The Contents
The Conception Kit by Conceivex includes, for each month:
Eight ovulation prediction kits (OPK) One semen collection kit Sperm friendly lubricant One disposable cervical cap One pregnancy test Journal for recording results and feelings Note for your midwife or doctor
Also included are an instruction book (in English and Spanish) and a conception wheel to help you decide when you want to conceive, based on when your due date would fall.
Used in Your Own Home
The Conception Kit is not a novel idea, but it is approved by the FDA for the express use of conceiving. The really nice thing about the Conception Kit is that it is used in the privacy of your own home. The Conception Cap is specifically designed to hold semen in place over the cervix. This may help couples who are having problems conceiving by removing some of the work for the sperm and potential barriers including a hostile environment in the vagina. reduced motility of the sperm, a tilted cervix, and others. There is not a lot of recent research on cervical cap insemination, but some older studies have found it to be effective. In a 1983 study of 61 couples, 53% reported pregnancy after using a cervical cap. A 1997 study comparing cervical cap insemination with another intracervical method gave cervical caps the edge (15% of participants conceived per cycle, vs. 6% for the other method). However, a 1996 study concluded that “use of a cervical reservoir and cap … does not offer any advantage over standard intracervical insemination.”
How the Conception Kit Works
The kit is divided into three-month segments so that you do not need to sort and figure out what you need to use when. The booklet provided with the kit is helpful, though I think that a few more pictures would have been helpful to go along with the descriptive words. I also got a huge kick out of the warnings all over the boxes and booklets that the use of the kit might cause you to get pregnant.
Using the Conception Kit
The actual kit was easy to use. Most of the directions were very specific and included enough detail to use them. Moving the semen from the non-latex semen collector to the Conception Cap was a bit interesting and messy. You also may not need to use the entire volume of semen provided. The kit says to use between 1-5 ml; I just put what I could in there and tossed the rest out. Putting the cap in place wasn’t very difficult, though I did wonder if I had it correctly placed. While wearing it, I was only aware that it was there for about 15 minutes and I think that was more of an emotional/mental feeling. During the time I wore it, it didn’t irritate me, slip or do anything other than sitting there. I really couldn’t even feel it unless I was thinking about it. If you’ve ever removed a regular cervical cap or diaphragm, you know how tricky they can be. The good news is that the ring on the Conception Cap made it very easy to remove when my time was up. Overall, the experience was not unpleasant for either me or my husband. This kit is best for couples experiencing low sperm motility, low sperm count, or hostile cervical mucus. If you know you can’t afford intrauterine insemination (IUI), and have poor sperm health (but maybe not severe male infertility), the kit may be worth trying. Your health insurance may cover the $400 cost. To order, you can go to their website. There you will be asked for the basic information about your health to receive a free prescription from their doctor to obtain the Conception Kit.
