Trying to conceive (TTC) as a same-sex couple often means being a bit more creative on the conception journey. Cue working with sperm donors, surrogates, and even forking out huge amounts on artificial insemination processes like in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
K.C. and her wife, who reside in the United States (U.S.), decided to work with a sperm donor. The caveat: Donated sperm can be pretty costly, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand in the U.S.
As we all know, donor sperm come in scarce quantities, so every drop matters. Unfortunately, standard plastic syringes provided by sperm banks typically don’t release the entire sample into the vagina. In other words, there’s always a chance that a small amount of sperm will go to waste.
That’s why K.C. and her wife looked towards the twoplus Applicator Only to help them maximise their odds of conceiving with donated sperm.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is not intended as medical advice.
K.C. Shares Why the twoplus Applicator Is Her Preferred Insemination Syringe of Choice
Interview responses were edited for clarity.
Q: Hi, K.C.! How did you find out about twoplus Fertility?
A: I found out about twoplus Fertility through [a] Google search.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself! How old are you? How long have you tried to conceive (TTC) before using twoplus?
A: I’m 27 and a store manager. I’ve been trying to conceive for about one month (roughly one cycle) with my wife before twoplus.
Q: What were some of your fertility struggles before the pregnancy?
A: I did not have any fertility struggles prior to the pregnancy.
Q: Were you diagnosed with any medical conditions relating to fertility by a licensed healthcare professional, and what tests did you do?
A: Fortunately, I was not diagnosed with any fertility-related health conditions and didn’t have to do any tests.
Q: What have you tried in your TTC journey before using twoplus Fertility?
A: My wife and I didn’t try other methods before using twoplus, as we didn’t see the need to.
Q: What led you to purchase the Applicator Only?
A: We went with the product [Applicator Only] because we were looking for something with a comfortable design that would help us get full use from the samples.
The syringes sent through the sperm banks are standard plastic syringes and not every drop of the sample is released. With the amount of money we have to spend on the sperm, we didn’t want to purposely let any of it go to waste.
The twoplus Applicators have a comfortable fit and design, but we were mainly looking for something that got every drop of the sample out of the syringe.
Q: Is this your first successful pregnancy?
A: Yes, this is my first successful pregnancy! As a lesbian couple in the U.S., we’ve used donated sperm to help us conceive.
Q: How often did you use the Applicator Only before you successfully got pregnant?
A: We used the Applicator twice in one cycle.
Q: Did you adopt any lifestyle changes to improve your odds of conceiving?
A: Yes, we did. We adopted a healthier diet and also exercised more.
Q: If you could go back to the beginning of your TTC journey, what would you have done differently? Also, what would you suggest to other same-sex couples who are TTC?
A: Logging more cycles would be beneficial so we have more data to track our ovulation days. For other same-sex couples who are TTC, I’ll suggest tracking as much data as you can to really narrow down your fertility window. You can also use methods like BBT*, period tracking, and other hormone levels.
Most importantly, take your time and try not to be hard on yourself. It’s hard enough trying to conceive and making sure the timing is right for everything. Give yourself grace during the hard times and trust in your body.
*A note from twoplus: BBT refers to basal body temperature, a popular method used to track whether ovulation has occurred or not. It does not, however, show when ovulation is happening.
More Semen, Less Wastage With the twoplus Applicator
Even if you don’t experience any fertility struggles or have just started trying for a child, like K.C. and her wife, you may wish to consider the Applicator Only. After all, its rounded barrel maximises comfort and semen flow. If you go with the Applicator Extra, which comes with a proprietary Soft Tip, it ensures that over 90% of semen leaves the syringe and enters the vaginal tract.
Because this self-insemination syringe works with any sperm sample (either ejaculated from your partner or donated from a sperm donor), both straight and same-sex couples can use it on their conception journeys.
What’s more, if you can’t find time within your busy schedule to have procreative sex, suffer from discomfort during penetration, or experience performance anxiety, the twoplus Applicator is ideal for you, too.
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