The Device That Helps Women Get Pregnant While At Work

A new device has been created that could enable women to get pregnant while going about their daily lives. The fertility pump, known as Evie, is strapped to the top of the thigh and involves a catheter that is inserted into the uterus, an insemination syringe and a slow-release pump with a timer, The Times reported. It is designed to artificially inseminate the wearer over a four-hour period by slowly filtering sperm through the cervix. The process therefore more closely resembles natural insemination than other intrauterine insemination (IUI) devices, which involve a one-off injection of sperm into the womb. It means a woman could become pregnant while at work, at home or even when out and about. The device, which was developed by scientists in Warrington, Cheshire, could be as successful as IVF in some cases, according to early results of a clinical trial. The three-year trial on 250 women showed pregnancy rates of up to 35%. It is reportedly suitable for under 35s whose infertility is unexplained, same-sex or donor pregnancies, or women whose endometriosis affects their fertility. David Dally from Reproductive Sciences, the company behind the device, told The Times it "gives women more freedom". “The catheter is initially inserted by a health professional and then [the patient is] free to leave the clinic, go to work, go home. Four hours later they can remove the device themselves," he said, and the device is then thrown away. "It is a low-cost treatment that requires very little technology.” The device has been approved and will be made available at a small number of UK clinics "at some time next year", Dally added. The cost of the method will start at £600 – far cheaper than IVF, which can cost more than £5,000 per cycle, and a similar price to other IUI methods (up to six cycles are offered by the NHS for women with trouble conceiving). Dally said he hopes the fertility pump will encourage more couples to try IUI techniques as a first option, rather than going straight for more expensive procedures.