New Generation Cervical Cap is an At-Home Advance for Lesbian Pregnancy: Update on a Proven Procedure
A breakthrough in assisted reproductive technology offers a promising path to pregnancy for lesbian couples. A federally approved cervical cap model uses a proven natural insemination procedure that is convenient, private, and affordable.
This innovation, which updates an established method of sperm placement for home use by prospective fathers, may be especially effective for women with no barriers to conception.
The flexible thimble-shaped device is a modern take on traditional cervical caps. When ovulation is likely to have occurred, the donor sperm can be placed in the silicone cap and placed against the cervical mucus.
A mom-to-be resumes normal activity, including exercise, while the soft, lightweight cap remains in place at the cervical opening for four to six hours. That positioning greatly increases the chances that sperm will swim to the uterus for fertilization of the egg, instead of being pushed out by gravity or not accumulating in the right place.
Cervical fluid holds the cap in place, just as capillary action prevents contact lenses from slipping. The side flanges adjust to the dimensions of the cervix, so there is no need for a doctor to fit them to size. An attached loop helps to remove oneself with ease.
The days of keeping your hips up to get pregnant are long gone. This also dwarfs less sophisticated approaches to using a diaphragm or “the turkey baster technique,” and is a huge step forward in comfort compared to decades when caps made of steel, rubber, or hard plastic were the only options. .
Because the next-generation cap places sperm in an ideal spot, there’s no need for manual or vibrator-assisted stimulation to achieve the contractions meant to help little swimmers – intimacy you can expect for a more relaxed, less focused occasion. .
A time advantage further increases the chances of pregnancy for users of this method. “Sperm can live for several days in cervical mucus, but only a few hours in the vagina if they don’t make it through,” says Dr. Dorsey Ligon, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Additionally, this approach helps overcome any physical challenges the bio-mom-to-be may have, such as a tilted cervix, poor cervical mucus, pH imbalance, or yeast infection. Studies from the medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and Wayne State University in Detroit show that more than 40 percent of cervical cap users with fertility problems became pregnant for the first time. That matches or exceeds the results of intrauterine insemination (IUI), a more expensive procedure performed in a doctor’s office, a less romantic way to conceive a baby.
“The technique is simple, inexpensive, without significant risk or discomfort, and can be performed by a couple at their convenience and in private,” reports a research team led by Michael P. Diamond, MD, associate president of OB/GYN and director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State.
The method is just as practical and convenient for lesbian mothers-to-be as it is for any other couple. Most sperm banks are shipped to the customer’s home, and the vials can remain in the shipping tank for up to seven days before thawing. Longer storage in a cryopreservation tank can be arranged in a physician’s office for subsequent insemination attempts.
Naturally, fresh sperm from a caring friend is an inexpensive option that adds additional knowledge about the donor. Legal counsel can provide a waiver of parental rights and obligations for each participant to sign.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved cervical caps for assisted insemination in non-clinical settings.
As a result of this development, life partners are now among the beneficiaries who can enjoy the process of conception with dignity in their bedroom. Before long, those who do can come to terms with this question: “When will your baby be born?”
