The total conception

The makers of The Total Conception advertise their product as a tool for "creating miracles and little wonders." The first at-home artificial insemination kit, The Total Conception liberates many couples trying to conceive from their need for sperm banks and assisted conception. Sometimes a male and female partner seeking to conceive have to deal with antibodies to sperm, an unusual immune reaction that can take place in either partner that is essentially an "allergy" to sperm. Sometimes cervical mucus traps sperm, preventing fertilization. And some women wish to conceive without having sexual intercourse with a male partner, and without having to visit a sperm bank.

The Total Conception is a method of artificial insemination designed to avoid the need for professional intervention. Not a method of intrauterine insemination, The Total Conception transfers semen as far as possible in the cervix itself, short of the uterus. The distance the sperm has to travel to fertilize the egg is greatly reduced, but is still longer than in medically directed intrauterine insemination. The Total Conception is heavily marketed to lesbian couples and single women who have men willing to donate sperm. Packaged in a sterile container, each Total Conception kit is intended for one-time use. Using the kit requires the woman to be able to find her own cervix, a process some women find a little nerve wracking. The ability to use the catheter to deposit semen also requires a certain amount of fine muscle control that women report is a learned skill. After one or two practice sessions, however, women usually report feeling empowered to use the technique.

Although The Total Conception enables many women to conceive, it cannot replace services that have to be offered by attorneys or physicians. There may be legal issues of paternal rights, or, for lesbian couples, adoption or guardianship questions. The system does not prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted disease, and it is not a part of required prenatal care. The Total Conception does not interact with any known medications or supplements, but pregnancy is more likely in women who do not drink for several days prior to ovulation, or, since they may be pregnant, at any time after using the kit and before taking a pregnancy test. Women who have unusually short or unusually long periods may benefit from using a system like the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor to calculate their fertility window. But for women who can deal with the legal and sexual health issues surrounding pregnancy, The Total Conception provides an inexpensive and unfettered method of achieving pregnancy.