Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: I am currently trying to become pregnant as a surrogate mother in New Zealand. As there is no legal status for surrogacy in NZ, no medical professionals are able to help us. For this reason we are doing home inseminations with a syringe. I have read several references to a cervical cap that has a tube, which filled with a syringe, can then be closed off and left in for a few hours. We have contacted Dr Z(I can't remember the rest of his name) and he said that they no longer sell that equipment. My IP's and I are not comfortable with washing the semen and inserting it into my cervical canal as he sugguested. So my question is where can I obtain one of these caps? Are they really necessary? There is nowhere in NZ to go to for this information, so I would appreciate any advice etc. Thanks a lot.

Please help support this site by visiting our sponsor!

Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Medical Issues - Traditional Surrogacy

Topics may include the risks involved in surrogacy, side effects from meds, questions about protocol, etc.

7. I am currently trying to become pregnant as a surrogate mother in New Zealand. As there is no legal status for surrogacy in NZ, no medical professionals are able to help us. For this reason we are doing home inseminations with a syringe. I have read several references to a cervical cap that has a tube, which filled with a syringe, can then be closed off and left in for a few hours. We have contacted Dr Z(I can't remember the rest of his name) and he said that they no longer sell that equipment. My IP's and I are not comfortable with washing the semen and inserting it into my cervical canal as he sugguested. So my question is where can I obtain one of these caps? Are they really necessary? There is nowhere in NZ to go to for this information, so I would appreciate any advice etc. Thanks a lot. - Jenni - Top

Dear Jenni, (love the name)

I generally tell women who are interested in doing home inseminations to go to their OB/GYN and ask to be fitted for a diaphram or cervical cap. It does not have the catheter attachment. But if you insert 1/2 of the semen with the syringe directly into the vaginal canal and leave 1/2 in the diaphram/cap then insert it in about 20 minutes later, it should do just about the same thing. And remember to try to keep your room about about 97 degrees so the sperm stay alive longer. I have a girlfriend who put her container is a cup of warm water, and she got pregnant on the 4th try. Well good luck and if you have any more questions, please feel free to drop me a line.

-Jennifer
AI SM

Jenni,

We did not use a cervicla cap with a tube. We sipmly used a syringe to get the semen as close to the cervix as possible, inserted a product called Insteads (kind of like a cervical cap) just to hold the semen close. SM remained lying down for about 30 min with but propped up on pillows. This method worked for us the second attempt. We did use ovulation predictor kit to judge when to o insems. Hope this helps and good luck.

Lynn in VA
Nichole's Mommy!!! - Updated: January 17, 2000
Topics may include the risks involved in surrogacy, side effects from meds, questions about protocol, etc.

7. I am currently trying to become pregnant as a surrogate mother in New Zealand. As there is no legal status for surrogacy in NZ, no medical professionals are able to help us. For this reason we are doing home inseminations with a syringe. I have read several references to a cervical cap that has a tube, which filled with a syringe, can then be closed off and left in for a few hours. We have contacted Dr Z(I can't remember the rest of his name) and he said that they no longer sell that equipment. My IP's and I are not comfortable with washing the semen and inserting it into my cervical canal as he sugguested. So my question is where can I obtain one of these caps? Are they really necessary? There is nowhere in NZ to go to for this information, so I would appreciate any advice etc. Thanks a lot. - Jenni - Top: Dear Jenni, (love the name)

I generally tell women who are interested in doing home inseminations to go to their OB/GYN and ask to be fitted for a diaphram or cervical cap. It does not have the catheter attachment. But if you insert 1/2 of the semen with the syringe directly into the vaginal canal and leave 1/2 in the diaphram/cap then insert it in about 20 minutes later, it should do just about the same thing. And remember to try to keep your room about about 97 degrees so the sperm stay alive longer. I have a girlfriend who put her container is a cup of warm water, and she got pregnant on the 4th try. Well good luck and if you have any more questions, please feel free to drop me a line.

-Jennifer
AI SM

Jenni,

We did not use a cervicla cap with a tube. We sipmly used a syringe to get the semen as close to the cervix as possible, inserted a product called Insteads (kind of like a cervical cap) just to hold the semen close. SM remained lying down for about 30 min with but propped up on pillows. This method worked for us the second attempt. We did use ovulation predictor kit to judge when to o insems. Hope this helps and good luck.

Lynn in VA
Nichole's Mommy!!! - Updated: January 17, 2000

Unless stated otherwise, all responses in the SMO Q&A are courtesy of one or more of the following hosts:

Sherry - Experienced gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement

Linda - New Mommy to twins born via gestational surrogacy and egg donation

Jennifer S. - Experienced AI surrogate

Lynn - New Mommy to a daughter born via traditional surrogacy

Tracie - 5 time egg donor (triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singletons) and 3 time surrogate (2-AI, 1-IVF).

Lisa - Experienced egg donor and previous gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement (Lisa was our former ED host, prior to July 1999.)
Disclaimer: Responses from SMO Q&A Hosts do not necessarily represent the opinions and ideas of SMO. Neither the Q&A hosts nor SMO guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the responses given here. As such, neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts are responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. Neither SMO nor the Q&A hosts shall be liable or responsible to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly by the information or ideas contained, suggested, or referenced in these responses.

Q&A Categories | Search Q&A's | Submit A Question | SMO Home Page