Using donor insemination to conceive a child is a proven and successful method, but it can involve some stress. Perhaps you’re uncomfortable with the thought of trying to conceive at home by yourself or with just your partner. Or perhaps you’ve tried without success and want to be proactive about exploring other options. Or maybe you’re unsure if you’re using your donor sperm correctly.
For these and other reasons, many women and couples choose to work with a midwife to help them conceive using donor insemination. Below is some information to help you decide if using a midwife is right for you.
Using a Midwife Can Increase Your Chances of Success
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a safe and effective method of using frozen sperm to conceive. It’s a particularly good choice for women without fertility issues. This process has the highest success rate because it involves injecting sperm directly into the uterus, lessening the distance it has to travel to reach the woman’s egg.
Normally, it’s recommended that this method be done in a clinic rather than at home. However, working with a midwife allows you the best of both worlds – you get professional assistance from an experienced midwife while also being in the comfort of your own home. Since midwives are trained to place the sperm directly into your uterus, it gives you the best chance of fertilizing your egg while removing some of the guesswork of doing it on your own.
Another method is intracervical insemination (ICI). For this method, assistance from a health care provider such as a midwife is recommended. Like IUI, ICI can also be done at home with assistance, and involves injecting donor sperm directly at the cervix where it then moves towards the uterus.
To learn more about various insemination techniques, read our blog post about choosing the right insemination method for you.
How Proper Ovulation Planning Can Help You Conceive
A midwife can also help you plan for the optimal time to attempt conception. For best results, we recommend you coordinate your insemination attempt with your natural ovulation cycle. A midwife can assist in creating a plan that includes teaching you how to figure out your best time to inseminate.
Also, if you’re having trouble conceiving after several attempts, you may want to talk with your midwife about next steps. This could include such options as using medication to induce ovulation, choosing different donor sperm, making lifestyle changes to increase fertility, or helping you better understanding your ovulation cycle.
Midwives can also offer another valuable service: counseling. Since they have participated in many births and have experience with conception issues, it gives you someone to share your concerns with including the emotional side of donor insemination. Simply talking with someone knowledgeable can make all the difference. Trying to conceive is stressful enough, so getting a fresh and informed perspective can be helpful.
Some studies have shown that working with a midwife can help increase your chances of conception. If you have questions about what it’s like to work with one, or where to find one, please contact our clinic at (206) 588-1484.