If you celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas with a roast turkey dinner, you may be familiar with the baster – a supersize kitchen utensil used to moisten meat while it’s cooking. But the baster has long had another association: as a tool for self-insemination. Where did the idea come from and have babies ever actually been conceived this way? Christine Ro digs into how the turkey-baster insemination myth took hold, and whether it has any grounding in reality.
It was during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was restless. And through a series of rabbit-hole discoveries, I became slightly obsessed with turkey basters: kitchen utensils that resemble oversized syringes but are specifically for keeping meat moist during roasting.
It started with a stranger reaching out via Facebook, to tell me that he thought we might have the same father. This discovery of a half-brother made me reflect on my general apathy about genetic origins. As the daughter of a Korean, the stepdaughter of a Native American, the stepsister of a Filipina, and the adoptive aunt of a Mexican, I’ve never put too much stock into connections based on heredity.
But for my half-brother, as for so many people around the world, this chromosomal link meant something. I wanted to better understand what I was missing, and this curiosity took me in some unexpected directions.
One of the webinars I attended during that early, shut-in, Zoom-heavy portion of the pandemic was called ‘Curious connections: the social life of egg and sperm donation’. It was part of a sociology research project at the University of Manchester.
As part of this session, Kathryn Almack, a sociologist at the University of Hertfordshire, wondered about the origins of the “turkey-baster myth”. According to this social lore, turkey basters aren’t just useful for cooking, but also for transferring sperm from a man into a woman, without any sexual contact being necessary.
“I wonder where that turkey-baster myth originates; from my research, more commonly, women using known donor sperm use a small syringe,” Almack mused. The couples she interviewed in her research “said they used syringes and laughed at the idea of turkey basters, given the small amount of sperm per donation!”
And with that, I set out to find out more about the turkey-baster myth. It’s been a nicely low-stakes, idle-curiosity background project for the last couple of years: visiting archives, reading publications by pioneers of self-insemination, and learning more about women’s experiences of managing their own fertility.
“The couples interviewed ‘said they used syringes and laughed at the idea of turkey basters, given the small amount of sperm per donation!’”
It’s become clear that a major reason the myth persists is that the “turkey-baster insemination plot” is a pop-culture trope, sometimes comic but other times violent and disturbing. In the soap ‘Jane the Virgin’ the baster is big and silly; in the horror film ‘Don’t Breathe’ it’s terrifying. In both cases the baster has a dramatic visual presence.
At the same time, one specific type of visual culture – pornography – has led to some widespread misconceptions of just how much semen is produced per ejaculation. Let’s just say that an eye dropper or teaspoon is generally big enough.
Women have often had to be resourceful and innovative when it comes to getting pregnant. And, though their use has been exaggerated, women have certainly tried using turkey basters as vehicles for sperm. “I do believe at-home inseminations happened using turkey basters or the like,” explains Lisa Jean Moore, a medical sociologist at the State University of New York. “People also have been known to put semen on diaphragms and then insert them.”
Moore herself has personal experience of self-insemination, using a syringe. “I think that, depending on where a person lives and their healthcare access, syringes for medical use can be hard to come by and people make do with at-hand technologies.”
While artificial insemination goes back centuries, the “turkey-baster era” of self-insemination dates to around the 1970s. There was plenty of personal experimentation involved, for instance within the Feminist Self-Insemination Group in London.
Feminist and lesbian groups were especially influential in spreading the message that conception didn’t have to be overly medicalised, costly or inaccessible. This was important to groups of women, including single and queer women, who were judged especially harshly by a moralistic medical establishment.
“A symbol of domesticity became a tool for taking control of one’s own reproduction, a welcome contrast to the stories of doctors inseminating women without their knowledge.”
Some editions of ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’, a seminal book on women’s sexual health that started publication in the 1970s, helped to spread the idea that turkey basters could be a tool for reproductive agency. A symbol of domesticity became a tool for taking control of one’s own reproduction, a welcome contrast to the stories of doctors inseminating women without their knowledge or equating artificial insemination to adultery or worse. Using ordinary household implements also allowed self-inseminators to evade the scrutiny of would-be meddlers.
As one woman marvelled in the 1979 book ‘Up Against the Clock: Career Women Speak on the Choice to Have Children’: “I heard about a group of lesbian women on the West Coast who were inseminating themselves using a turkey baster. That’s right, the kind you keep in your kitchen. I know it sounds a little strange, but I thought it was a wonderful idea… So I used a turkey baster and there was nothing to it…”
At-home insemination has become much more normalised and precise since then, with a dizzying array of products and resources available for the self-inseminator. Turkey basters, meanwhile, have generally returned to their single purpose in the kitchen.
Yet “turkey baster” remains a kind of shorthand. It’s sometimes used to describe all forms of self-insemination, even hundreds of years before the turkey baster was even invented, and including the use of a syringe or cervical cap rather than a baster.
Regardless of how common it ever was, the turkey-baster myth remains a useful reference point. It’s also a reminder that family units come in all sorts of configurations. That’s helpful for people like me, who have unresolved feelings about the genetic bonds we share with people we didn’t grow up with.
Despite there being no direct connection, my research into turkey basters has strangely become a way to channel some of my questions about family. My half-brother and I now exchange halting messages a few times a year in an effort to keep some sort of tenuous connection flickering. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
Steven is a photographer at Wellcome. His photography takes inspiration from the museum’s rich and varied collections. He enjoys collaborating on creative projects and taking them to imaginative places.
For couples struggling with infertility or single women looking to conceive, getting pregnant can seem daunting. This has led some to consider alternative options like at-home artificial insemination using unconventional tools like a turkey baster. But is this actually effective? Can you really get pregnant with a turkey baster?
What is Artificial Insemination?
Artificial insemination (AI) is the process of introducing sperm into the female reproductive tract to achieve pregnancy using means other than sexual intercourse There are two main types of artificial insemination
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Intrauterine insemination (IUI) Sperm is placed directly into the uterus using a catheter This is done by a healthcare provider
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Intracervical insemination: Sperm is placed directly into the cervix using a syringe or other device. This can be done at home.
Artificial insemination has been used since the 18th century to help treat infertility. Today it remains a common fertility treatment for couples struggling to conceive.
The History of the Turkey Baster Method
The idea of using a turkey baster for artificial insemination likely originated in the 1970s as some feminist and lesbian groups promoted it as an affordable, accessible way for women to take control of their fertility.
Early editions of the seminal women’s health book “Our Bodies, Ourselves” helped popularize the idea that turkey basters could be used by women to inseminate themselves at home. This do-it-yourself method allowed women to avoid the cost and scrutiny of doctor-supervised insemination.
While actual turkey basters were probably not that commonly used, the term has persisted as a catch-all for any type of at-home artificial insemination. The turkey baster became a symbol of female empowerment and reproductive autonomy.
Is the Turkey Baster Method Effective?
The short answer is: not really. While conception may be possible using a turkey baster or other improvised device, the success rates are very low.
There are a few major obstacles to effective at-home insemination:
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Difficulty reaching the uterus. A turkey baster cannot be inserted deep enough into the vaginal canal to deposit sperm directly into the uterus. Most of the sperm ends up in the vagina and never makes it to the target egg.
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Incorrect sperm handling. Sperm need to be washed, concentrated, and inserted while still alive to maximize pregnancy chances. This is difficult to accomplish at home without medical training.
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Imprecise timing. The sperm need to be introduced within a small fertility window of a few days before and after ovulation. Predicting ovulation day accurately can be challenging.
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Risk of infection. Without proper handling, sperm samples can become contaminated leading to uterine infection. At home insemination bypasses safeguards clinics have in place.
While some at-home conceptions using basic tools have certainly occurred, success rates are estimated to be only around 5-15% per cycle using this method.
Medical intrauterine Insemination Offers Better Odds
For those seriously pursuing artificial insemination, intrauterine insemination (IUI) performed by a doctor offers significantly better success rates.
During IUI, sperm is inserted directly into the uterus via a long, thin catheter that navigatesthrough the cervix. This allows the sperm to bypass the vagina and be placed right next to the egg-containing fallopian tubes.
Prior to insemination, the sperm is washed and concentrated in the lab to contain only the healthiest, most motile sperm. The timing is also precisely coordinated with ovulation through hormone monitoring.
With optimal conditions, IUI success rates can reach up to 20-25% per cycle for women under 35. Higher-risk groups may need to try multiple cycles to achieve success.
IUI is usually attempted before considering advanced IVF treatment. It also offers a lower-cost option compared to IVF.
Who Might Consider At-Home Insemination?
While not the optimal method, at-home insemination may be considered by some women:
- Who cannot access or afford formal healthcare services
- Who wish to conceive using donor sperm outside of a clinic setting
- Who object to medicalized conception for personal reasons
- Who live in remote areas away from reproductive services
For these groups, at-home insemination may be seen as an acceptable starting point despite lower success rates. Using proper sperm handling techniques can help boost chances. Working with a fertility specialist remotely can also help troubleshoot the process.
Some key points are:
- Use a needless syringe instead of a turkey baster
- Time inseminations closely with ovulation
- Use sperm washing methods and media
- Take precautions to prevent infection
The Takeaway
While the idea of a turkey baster method for artificial insemination took hold in popular culture, its actual usage and effectiveness is questionable. For most women seeking successful assisted conception, medical intrauterine insemination remains the standard and optimal choice. But for some, at-home insemination may be a reasonable place to start despite lower success rates. With proper technique and care, it can occasionally result in pregnancy outside of a clinical setting.
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Getting pregnant on the cheap
FAQ
What is the success rate of turkey baster pregnancy?
The current industry success rate is between 10 and 15 percent per menstrual cycle for those using the intracervical insemination method (ICI). This involves injecting semen vaginally close to the cervix (sometimes called the “turkey baster method”).
Can you get pregnant injecting sperm syringe?
This can be done with either a plastic syringe (without the needle) or a sperm cup (a soft, flexible cup, similar to a menstrual cup), that’s placed inside the vagina to keep the sperm close to the cervix. Home insemination has an average success rate of between 10 – 15% in women aged 35 and under.
How much sperm does it take to get pregnant?
At least 11 million moving sperm are needed in the vagina to achieve a pregnancy, even though only one victorious sperm is normally allowed the privilege of …Jul 16, 2024
What can I use for insemination at home?
Most people use a needleless syringe for this, the kind you would use for giving liquid medicine to a pet or child. The Mosie syringe has been specifically designed for home inseminations, but any will do. You simply use the syringe to suck the sperm up into it, and then push it out into the vagina.
Can you get pregnant with a turkey baster?
The Turkey Baster Method is the most common way of artificial insemination to get pregnant via artificial insemination at home. More often than not you do NOT actually use a turkey baster but instead, a disposable syringe. What supplies do I need? You need the following supplies for artificial insemination at home:
Should I buy a turkey baster If I have infertility?
If you’re experiencing infertility, artificial insemination is typically a good place to start because of its low cost, reduced side effects, and lower health risks. Don’t go buy the turkey baster though; your doctor can help you find an at-home insemination kit that will come with the necessary tools, no turkey baster needed!
Can a ‘turkey baster baby’ boost live birth rates?
As you can see, the “Turkey Baster Baby” method is a quick and simple way to inseminate yourself. What’s more, a “refined” version, dubbed intrauterine insemination (IUI), was shown to boost live birth rates by almost three times in couples experiencing unexplained infertility, according to a 2017 study by the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Is turkey baster insemination better than IVF?
What’s more, a “refined” version, dubbed intrauterine insemination (IUI), was shown to boost live birth rates by almost three times in couples experiencing unexplained infertility, according to a 2017 study by the University of Auckland, New Zealand. When compared with an IVF procedure, the turkey baster insemination method is much more affordable.
When should I use turkey baster baby?
The “Turkey Baster Baby” method is best used during your fertile period, i.e., Ovulation Day plus the 4-5 days leading up to it. The success rate for the turkey baster insemination method, or ICI (intracervical insemination), is approximately 37.9% after six treatment cycles in a Netherlands-based study.
What is a turkey baster?
Turkey baster refers to artificial insemination mostly done at home. It is also called the intracervical insemination (ICI) method. You can use a special baster device or a normal syringe as your artificial insemination at home kit to inject semen into the vagina to get pregnant.