DIY at-home insemination kits that are 20 TIMES cheaper than IVF and ‘twice as effective’ trialled on NHS
Homemade at-home insemination kits said to be twice as effective as IVF are being tested at the NHS.
Priced at £700, the kits are 20 times cheaper than in vitro fertilization and open the doors for more couples looking to start families.
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The NHS currently only funds IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI) for couples struggling to conceive.
In IVF, an egg is fertilized in a laboratory before it is placed in the woman’s uterus to grow. In IUI, sperm are specifically introduced into the woman’s uterus.
When couples in England and Wales hope to get fertility treatment from the NHS, they are considered based on a range of criteria, with eligibility and waiting lists varying widely by region.
But the new treatment developed by Bea fertility hopes to break down barriers, with a focus on people traditionally excluded from free fertility treatments, including same-sex couples and single women.
Treatment at home is called intracervical insemination (ICI) and has been proven to work 50 percent effectiveness over six treatment cycles.
In comparison, IVF is 27 percent successful in women aged 35 to 37 and 32 percent in women under 35.
In ICI, a small seed cap is placed on the cervix (cervix) using an applicator. So no sexual intercourse is required for the application.
The cap stays in place for an hour. During this time, women can go about their daily lives and sperm can travel more easily to the egg cell for fertilization.
Two weeks later, users test whether they are pregnant.
The kit offers a number of advantages, including no need for clinic visits, hormones, invasive injections, or medication.
IVF users require a series of injections, patches and pills to increase fertility, which can be a strenuous process for some.
ICI was popular in the 1960’s but fell out of fashion as clinics turned to ‘higher value’ treatments such as IVF.
But from August, GPs at the South Fulham Primary Care Network in south-west London will be able to refer patients seeking fertility support to Béa Fertility.
The kits will be distributed to patients in Hammersmith and Fulham for the pilot.
After that, Béa will work with the NHS to determine how the scheme could be funded if it were rolled out more widely.
“Fill a Gap”
dr Isobel Neville, GP at Sands End Health Clinic (part of South Fulham PCN) said: “I’m really excited to go live with Béa.”
“At South Fulham we are committed to improving access to health services for women.
“This includes fertility care and we are proud to partner with Béa Fertility to bring these services to our patients.”
People can also buy the kits directly from the website.
The first kits cost just £350 for three cycles of ICI treatment.
At full price, the Béa treatment set costs £700 for three treatment cycles. An IVF cycle costs £5,000 or more.
The first people to use the DIY kits will be part of the first at-home fertility treatment study.
Efficacy data is being collected ahead of presentation at the IFFS World Congress in Athens, Greece later this year.
Tess Cosad, CEO and co-founder of Béa Fertility, said: “One in six couples is affected by fertility, yet access to fertility treatments is severely lacking worldwide.”
“Fertility clinics have been selling the same expensive treatments for decades, yet there are a number of groups that remain underserved, including the LGBTQIA+ community, single people and parents suffering from secondary infertility.”
“Our goal at Béa is to bridge this gap by developing comprehensive, clinical fertility treatments that can be used at home.
“We are extremely excited to put our breakthrough fertility treatment in the hands of the people who need it most.”