ICI/ home insemination

[hylian]

Me and DH have been going through fertility treatment since 2020 (male factor) and I am now getting to a point where I just cannot cope anymore. I'm finding it very traumatic. We've done 2 IVF/ ICSI rounds (unsuccessful) - so moved to a donor and have now done 7 IUI's with a donor (unsuccessful).

My DH said this morning that he had been looking into it and it's actually possible to buy sperm and do the insemination at home. This would save me all the trauma I now associate with the clinic/ IUI treatments, and also be cheaper.

I always thought this was a no-no and so we never really took the idea seriously. But after all this time, I'm wondering whether to give it a shot. I'm under 35 and have have no known issues, regular cycle etc.

So has anyone else done home insemination with donor sperm in the UK? How did you go about it, and did it work for you? How do you store it? At a clinic - in the freezer??

Really interested in any advice or stories.

Bump

Hi, I didn't know home insemination was available in the UK. If going though a legit site they usually ask for the address of a clinic to avoid things like this.

May be worth contacting the sperm bank you are looking to do this with and ask their process.

I know when I looked on American donor site the ICI was an option but as to whether they will actually allow it in the UK I don't know. From America mine came in a dry iced container I believe.

It used to be allowed in the UK, but not anymore. You can only do home insemination with a private donor. If you want to use a sperm bank, then it has to be sent to a clinic and you'll have to pay for IUI treatment. That way you know the donor is medically suitable to donate and there are no legal issues around the child's parents. Good luck

Thank you @ttcsolomumtobe @kirstysmbc I always thought it wasn't allowed in the UK as well. We are looking at Bea fertility https://beafertility.com/

For anyone who might be reading this later on, we've now done a bit more research and it actually is possible - some clinics in the UK do allow it in special circumstances - they will store your samples and release it to you to use at home when you are ovulating. You just have to have the conversation with them as not all clinics will do it, mostly due to HFEA requirements to report the pregnancy. But some will, so you just have to look around a bit.

So we’re starting the journey of ivf with my eggs and a known donor sperm. My question is has anyone used a known donor sperm and self inseminated at home rather than use a clinic?