… Now, how about the approachable and wildly convenient way of ordering an ICI kit online that you can use by yourself or with the help of a partner from the privacy of your own home?
The truth is, many couples might not require in-clinic interventions to get pregnant even though it’s the option they’re given. They just need a little help, because only 1% of sperm ever makes it through the cervix during normal intercourse, and even less find the correct fallopian tube. An ICI kit can ensure up to 95% of the sperm sample is delivered to the cervical opening with each attempt without the need for a trip to the doctor’s office and a loan from your bank. It’s a common-sense starting place that makes the most of your time and resources.
Similarities Between IUI and Self-Insemination
From cost to comfort to convenience, IUI doesn’t really have an edge in this fight. However, there are a few similarities between IUI procedures and the ICI design of the PherDal kit. Starting with—science!
1. Success
Believe it or not, you have about the same chance of getting pregnant through an at-home self-insemination kit as you do with IUI. When sperm is deposited at the entrance of the cervix with a sterile ICI syringe, conception happens around 38% of the time after six cycles. That’s an increase from the average 15-20% success rate that people generally have when trying to get pregnant naturally by timing intercourse within the ovulation window.
IUI ups those odds to 40.5% after six cycles, so there’s a mere 2.5% gap between the likelihood of pregnancy with IUI and ICI. What that means is that IUI might not be your only initial option, and a sterile ICI kit might be a great choice for you to try first. ICI is a more viable approach than ever for many couples facing a range of fertility issues today: it increases your odds of conception, and it won’t drain your bank account in the process.
2. Style
Both IUI and ICI get sperm closer to the egg than traditional intercourse—by using a needleless ICI syringe or IUI catheter (instead of a penis), all those swimmers can bypass the vagina entirely and start the race at the cervix instead. However, while ICI stops at the cervix, IUI goes through it and deposits processed or washed sperm into your uterus. Oh, and instead of doing it yourself in the privacy of your own home, you’ll have a doctor down there lining the catheter up like a pool cue. Fun? Nope.
3. Sterile
Finally, the best part about PherDal’s self-insemination kit is its unique 100% sterility guarantee. We even patented this feature so that it stands apart from all other at-home kits. In other words, if you come across another similar product but it isn’t PherDal, it’s a little unsanitary… and probably more than a little. IUI and IVF happen in clinics, meaning that they’re sterile by law, and our ICI kit is the only at-home option that meets the same sterility standards as the clinic.
If you’re drawn to IUI for its cleanliness and precision, PherDal’s ICI kit could be a more cost-efficient and comfortable starting point. We understand exactly how crucial rigorous health standards are when introducing sperm to egg—it’s why we worked so hard to patent the lone FDA-cleared and 100% sterile insemination kit on the market. As a scientist (and a mom of two, with some help from PherDal!), I’d never make a product that was anything less than what I would put in my own body.
The Choice Is Yours
Whether you’re facing an unexplained infertility diagnosis or simply looking to take control of your journey towards a family of your own, ICI puts fertility science into your own hands. There are plenty of options to choose from nowadays, and PherDal’s ICI kit is a much-needed first choice that allows you to pace out cost and invasiveness without sacrificing health and safety standards.
We’ve gone above and beyond in producing an at-home kit to be proud of, using IVF-grade, sperm and vagina-friendly materials, and a design you can trust wholeheartedly. After all, this is your body and your experience, and you deserve to use an ICI kit at home that empowers you and provides peace of mind simultaneously.
We’re here to be your partner every step of the way—find out the difference PherDal can make.
