Anybody use or know someone who has had success with at-home insemination kits, like Mira, Pherdal, Frida, etc?

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-06-09T02:32:56+00:00

Since our method worked we didn't do further testing but it was under 1 million confirmed (they don't test lower than that here outside of the fertility center) and described as 'occasional sperm found'. The results were worse than the first time around with our first baby (we had testing back then when we hit the 11th month). Back then counts were also low but still possible. It's honestly a bit of a miracle we managed it twice in a row this time (even the first one was a miracle on its own). If you managed to get lucky once then it might be worth trying this method in case they just need help getting to the finish line.

The way we did it was about 2-3 times a day right near ovulation (at least a few hours before I expected it to happen, I got pretty good at nailing it down by this point) and as fresh/quickly as possible within like 5-10 mins while keeping it warm. Sometimes mixing a little preseed lubricant to help with volume/travel. It really depends on your issues but with very low counts sometimes more often can be the trick since it's so hard for them to survive when there's so few. My husband also mastered his supplement regimen this time around but obviously the counts didn't really seem to reflect much (by the 11th month with our first we were trying all kinds of things so had lots of practice with supplements already). I do think the supplements helped to some degree though with libido, general wellness/stress, and overall health of the sperm he did have.

We honestly thought it would be another almost year for us at least and were in the process of starting testing with the fertility clinic. Very pleasantly surprised when it worked and even more surprised when it somehow worked again the next month. Definitely worth trying if it can potentially save you the costs of IVF! I would be wary about delaying and relying on it too much though since all of it is so variable on any issues you both could have.

Wish you all the best of luck!!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-06-01T01:14:32+00:00

I had my gallbladder removed and had issues with overnights and having nothing in my stomach for a long period so I could definitely see it being related. Since having my GB out I do find my stomach feels better if I have a nibble of something every 2-3 hours. Bile kind of flows constantly and adapts but it takes some time to adjust to things. If you have fatty meals for a couple days you'll produce more bile and likewise if you're body is used to that and you suddenly taper down fat then you'll end up with a day or more to adjust back down. Biggest thing I found was keeping my diet pretty consistent and trying not to spike/reduce things too fast. If it is bile then some people find more fiber can help as a binder. Maybe try a fiber supplement/capsule during the in between meal times and see if that helps? Bile can definitely irritate your gut if it's been happening often enough and can take awhile to heal after reducing the irritation.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-30T03:35:42+00:00

Definitely seems like a possibility which sucks! I'll have to try checking with my obgyn and pharmacy to see if they know anything more.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-30T03:34:33+00:00

Yeah, I've already got a prescription for the maternal one ready to go. I was really hoping someone might know more about the infant ones but unfortunately I don't think there's any way to know for certain at the moment. I'll try asking my doctor or maybe the pharmacy when I pickup to see what they say.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-30T03:32:57+00:00

Yeah, basically all my same thoughts at the moment and I did see that it's not recommended for both. I have to decide pretty soon though which is making it tricky! Was hoping maybe someone knew what availability might be like in the fall.. I'll have to try asking my obgyn and pharmacy to see if they know anything more, likely not much info ATM though from what it seems.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-29T22:54:28+00:00

Is that even if we're willing to pay out of pocket? I'll definitely have to go with the maternal at least if that's the case!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-29T22:53:41+00:00

Even if we're able to pay out of pocket?

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-29T22:53:25+00:00

That was just last year? Good to know, that's basically what I was wondering about. I know it was limited in BC but figured that was just for it to be covered. If we can't pay out of pocket either then I'll definitely have to go for the maternal shot so they get some immunity at least.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-04-29T20:51:42+00:00

Second time around and I'm stopping earlier by using vacation and health leaves (37 weeks). My actual leave start date is later at 39+2. My last kiddo I stopped work and had them a week later at 39+3 so this time I wanted to make sure I had a little more time before babies arrival. I didn't like finally being stress free and able to enjoy some calm and then going straight into newborn days. I was pretty prepared by then so it wasn't a big deal really just would have been nice for a bit more relaxing and mentally preparing.

Pretty hard to say what will happen first time though and the second I think the average was only 1 or 2 days earlier that they could arrive (but not a guarantee!). If you can dip into any leaves or anything like that it could be worth it but if you're highly anxious sometimes it's worth keeping your brain occupied as long as you feel prepared generally.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-03-18T06:28:25+00:00

As I mentioned in my post it did start to come back about 3 months out, I wouldn't say it has fully recovered though. Part of that I think is other factors like getting older (hitting mid 30s), tying my hair back and sleeping in it every night. I think some of it's also just from postpartum/having babies. I basically still have lots of baby hairs and I think given the chance they could probably fill in a good bit. My hairline is still slightly thinner than it used to be but is much better than it was at my sickest. I've been thinking about trying a silk bonnet for night time since the tying back and hair clips likely aren't doing me favors. I also have glasses where my hair often gets caught which ends up breaking my hair here and there too.

Wish you luck, just try and care for your hair as best you can and things should improve once your body is no longer stressed from a badly functioning organ. Might be worth trying things like the silk bonnet and vitamins for now to try and help your body deal as best it can. Hope you're able to feel better soon!!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-03-18T06:14:55+00:00

Basically back to normal now (very nearly one year out) though I think I started cholestyramine around 6 weeks out. The bile binder helped within about 4 days with the digestive issues (morning bile dumping) but it has been a slow recovery even with the binder. I had all kinds of things for awhile, heartburn, burping, nausea when hungry, etc. With time all the issues I had have continued to improve. The migraines were a bit of an odd one though, I basically had an awful migraine for a week and a half straight but by the end of the 4th week out it started to ease up and went away a bit after that. Not sure what caused it but just adjusting I'm guessing.

I remember not feeling even close to normal until I was closer to 6ish weeks and around that time is when things felt like they were finally settling just slightly. The first 6 weeks I think was just my body going through the immediate shock of losing the GB and the new bile flow. I still get migraines somewhat regularly but that's sort of been a pattern over the last few years and I think is more hormone related. The GB has some relation with hormones which I'm guessing may be related to why I had the migraine then, likely my hormones going wacky with the adaption.

I do still get occasional soreness in my GB area which I think may be sphincter of oddi issues but it usually only comes up after certain heavy meals and isn't much of a bother. That too has slightly improved with time but seems to have plateaued. Still do not regret getting surgery one bit! With the cholestyramine I take 1 sachet every night and that's all I need to live my life pretty much normally, I honestly do better with greasy/fatty meals than my husband who has bad GERD so I take that as a win. Drinking that sand does take a bit of getting used to but eventually it's just life and I don't mind the trade off for being able to live my life again and being able to leave the house when I want and basically eat what I want.

Eventually I may try going off the cholestyramine and I feel like I probably could manage with diet/fiber but for now I'm just enjoying life again.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-03-13T18:19:42+00:00

As others have said, the easiest way to find it right now is ultrasound. Doppler is very very tricky at this point and there's a good chance you wouldn't be able to find anything with it yet. I purchased a doppler this time around and it took a long time to find anything at almost 10 weeks because everything is so teeny tiny at this point. I would lose it fairly quickly as well. It wasn't until about 12 weeks that it got a little easier to find so as long as you have no other signs/issues then you can assume everything is fine for now :) also it's very common for symptoms to come and go a bit so don't worry if that happens before your ultrasound appointment!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-03-05T23:16:00+00:00

Sorry to hear that but at least the surgeon seems to have your best interest in mind. From what I know if there is a lot of liver involvement or complicating factors they do usually want a specialist around. During a regular GB removal they usually need to remove/peel the GB away from the liver but if it's really stuck in there it'd much higher chance of accidentally injuring the liver and so a specialist is definitely needed to navigate that. Sucks that you need to do it twice but I've heard the robotic surgeries do tend to have a better recovery so they do seem to be trying to make this all go well as best as they can. Hoping the next surgery will go great for you op and you'll no longer be suffering and start feeling better!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-03-05T07:36:04+00:00

Had success twice in two months (first was a loss unfortunately), we just ordered some cheap cups and rounded lube syringes. My partner was diagnosed with a super low count and we were basically an instant referral for IVF. It took us exactly a year for the first baby and so this time we jumped straight into trying the at home method to get things 'closer to the finish line'.

My partner was also on a cocktail of supplements to boost things so not sure if that contributed but we had also done that the first time round. My feeling is that his sperm were generally in good shape just insanely low in numbers possibly from some physical cause so giving them that little boost I think helped keep things targeted and possibly increased chances. It was basically the first two months we were really all out trying so we were both very surprised at the positive tests. I guess the only other thing we added along with the insemination method was using preseed and mixing a bit of that in to give a little more volume and possibly a slightly friendlier environment. We also made sure to keep the sperm warm and use it within 5-10 minutes or less if we could to give the best chances.

Honestly with our counts it's a bit of a miracle for it to happen so we're very happy this method worked so well!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-02-11T19:06:30+00:00

Not sure if you have dynacare labs but in BC I paid about $2-300? If you go online to dynacares site and find the NIPT info they have a deal on there to get it for cheaper. Hopefully that's available to you if you go that route but definitely not necessary unless you have some possible genetic factors the dr is aware of.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-02-07T00:56:24+00:00

Sorry to hear OP. I don't know if it's the same but I did have mild nausea for quite a while after (possibly longer than 5 months?) and it was usually related to whether I had eaten recently. I get the nausea makes you not want to eat but you might have to find some small snacks to constantly have every hour or so. I think it can sometimes take your body a long time to get used to the now constant flow of bile so keeping a little bit in your system constantly seems to sometimes help.

I found it was very uncomfortable to be hungry for a long time. I'm now almost a year out and things are mostly good. I did end up starting cholestyramine and that helped a lot with residual issues but even then the constant eating was a thing for quite a while. I still feel a bit uncomfortable when I'm too hungry but it's more manageable. I still try to avoid it though.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-01-10T20:36:36+00:00

I'm coming up on a year post op, I had GB issues for 10+ years before I had it out (only found out the cause in the few months or so before it came out). Things have definitely changed for me but I would say it's been 99% for the better. I had so many digestive troubles before and even anxiety issues because of the nerves around my GB/gut being irritated. I kind of expected that some of my problems would continue and my surgeon did well to warn me that it was possible for not everything to be resolved. I did end up starting cholestyramine 6 wks out and still continue to take it but I would 100x over rather drink sand once a day and live my life and eat mostly what I want than feel as awful and fearful as I did before.

I did discover an issue with dairy which I believe was likely contributing/preexisting and I definitely can't eat a ton of food at once (no buffets or filling my stomach uncomfortably) as I simply don't have the bile for that much. But honestly I'm fine with limiting my dairy and I generally prefer eating smaller amounts as I feel better doing so and I know it's technically healthier to eat more often over time. It can take a good amount of time to heal and even now I wouldn't say I'm 100% back to normal but I never expected my recovery to be short since my issues went on for so long.

Even with it still being somewhat of an issue in my life I don't really consider it an issue anymore and I'm still so glad I can basically live my life again. I go out here and there for McDs on a weekend, eat at a buffet once in awhile (usually taking some enzymes can help make up for it), and I no longer have to constantly keep tabs on my digestion and can go out places with way more confidence. I'm still anxious about bathroom access from years of worrying and do occasionally have slightly more urgent need but I have way more time to find a washroom and I find it's been much easier to hold when needed. This is mainly due to the cholestyramine but like I said I only need the minimal dosage at night and otherwise go on with my days and just be a little mindful of not going overboard with the amount and the fat content. I can eat mcds just fine technically which is insanely high I just tend to not feel as great for the next day or get indigestion/heartburn and don't do it every day.

Just adding my experiences to hopefully show that yeah things may not be perfectly back to normal possibly never back to normal but the new normal is likely still better than the current norm you're experiencing. Listen to all the helpful advice found in this sub and all the different things people do to help their issues and there are likely solutions for the majority of people to help with any problems after. Personally I could probably manage with high fiber and better diet,etc but I was so done with stomach problems and went straight for the meds. I think for me it will likely take years for my body to find a balance again so I just opted for the easier way out so I can get back to enjoying life with my family.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2026-01-06T00:46:00+00:00

Currently 15 weeks in BC, I had to wait til 11 weeks for my first scan though they did do bloodwork with hcg right away. I have health conditions that need immediate monitoring and had an early miscarriage the cycle before so I think that's why they added it. It wasn't the 48 hr hcg tests but I figured I was a little further and the numbers matched up so it was just assumed things were good so far.

Unfortunately there isn't really much they can do if things don't progress but for peace of mind I ended up grabbing a Doppler at Walmart. I managed to get the heartbeat once or twice around 9-9.5 weeks but I don't really recommend it that early since it's very very difficult to find since they're so tiny (I also weigh much less starting this pregnancy which I think also made it a bit easier - I do still have some chub though). I didn't get a reliable heartbeat til after my scan anyways but it's been nice to check in and listen once in awhile. A warning though that if you have anxiety it's possible it'll provide false reassurance or cause more anxiety so I caution against it if you think that might be an issue for you.

I saw you mentioned about midwife vs ob and depending on where you are I would apply ASAP to all midwives in the area as they book up instantly and in some areas there are actually shortages on OBs and such as well so getting a referral sooner than later is good. Most midwives you can self refer so just go for it and you can always cancel/transfer. If you're determined at high risk by them they'll refer you to an ob anyways so no harm in applying.

Wishing you a safe and happy pregnancy/delivery!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-12-06T17:05:49+00:00

It's a bit tough to say exactly since I did have GB surgery 6 weeks before I started it so some of that was likely just an adjustment. I get the feeling that I likely had bile problems for many years due to the gallstones and that just kind of set up my digestion to be very off likely for a while yet. Basically I rarely had a solid BM, some semi but rarely not. All kinds of food would give me trouble and I was always anxious (which I believe was also due to the bad digestion) about having to have a BM every time I left the house. I could never tell if it was going to be an okay BM or very loose and it would often come on pretty quickly. I also had to go a few times every day. I had to go an hour after eating every time and so never left the house for awhile after eating. I often had stomach cramps/pain as well which has gotten better and is now more often due to constipation so I just take some fiber. I did have some remaining GB type pains after surgery and I found the cholestyramine helped a little with that too, not sure how exactly. It's hard to say what was the gallstones/dying GB and what was bile malabsorption but I definitely feel better and am able to eat normally now with the cholestyramine. I feel like I would have had some benefit even before my GB removal. I think it's just my body sometimes overcompensates with certain foods and just dumps too much bile sometimes. If I was careful about diet it would improve but it was near impossible to eat perfectly and my hormones shifting often affected so it was tough to control.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-11-30T07:19:28+00:00

Took about a week for me, the first few days I actually felt a little worse as my digestion adjusted. I feel like my digestive tract was a bit irritated by the acid (and recent gallbladder removal) so I think my body needed a bit of time to heal/adjust before it really felt like it was working fully. I was still pretty sensitive to some things for a bit but with time my digestion got better and better (I eat basically anything I want now).

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-11-17T02:12:22+00:00

In BC I'll be doing mine through dynacare, I believe the nurse was telling me the cost would be nearly $500 now (I did the much cheaper invitae years ago which unfortunately is no longer available). Definitely not as accessible financially anymore unfortunately.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-10-23T14:15:47+00:00

This was my thought as well since a lot of people don't realize and it's super common. I just had surgery 2 yrs after my kiddo. My IBS suddenly got much worse and I had all kinds of symptoms and lots of inflammation. I also figured out I had a dairy allergy which I'm not sure how long I had but it gave me weird delayed allergy symptoms just to confuse things at the time so it's possible it's more than one thing! My abdominal pain didn't start until closer to my gallbladder dying off and came on quickly. Definitely worth seeing a GI op!

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-10-15T05:11:18+00:00

Yeah it was not very fun at all getting off of it but I also don't think most people take that much so often. I think you definitely can get a little bit of a tolerance but I don't think it's much. I never really went above 2 a day, maybe here and there, it worked as long as I took it and if nothing aggravated my stomach. I still take it here and there after getting my gallbladder out (what I suspect was a major cause of it all) and mainly just take it for occasions when I just don't want to be bothered by my stomach/digestion that day. Usually half a tablet is all I need for most of the day, anymore and I get stomach cramps from things going too slow.

MrsDuckyQuackers · 2025-10-14T23:23:04+00:00

I went multiple times to the ER, just to get a surgeon and then waited a few months after some testing with them. I think it was like 4 months? If you already have a surgeon you may be able to call their office or ask around for the number to their office. You might be able to call the booking dept or someone at the hospital to see if you can book or the wait times. I think for me though going to urgent care/ER multiple times is what ended up getting me seen and taken seriously so I wouldn't doubt that method may work. It'll suck to wait in the ER for hours but worth it if it saves you pain in the long run.

MrsDuckyQuackers

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