The MakeAmom Cup has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. This project has been close to my heart since we launched our company in 2015, but other priorities and budget constraints often took precedence. As a co-founder and a key contributor to our mission, the design of this sample cup is significant both functionally and personally.
My experience with sperm sample cups dates back to 2013, two years before my partner, Emily, and I officially established MakeAmom. I remember receiving an anonymous brown paper bag containing a sample cup from our fertility specialist. After over two years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, we were diagnosed with “unexplained infertility.” This label meant there was nothing wrong with either of us; we just couldn’t seem to get pregnant. We had scheduled an intrauterine insemination (IUI) for the following week, and I was instructed to provide a sperm sample in the cup. The goal, of course, was conception, but we both felt a deep frustration. If nothing was wrong, why were we spending a significant amount of money on this procedure?
The bag sat on my nightstand for a week. With the IUI planned for a Saturday morning, I felt the pressure mount as Emily went for a walk to give me some privacy. Both of us were frustrated that we were in this situation, but we held onto a glimmer of hope that it could be the solution we needed. Once I was alone, I opened the paper bag to face the cup.
To my surprise, it was one of those standard urine sample cups with a blue lid, and I found myself feeling intimidated. It seemed like such an oversized container for what I needed to do. But time was running out; we had only 30 minutes to deliver the sample to the clinic. Eventually, I managed to provide a sample, though it felt insignificant in that large cup. As we drove to the clinic, I cynically told Emily that my sample was likely too small to make a difference.
Fortunately, I was wrong. We conceived, and soon after, Emily was pregnant with our first child. However, that nerve-wracking morning and that sample cup haunted me. The story didn’t end there.
Our experience with infertility ultimately inspired us to create MakeAmom. While we appreciated the success of our IUI and the support we received, we wanted to offer families an option for at-home insemination before committing to clinical procedures like IUI and IVF. In fact, we successfully conceived our son using an early prototype of our kit.
Fast forward to 2023, and MakeAmom is thriving, with over 100,000 kits sold and countless families created. We are now excited to introduce the 2.0 version of our kit, which includes the all-new MakeAmom Cup. This innovative design has been tailored specifically for sperm collection, combining both functionality and beauty, making it a deeply personal creation for me.
From the beginning, we envisioned our ideal sperm cup featuring a rounded bottom to help the sample gather in one place. Until now, we had relied on a generic cup that, while better than a urine cup, still had limitations. The flat bottom made it challenging to access the sperm, and some users found it hard to handle. However, manufacturing a product from scratch can be prohibitively expensive, and we initially didn’t have the resources to create two distinct products.
We had taken a loan on our home to fund the business, and our syringe became the clear focus. One day, after a run, I mentioned to Emily that we needed a syringe designed specifically for insemination. Within minutes, she sketched her vision on a napkin. After careful consideration, we decided to introduce at-home insemination to the world. This led to over a year of development, refining the syringe with input from a medical device engineer, a patent attorney, and our fertility doctor. The final product closely resembled Emily’s original sketch, but we had to postpone the cup’s development.
In retrospect, the delay allowed us to refine the cup’s design further. Like the syringe, we created and tested multiple prototypes until we achieved the MakeAmom Cup you see today. Rigorously tested and manufactured in the United States, it complements the syringe perfectly, making the home insemination process more intuitive than ever.
The MakeAmom Cup features a unique design: an inner receptacle with a rounded base that gathers sperm in a single location, enhancing absorption and providing a more natural experience for those generating the sample. Its stable outer wall ensures it remains upright on any flat surface, an essential feature when spills can’t happen. Additionally, it is taller and easier to handle, with a secure lid for transport.
Reflecting on this journey, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come from that anxious experience with the urine cup in 2014. The most rewarding aspect remains the future families that this cup will help create.
To summarize: The MakeAmom Cup is designed to improve the at-home insemination experience, reflecting our journey through infertility and our commitment to helping others. For those interested in exploring sperm donor options, consider joining this free sperm donor matching group. Learn more about how at-home insemination works and check out our blog for essential tips for effective DIY conception. For more information on pregnancy, visit Healthline and explore our resource on legal considerations for at-home insemination.