Self Insemination Techniques
- Using a needleless syringe, also known as the turkey baster method, is the most traditional way to do a self-insemination at home. Request the syringe from your doctor, or get an oral medicine syringe from your local pharmacy, and get a collection cup or condom. Have the male provide a fresh semen sample into the collection cup or condom. If you are using frozen sperm, follow the sperm bank's directions on how to thaw it properly. The syringe is used to extract the semen from the cup and for insemination.
- Instead Softcups are traditionally used for period protection but have recently been successful in aiding conception. For self-insemination, the semen sample is collected directly into the Softcup, and the Softcup is inserted into the vagina where the semen pools around the cervix. Frozen sperm can also be used for this method by pouring the thawed sperm into the Softcup before inserting it. Softcups can be kept in the vagina for up to 12 hours with the minimum being two to three hours for optimum success.
- A cervical cup, also known as a female condom, is similar to the Instead Softcup method but also uses an access tube. You will have to receive the access tube from your doctor with instructions on how to use it. Instead of placing the semen inside the cup, the cup will be inserted first, then the semen is placed inside the tube.
- Intra-cervical insemination, or intra-uterine insemination (IUI), is where the sperm is placed directly into the cervix to increase the chances of conception. Although some women have done this method at home after receiving training and equipment from her doctor, it is not recommended as it is more painful and not necessarily more effective than the other methods.