I had tried the instead cup a few times (to keep the sperm closer to my cervix and also prevent them from leaking out) but it didn't seem to be doing much. True, I could have other issues going on but I was totally jazzed about this idea. I love these instead cups. I even got to meet the woman who invented them - she gave me a bunch of free ones and I was determined to put them to the ultimate good use.
It occurred to me that I could roll it up slightly (imagine rolling a condom so tight there's hardly any space in the reservoir tip). While the instead cup does do a decent job of keeping the sperm from leaking out, you have to remember that those cups are designed so that there’s plenty of room to hold blood during a heavy monthly flow, so there’s a lot of extra, empty space for the sperm to pool around in. If you're dealing with "barco lounger sperm" (like my husband suspects he has)... you want to get them as close as possible to the entrance of your cervix!
Be sure to roll it up with the "smooth" edge facing outward (if you do it the other way the sperm could get stuck in the crevices along the edge). It can also help to coat the cup with pre-seed, as it helps the sperm live longer! (See my post on pre seed).
Part of the reason I wanted to try this is, my gynecologist informed me that I have scarring on my cervix, from cryosurgery I had done almost 20 YEARS AGO. I couldn’t believe it. How come nobody told me that before? She made it sound like, the opening to my cervix was only about ¼ the size it is supposed to be, so it could be harder for the sperm to get where they're supposed to go (i'm hoping if I give them less distance to travel, less of them will get lost!). She did say that I could have some success with IUI treatment, but I’d rather see if I can get knocked up with some creative methods before that.
During my last cycle, I used the instead cup in this “rolled up” manner, while I was ovulating, and I swear it did something. Less than 48 hours after me and my hubby (we got married recently) did the deed, I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling some strange kind of hormonal weirdness I couldn’t explain. My boobs felt really big and swollen, and it lasted for about ten days, until one weekend I drank a rum drink and coffee, and then some hot tea in a non-BPA-free plastic bottle (I’m paranoid that the plastic from the bottle got into my system). Suddenly I got sick with a burning sore throat and a runny nose, sneezing, coughing. Just like that, my boobs were "deflating" and I no longer felt pregnant.
I guess I don't know for sure if the cup had anything to do with my temporary feeling of pregnancy, but... I’m definitely going to try again next month.
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