While I have received compensation for this post from Fertility Planit, all opinions are my own.
I’ve written a lot on this blog about my experience with 3 rounds of IVF and 3 IUIs. What I haven’t written a lot about was our experience of trying naturally before moving on to medicated treatments.
We tried to conceive (TTC) on our own for about a year. I meticulously charted my cycles and made sure our timing was perfect. After nine months of disappointment, I began to realize we were going to need help. We called our reproductive endocrinologist (RE) right before the holidays and made an appointment for March.
In a last-ditch effort to conceive on our own before the appointment, and we spent the next three months trying to optimize our chances. One of our ideas was to try different means of making sure the semen got close to the cervix. Basically, we were attempting a DIY insemination. We tried all kinds of ideas we found online that were supposed to help us do this. Let’s just say they were all awkward, messy, and completely ineffective. I would have jumped at the chance to use a better option.
That’s why I was really intrigued when the makers of the Stork OTC device approached me and offered me a free demo unit. (I didn’t actually use it since I’m not currently trying to conceive). The Stork OTC takes the mess and awkwardness out of what we were trying to do. It uses a condom-like sheath to collect semen into a cervical cap during intercourse (or you can use donor sperm). Then the sperm is delivered to the opening of the cervix by using the applicator. The cap stays in the woman for up to six hours and then is easily removed with a tampon-like pull string. The video below explains it in more detail.
I really like the idea of a product that offers an “in-between.” It gives couples a convenient way to take their TTC efforts one step further than naturally trying on their own, but it’s not as invasive or expensive as seeing a specialist or starting treatment. (Of course, I would never recommend that you skip seeing your doctor. The Stork OTC just might provide an extra boost to your efforts while you wait for your appointment or until you save up funds for a specialist). The device is FDA cleared and no prescription is required to purchase it.
If you’d like to try The Stork OTC, it’s available at Walgreens, CVS, Amazon, and The Stork OTC Website.
If you purchase from Walgreens or CVS, be sure to use eBates (it’s free and 100% legit) for even more savings. If you sign up for eBates using this link, I’ll receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) that will help me with the costs of maintaining this website. Thanks so much!
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