It is not safe to inject sperm into the uterus at home [1, 2, 3]. Attempting a home intrauterine insemination (IUI) is dangerous due to the significant risks of infection, injury, and other serious complications [1, 2, 3, 4].
To increase your chances of success, here are some common mistakes you can avoid.
You can't get pregnant just from a guy coming inside you. You need to be ovulating or just about to ovulate for that to happen. The sperm has to meet up with the egg and then it needs to implant in your uterus.
The Shelf Life of Sperm
In the simplest of terms, the magic number behind the burning question of “How long can I store sperm at home?” is about an hour. Your sperm sample should be used within 60 minutes of being produced, meaning that the ideal sample is one your partner or donor has just ejaculated.
Home insemination has a lower success rate than clinical intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI has a 10–20% success rate per cycle, while home insemination is closer to 5–10%, depending on timing and sperm quality.
Going ahead with home insemination with donor sperm carries several risks, including:
Very slowly inject the sperm to coat the outside of the cervix. The woman should try to have an orgasm with clitoral stimulation, but without penetration. A climax makes the cervix more receptive for the sperm and may increase the chances of conception. Then try to avoid moving for about 30 minutes.
12 Things That Could Be Messing With Your Guy's Sperm
When it is time to perform the at-home insemination, the partner expecting to carry the pregnancy should lie on their side, or on their back, with a pillow under them to raise their hips. This position is ideal in preventing the sperm sample from leaking, letting gravity move the sample further into the uterus.
This is because sperm can live in a woman's body for as long as 5 days, while an egg can survive for about 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. So you can have sex up to 5 days before ovulation or 1 day after and still get pregnant.
For withdrawal to work as well as possible, you must do it right every single time. Always. So always pull out BEFORE ejaculation, and always make sure to ejaculate (cum) away from your partner's genitals. This is important because pregnancy can happen if even a little bit of semen gets in the vagina.
In the missionary position, the angle of penetration aligns with the cervix, reducing the distance sperm must travel. This can increase the chances of sperm reaching and fertilizing the egg more effectively, particularly during the fertile window.
Outercourse activities are 100% effective at preventing pregnancy: kissing, massage, masturbation, dry humping with clothes on, anal sex, and oral sex can't cause pregnancy. That said, pregnancy can happen, rarely, even if you don't actually have vaginal sex.
But not many people are aware that the materials used in the syringe and collection cup can impact the quality of the sperm. Yes, that's right, even a short period of contact with the wrong plastics or harmful chemical adhesives can damage the motility of the sperm.
Do Nothing Afterward. After you have completed the insemination process, you will want to lie down and not get up for as long as possible. For this reason, we recommend doing the insemination before you go to sleep.
Symptoms of successful fertilisation after IUI
When ready, you must place the syringe as far into the vaginal canal as possible and inject the sperm into your vagina to complete the home insemination. Home insemination is a simple procedure. So, try to relax and enjoy this step on your way towards parenthood.
Again, there is no evidence to prove that having sex with the woman on top or in a standing position makes conceiving less likely, but common sense tells us that gravity will be working against you.
At-home insemination is a fantastic option for couples facing infertility. Studies have shown it has an average success rate of between 10 – 20% in women aged 35 and under and 18% per cycle for women aged under 35. This means that 1 in 5 attempts can work. However, this success depends on overall health and age.
Keep Clean-up Simple
Just stick to a gentle rinse with warm water after sex. And avoid scented tampons, pads, powders, and sprays, especially if you tend to get infections.
Just remember that there are no guarantees and the odds of conceiving a boy or a girl are almost exactly the same for each and every pregnancy.
Symptoms of a low sperm count include: