This post is brought to you by The Stork from Rinovum. All opinions are my own.

 The Stork

Infertility and I have known each other for a long time. I wouldn’t call us close, personal friends. I mean, it’s kind of hard to be friends with something that spent six years crushing your hopes and dreams on a monthly basis. Still, we’re quite intimately acquainted. Eight years ago, I finally beat infertility and gave birth to my son. It was far from an easy journey and I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I have friends who never beat it, which just breaks my heart.

There are two kinds of TTC’ers in this world (that stands for trying to conceive): those who can get pregnant at the drop of a hat with no problems and those who need help. When you’re in the first group, trying goes like this: have sex, get pregnant, yay! That’s pretty much it. Maybe you do a little planning, maybe you even have a few months of no results. Before the worrying sets in, though, you get your two lines on the pregnancy test and start your nine-month journey to motherhood.

For those of us who had problems, it goes a bit like this:

  • You try for months. The first few months, you’re okay. No big deal! Some people just take longer to get pregnant!
  • The panic starts. For me, it was around the 6-month mark, although some fertility specialists say wait a year before you really start panicking.
  • The tests begin. So long, privacy. So long, romantic spontaneous interludes with your significant other. Your doctor starts spending more time “down there” than your spouse. And no, he doesn’t buy you dinner first. In fact, you’re actually buying HIM dinner with all those fees you’re paying!
  • More tests, more panicking, lots of crying, lots of trying. You go into full-on research mode. By the time this is over, you will have amassed enough knowledge about your reproductive system to become a fertility specialist yourself. You try all the natural remedies and the unnatural positions.
  • Someone else attempts to get you pregnant. No longer is it just you and your significant other in the bedroom. Now, it’s a doctor, nurse and technicians who are working to get you pregnant. Romantic, right?

If you’re lucky, all this ends in you taking home a shiny new baby at the end of the journey. If you’re not, well, it’s back to more tests and more hoping until you eventually give up. I almost gave up. Six years is a long time to go through that. Part of the problem was that I couldn’t afford major interventions. Insurance doesn’t really cover much in the way of fertility treatments. I was lucky that the issues started when my ex was in the military and they at least covered the testing. Even basic IUI (intrauterine insemination) runs about $1000 a pop. IVF can cost up to $15K or more! That’s a lot of money to lose if the procedure doesn’t work.

The Stork Conception System: A New, In-Home Assisted Insemination Method

The Stork Product photo

Last week, I had the opportunity to listen to a fascinating briefing from Steve Bollinger, the CEO and Founder of The Stork. Steve knows first-hand what infertility is like. He and his wife went through it. The Stork looks a little disconcerting at first. I admit it, I looked at it with my head tilted and thought “you want to put that where?” After learning about how it works, though, I felt a little better. Basically, that wand-looking thing is the applicator. If you can use a tampon, you can use The Stork.

The main part that actually does the hard work is the condom-like sheath. Your partner uses it much the way he would an actual condom. When you’re done baby-dancing, your partner rolls the sheath upwards, careful not to spill the goods. You pop the whole shebang onto the applicator and insert it where it can do its best work: close to your cervix.

The Stork is beneficial to those who are suffering from infertility due to low sperm count, poor sperm mobility, ovulation timing issues or hostile vaginal environments. At $79 for one or $210 for three, it is a cost-effective natural option to help infertile couples. You need a doctor’s prescription for it. Once you have that, just head to the online store to purchase. Hopefully within the next few months, you’ll be able to get it at your favorite pharmacy.

I wish this was an option when I was trying to conceive. Look, it’s still not exactly a romantic way to get pregnant, but it’s a great alternative to laying in a doctor’s office chair with your feet over your head while a virtual stranger attempts to impregnate you!

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