Fertility Helper

As a 32-year-old newlywed, Jennifer Hintzsche was diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Rather than pay $10,000 for intrauterine insemination, a procedure in which sperm is deposited directly into the uterus, Hintzsche—who has a Ph.D. in biology and computer science—ordered supplies from the cancer laboratory where she worked and fashioned a DIY device that mimicked the process. After conceiving her daughter Lois two months later, she decided to sell “Lois makers” to others who needed help getting pregnant. Her product, now called the PherDal Kit, got FDA clearance in December 2023, and in February became the only sterile at-home insemination kit available in the U.S. Sterility is important, Hintzsche says, because it means the kit isn’t introducing bacteria that could throw off the body’s microbiome in ways that potentially affect fertility. Although there aren’t yet clinical trials proving its efficacy, Hintzsche says there will be PherDal “Christmas babies” arriving soon.

Buy Now: PherDal Kit on Pherdal