An at-home insemination kit just got FDA clearance. But how do they work?

Is it possible to get pregnant using a kit you picked up at your local drugstore? A home kit designed to help people conceive has been given Class II clearance by the Food and Drug Administration. The Mosie Baby Kit is now the only FDA-cleared over-the-counter kit for intravaginal insemination (IVI).

IVI is a reproductive procedure that involves placing semen in a woman's vagina in an attempt to get pregnant. The Mosie Baby Kit, which costs $129, includes two collection cups for semen, two "insemination syringes" and "supportive instructions" for use. The company advertises its syringe design on its website, noting that it has a rounded nub "that ensures maximum release and minimizes waste."

“Mosie Baby was created to support people facing obstacles to insemination, whether due to the inability to engage in intercourse, or if they choose not to engage in intercourse," Maureen Brown, founder of Mosie Baby, tells Yahoo Life. "With 1 in 6 people globally experiencing infertility, our aim as a company is to offer hope and practical assistance to individuals and couples on their path to pregnancy.”

The news raises a lot of questions about IVI, as well as how well these home kits work. Doctors break it down.

How do at-home insemination kits work?

Mosie Baby isn't the only IVI kit on the market. TwoPlus Fertility, Frida Fertility and several Amazon retailers also offer IVI kits at a range of price points.

"They are designed for couples as an alternative to vaginal intercourse," Dr. Kristen Wright, a reproductive endocrinologist at Boston IVF, tells Yahoo Life. The kits are relatively simple and easy to use, she says. "The male partner collects a [sperm] sample into a cup that is then drawn up into a syringe and inserted into a female’s vagina," Wright explains.

"You hear people talk about getting pregnant with a turkey baster, but that's enormous and sperm would get lost," Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. "These kits involve a little plastic syringe and semen is injected into the vagina."

The kits can be used for donor sperm or sperm from a partner, Wright says. In fact, Brown says that about 25% of Mosie Baby users use a sperm donor, while 75% are heterosexual couples who need an alternative to intercourse.

What do experts think?

Experts are mixed on how necessary these kits are. "Some of these kits are very expensive," Streicher points out. "All you need is a clean receptacle for sperm and a plastic syringe. You can get a 20-cent syringe from your local drugstore and Amazon."

But Wright says that kits like this are a "great alternative for couples in whom vaginal intercourse is uncomfortable or not possible" and can also be used for donor sperm. People who may benefit from an at-home insemination kit can include same-sex female couples, and people with conditions like vaginismus (a condition that causes spasms of the muscles around the vagina that can make sex difficult and painful), pelvic floor dysfunction (the inability to control the pelvic floor muscles) or male erectile dysfunction (persistent trouble achieving or maintaining an erection), she says.

Pros and cons of at-home insemination kits

At-home insemination kits can be a less expensive alternative to undergoing a fertility procedure at your doctor's office, including intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), Streicher says. But she stresses that IVI is not the same as these procedures.

IUI is a procedure in which sperm is placed in the uterus, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). IUI is often timed as close to ovulation as possible and it can be used with medications to stimulate ovulation, ACOG says.

"I've done IUIs in the office for years — we never did an IVI," Streicher says. "We want to get the biggest bang for our buck and the highest rates of success, which is putting the sperm directly into the uterus." (Patients can't do an IUI at home, given that the sperm is placed directly into the uterus, not the vagina, Streicher notes.)

Wright also points this out: "IVI does not help pregnancy rates in couples with infertility, but IUI sometimes can." IUI success rates depend on elements like sperm quality, timing of the procedure and age of the people involved, Wright says. However, success rates are usually quoted between 5% and 15% per cycle. IVF, which involves fertilizing an egg outside the body and then placing it into the uterus, is generally thought to be more successful than other forms of assisted reproductive technology. One study published in April found that women under the age of 30 who underwent IVF had a 69.4% success rate, while those who were aged 40 to 43 had a success rate of 9.4%.

"IVF per cycle is typically far more effective than IVI and IUI in helping couples with infertility to achieve pregnancy," Wright says.

Mosie Baby did not provide specific success rates when asked; Brown says that a clinical trial is needed first. "We're proud to have supported over 100,000 families in home insemination and have received thousands of reported success stories, many which the families have allowed us to share on our website," she says.

Do people need at-home insemination kits?

Doctors say it ultimately depends on why you want to use an insemination kit. "There can be some misunderstanding about what you're accomplishing by doing this," Streicher says. "This is not an IUI." However, she says that IVI can be helpful for couples who want to conceive and are unable to have penile-vaginal sex.

"It is important to understand that these kits are not a treatment for infertility and are no more effective than vaginal intercourse," Wright says. Streicher agrees.

"If someone truly is a good candidate for IVI, there's nothing wrong with using an at-home insemination kit," Streicher says. "But I don't know that you need a fancy kit."