If you have been trying to conceive, you know how stressful fertility timing can be. I look back on the last two years that consisted of two IUI’s (one with medicated injectable medication) five IVF cycles in 2015 and one FET in 2016 {frozen embryo transfer} with PGS testing. I think about everything that was involved with those treatments from the time, money, travel to Colorado (over five times in six months) tears, frustration, and the wear and tear on my body. Emotionally and physically it’s exhausting.
We decided after this past failed FET that we would put all our efforts into trying naturally with the help of The Stork OTC. If you missed my recent review of The Stork, you could read it here.
Getting away is one of the best ways to destress and infuse fresh new energy into your mind, body and spirit. I had a client book me for hair and makeup this past weekend in Vero Beach, Florida and I decided this would be the perfect weekend to pack up my husband and Frenchie and make a relaxing weekend out of it. I couldn’t have planned it better with my cycle; we left on CD 14, so it was serendipity.
I ordered my ovulation test strips in bulk from Early Pregnancy Tests to be able to test like a maniac. Testing out my ovulation is something that I started doing very early in our fertility journey but found it to be too stressful, so I stopped. I only figured out from having transvaginal ultrasounds at my RE’s office in the fall of 2014 that I do not ovulate on CD 14 even though I have consistent 28-day cycles. I am now seeing that I ovulate on or around CD 17-18. This is why it’s so important to use ovulation test strips during each month you are trying to conceive. The picture below is of my May ovulation tests strips; CD 17 shows the test line is darker than the control line, I have always stopped once I saw what I thought to be a dark line around CD 15. I will update this blog post with testing until I don’t see a line.
Yes, that’s right ever since I bought this doggie stroller for Denver I have used it all the time for Frenchie. I have to say she loves it, and I don’t even have to keep it zipped anymore.
Updated OPK test I wasn’t sure why the test line wasn’t going away and then it looks like on CD 23 it’s dark again? It’s so frustrating and if you asked your RE they would tell you that they don’t know. That’s been my experience coupled with statistics and theories. Is it that huge of a favor to ask the universe to just tell me when I am ovulating?
This is my second month using The Stork OTC without any hormones in my body. I don’t need to tell you girls about how much of a failure you feel like when you keep getting negative results after negative results doing infertility treatments. I felt if I went from doing eight cycles of invasive procedures how could I just go back to doing nothing like just regular sex? What’s that? I am so thankful that The Stork exists and is conveniently available at CVS ($79.99). Let me back up a minute if you are completely confused as to what the heck this at-home conception device is let me explain.
If you have been trying to get pregnant without a positive pregnancy test for six months to a year, and you are not ready to go all in with invasive incredibly expensive fertility treatments, then The Stork OTC is your answer. It doesn’t matter if you have been through zero, one or eight cycles of IUI/IVF treatments. You can still use The Stork OTC and feel in control of your fertility and future.
The Stork OTC is a uniquely designed, innovative device you use at home, during ovulation, to assist your chances of becoming pregnant. This FDA cleared, over-the-counter device uses cervical cap insemination. This smart technique enables the sperm to quickly bypass the vaginal tract and places the sperm as close as possible to the opening of the cervix, right where it needs to be to swim up through.
The Stork® OTC includes two familiar elements: a cervical cap inside of a condom-like sheath (the Conceptacle®) used to collect the sperm and an applicator device (the applicator) used to place the cap (similar to the delivery of a tampon).
After collecting the semen in the cap, the applicator efficiently and quickly places it near the woman’s cervix. The cap stays in place, keeping the sperm where it needs to be, for up to six hours, while the woman continues her regular routine, then is easily removed with the attached cord, similar to tampon removal.
A recently published clinical study demonstrated that in 85% of subjects, The Stork OTC delivered 3.23 times the sperm score value within cervical mucus compared to natural intercourse and … presents a greater concentration of sperm to targeted cervical mucus than natural intercourse.
No Shots. No Scans. No Prescriptions. No Procedures.
So why don’t you just use a menstrual cup Nikol isn’t it the same thing? No, it’s not the same thing, and menstrual cups are not FDA approved as an at home conception device. I had read for years on blogs about girls using these cups. It never interested me because I knew there weren’t any research data on using this type of method and I didn’t want to deal with trying to fish out the cup from inside my body not to mention the possible spilling of valuable sperm. When I discovered The Stork OTC by chance when I was shopping at CVS last year I was interested from the second I saw that it was inserted like a tampon and had strings attached. The last thing I want right now is to create more stress on myself or my husband.
Up to 20% of women who use cervical cap insemination, the technique of the Stork OTC, get pregnant. Comparable to IUI with recorded success rates between 16-21%*
So it probably goes without saying that I am tickled pink that we have a convenient affordable and completely stress-free device to help us get pregnant. OK, I am completely biased about having a girl as you can see from my post but can you blame me? I am a makeup artist that designed her entire studio pink? I rest my case. If you have any questions about using The Stork OTC or comments on your experience, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or email me at [email protected].
REFERENCE
* “Postcoital Sperm Assessment Comparative Study.” Michael. J. Pelekanos, MD. Surgical Technology International, XXVII, December 2015.
This blog post was not sponsored by The Stork OTC. I write about my personal experiences with fertility products that I am using to help us get pregnant naturally.