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Fenway Health Insemination Program

Providing medical alternatives for achieving pregnancy for anyone with a uterus – regardless of whether you are single, married, partnered, part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or not.

The Insemination Program provides patients with a baseline fertility assessment, behavioral health support, and office inseminations using frozen donor sperm 365 days a year. For those who prefer to inseminate at home, we teach home insemination methods. We also provide social work consults for those looking to work with a known donor.

Details and Resources:

We hold orientation every other month, where prospective patients can learn about ovulation prediction, sperm banks, donor selection (whether known or anonymous), common legal issues experienced by LGBTQIA+ parents, and resources for alternative families or single parents by choice. Attending this orientation is the first step to enrolling in our program, and we find it typically answers many of the questions patients have as they start their path to parenthood. The cost is $50 per family, and you can register for orientation here.

After orientation, you will need to take the following steps before beginning inseminations: 

  1. Track your menstrual cycle and ovulation for 3 cycles (OK to start before orientation)  
  2. Have physical exam and labs done with PCP or GYN (Labs List PDF) 
  3. Email [email protected] to schedule Enrollment and Preconception Counseling visits 
  4. Set up account with sperm bank; review and select donors 

Once you are given clearance by our providers, you will be able to order sperm, have it delivered to Fenway, and set up insemination appointments.

Alternative insemination (AI), is an in-office procedure where sperm is placed in the uterus or cervix by a medical provider in an attempt to achieve pregnancy. This is done during the peak of a person’s ovulation in order to maximize the chances of achieving pregnancy. 

We typically work with individuals who are 43 and younger, and have no known fertility issues. We create access to sperm banks and insemination services. We are not a fertility clinic, and do not have all of the resources fertility centers typically have. If we determine there might be a need for a patient to get a higher level of care at a fertility center, we have working relationships with many in the area that we can refer you to. 

The first step to enrolling in our program is to attend orientation. Orientation is a 2.5 hour educational session where you will meet the team, learn about the program, how to track ovulation, sperm bank selection, common legal issues that arise for LGBTQIA+ families, and much more. The cost is $50 per family. 

While we can work with those who live outside of Massachusetts, we do require patients to be located in Massachusetts for their enrollment visits, which are done via telehealth. If you live out of state, and would prefer to come for in-person enrollment visits, we can accommodate that. 

Our program orientation is $50, and our enrollment visits cost $236. These are self-pay visits billed directly to the patient. Office inseminations cost $250 each. Insurance coverage for these procedures varies, and we encourage you to check with your individual insurance plan

No. At Fenway Health, we can only use frozen donor sperm for in-office inseminations. 

If you are looking to use a fresh sample, we can provide instructions on how to do home inseminations. If you are looking to do office inseminations with a known donor, you will need to work with a fertility center where the sample can be tested, washed, and quarantined for the FDA-mandated time period.

Enrollment visits and preconception counseling visits are scheduled through our program coordinator after you attend orientation. Insemination appointments are scheduled through our program coordinator after you receive medical clearance. Please email [email protected] to schedule these appointments. 

No. We store donor sperm already processed, frozen and shipped to us from FDA-approved sperm banks.

No. If you don’t achieve pregnancy through donor sperm insemination with our program, we have partnerships with many Reproductive Endocrinology / Fertility Centers in the greater Boston area to provide a warm referral.

Knowing whether and when you ovulate is essential for timing the insemination. To begin tracking your ovulation, document regular observations of your menstrual pattern and use a urine ovulation predictor kit (OPK) to assess when ovulation is about to occur.

At your enrollment visit, we will need to know:

  • When day 1 of your cycle is (the first day of bright red bleeding)
  • How many days your period lasts
  • What cycle day your urine OPK turns positive

Ovulation Predictor Kits (required for our program):

We require the use of urine ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) to verify that the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge has occurred. This surge usually proceeds and predicts ovulation, which will occur 24-36 hours later. You can use any kit brand and can purchase at pharmacies or online. They cost between $15-60 and come with instructions.

Observe a definite negative test before the kit turns positive. During your insemination cycles, we ask you to test twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Once your kit turns positive, you can stop testing.

We ask you to test with urine OPKs for at least 3 cycles by the date of your enrollment visits.

Cervical Mucus Changes (optional):

This is another fertility awareness method to understand when you are around the time of ovulation. While not required for our program, some patients choose to monitor their cervical mucus in addition to using the urine OPKs. Click here to learn more.

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Charting (optional):

This is another fertility awareness method to understand your typical ovulation window each cycle. While not required for our program, some patients choose to monitor their BBT in addition to using the urine OPKs. Click here to learn more.

Folate is a B Vitamin found in a variety of foods and added to many vitamins and mineral supplements as Folic Acid. Folate is needed both before and during pregnancy to help reduce the risk of certain serious and common birth defects called Neural Tube Defects (Spina Bifida), which affect the brain and spinal cord.

Neural Tube Defects can occur in an embryo before you realize you are pregnant. That is why it is important for all who are planning a pregnancy to begin taking a Folic Acid supplement at least three months before planned insemination.

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends those of reproductive-age and those planning a pregnancy to take: Folic Acid 0.4mg (400 micrograms) daily starting at least three months before conception. This dose of Folic Acid can be found in form of a Vitamin Supplement or Prenatal Vitamin.

Other ways to increase your Folate intake is through diet. Foods rich in Folate include; fortified breads and grain products, fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas.

If you have any questions regarding the use of Folic Acid, Diet, Exercise or Life Style, please discuss them with your Primary Care Provider, or your OB/GYN. It is important to begin preparing your body now as you plan your future pregnancy.

The following laboratory tests and a physical examination are required within 1 year of your enrollment visit in order to receive medical clearance to begin inseminations:

  • Up to date Cervical Cancer Screening
    • Age < 30: Normal Pap smear and/or HPV test within 3 years
    • Age 30+: Normal Pap smear and/or HPV test within 5 years
    • Any age: If currently being monitored for an abnormal Pap smear, will discuss at your AI enrollment visit. This is likely not a contraindication to joining the program.
  • Complete physical examination  or pelvic examination, office visit notes including blood pressure and BMI
  • Chlamydia (genital swab or urine test)
  • Gonorrhea (genital swab or urine test)
  • Blood Group with Rh factor
  • Blood Antibody Screen
  • Rubella Titer or proof of complete MMR vaccination
  • HIV antibody
  • Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAG)
  • Hepatitis C Antibody
  • Syphilis testing (RPR or Trep)
  • Hemoglobin A1c* (if patient is diabetic or pre-diabetic)

Genetic carrier screening is recommended but not required. This can be completed through your personal health care provider, or by scheduling a visit wit hthe Fenway Health OBGYN team.

If you wish to schedule a visit at Fenway Health to complete the health requirements, please call 617.267.0900 to schedule a visit with your PCP (current patients) or the Fenway Health OBGYN team (current and all new patients).

If you complete the health requirements outside of Fenway Health, please send us your lab results through the MyChart patient portal to Alix Quinn NP, by emailing the [email protected] or by faxing to Fenway Health at 617.247.3460 (Attention Alix Quinn, NP).

Books:

  • If These Ovaries Could Talk, The Thing’s We’ve Learned About Making an LGBTQ Family – Jaimie Kelton and Robin Hopkins
  • Boyhood Reimagined: Stories of Queer Moms Raising Sons – Edited by Gail Marlene Schwartz and Ada Malone
  • And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families – Susan Goldberg and Chloe Brushwood Rose
  • Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents – Marea Goodman & Ray Rachlin
  • Queer Conception: The Complete Fertility Guide for Queer and Trans Parents-to-Be – K Liam Kali
  • Liv’s Alone: Amateur Adventures in Solo Motherhood – Liv Thorne
  • The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood – Krys Malcolm Belc
  • Who’s Your Daddy? And Other Writings on Queer Parenthood – Rachel Epstein

Podcasts:

  • The Single Greatest Choice Podcast – A show for single women considering solo motherhood by choice. Find the clarity, confidence, and a community you’ve been missing so that you can make your own single greatest choice
  • The Queer Family Podcast – Queer mom, Jaimie Kelton, humorously goes in-depth with weekly LGBTQIA+ guests about their families
  • Building Your Family – A podcast about fertility treatment, donor conception, surrogacy, and all of the ways the modern family is built, hosted by therapist Lisa Schuman LCSW

Known Donor Matching Programs:

  • The Seed Scout: An ethical known sperm donor matchmaking concierge service for family planning that is a human-centered approach to donor conception. Based in Washington DC, services offered nationally.
  • Gayby: An app connecting gay sperm donors with LGBTQ couples and singles

Websites/Online Communities:

Legal Resources:

Helping Families Grow since 1983

Fenway Health has always been a pioneer for LGBTQIA+ parents and families. We were one of the first healthcare facilities in the nation to offer insemination services to people who were looking to grow their families, but who lacked access to sperm.

Click here to learn more about the history of our program!

To learn more or get started, please email:

[email protected]

Virtual Orientation – Your first step to joining our program!

The first step in joining our Insemination Program is attending Orientation. We hold virtual orientation sessions every other month – Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov.

Please RSVP by clicking here to complete our orientation form

The cost is $50 per family.

Upcoming Dates:

Sep. 15, 2026
Nov. 17, 2026
Jan. 26, 2027

Alternative Insemination, Artificial Insemination, AI, ai, AI Program, AI program, ai program

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