What is the best lube to use when trying to conceive?
Be warned, the slippery topic of fertility-friendly lube brings out my natural tendency to overshare. Faint hearted readers may wish to turn back now, before I turn your stomach. It is vitally important to keep my husband's little swimmers alive, happy and mobile if I have any hope of getting pregnant. The best temporary home is likely to be natural fertile cervical mucus, which is perfectly designed to keep sperm alive and moving towards the egg. Provided that it is of good quality of course. The NHS does not test whether mucus is too thick, too thin, or consisting entirely of natural killer cells. So here I explore how to encourage my body to create more fertile cervical mucus, as well as other products that can be used as fertility friendly lube.
How to improve your own fertile cervical mucus
In an attempt to press, control: Alt: delete and return my body to its factory settings, I'm keen to coax it into functioning the way that it was designed, rather than by-passing it with external substitutes. So, a few things worth me trying to bring on the rain:
Avoid antihistamines and decongestants
These won’t just dry up my runny nose and eyes, but also all other mucus production in my body, including in my cervix. Luckily I'm not a key user of antihistamines, despite our cat Roger attempting to bring on an allergy by depositing his fur on every conceivable surface in our house. I also stay away from decongestants, especially just prior to ovulation.
2. Guaifenesin to increase cervical mucus
Some cough medicine contains guaifenesin (I'm pleased writing that and not pronouncing it - too many vowels clumped together), which thins and increases the production of cervical mucus. I trialed this approach one cycle, taking 4 teaspoons of cough medicine a day from the first day of my fertile window until the day after ovulation (6 days in total). The syrup tastes hideous and the high glucose content was a rebellious act against my attempts to go sugar free. In future, I should try to find pure guaifenesin, if I can. The result was a dramatic increase in volume, a Niagara Falls in my pants, just with less tourists taking photos (we are all thankful for that). The impact on the quality of the mucus? I can't say. It didn't result in a pregnancy, so I am still none the wiser about whether more is better.
3. Beech wood to improve fertility
Beech wood as a potential natural alternative to guaifenesin. Beech wood contains no additives and can be purchased in health food stores. Something I will consider in any future return of drought. A quick internet search reveals that it comes as a supplement and not, as I had imagined, as a piece of beech wood bark which you stew is a cup of water like a witch. Disappointing.
Which lubricants are sperm friendly?
Sometimes an extra helping hand is needed to ensure sufficient fluid to keep the little blighters alive and swimming. Here are some of the recommendations I have stumbled across during my obsessive reading on fertility.
Top 5 sperm friendly lubricants to help you to conceive
1 Your own cervical mucus
Undoubtedly the best lubricant for gaining that ever elusive second line on a fertility test. But presumably if you are on this webpage and anything like me, an extra helping hand wouldn’t go amiss, so check out the next 4 suggestions….
2. Egg whites as sperm friendly lube
Egg whites are mentioned as the lube of choice in Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. I can't get my head around how this works. Do I need to whisk it with a fork, like making a meringue? Or do I just crack it, separate the yolk and I'm good to go? Could I get salmonella from rubbing it on my muff? How would I explain that at the hospital? Do I need a back up story (ordinary salmonella, obviously, why would I need to mention my muff at all)?
I'm yet to try this. But if I did I would go for the best qualify organic eggs, unwhisked, from a happy, adventurous chicken, the outdoorsy wholesome type that would never have imagined the destiny its egg would fulfil. Alternatively, I could just purchase a lazy person carton of egg whites to keep in the fridge for quick and easy access.
3. Canola and baby oils for a fertility friendly lubricant
Research has shown these oils to be gentle on sperm and to have only minor impact on motility. Even if you buy the best quality cold-pressed organic variety they are still cheaper than buying branded fertility friendly lube. But there is a clear (or should that say murky) down side to its use - bed sheet stainage. It is tricky to apply the oil without leaving greasy marks on the bed linen. This led us to the yet another trying to conceive life lesson – the only thing less sexy than scheduled and perfunctory baby making, is sex on a towel to spare the bed sheets. It was a horror that kept on giving as I realised with disgust one morning after emerging from the shower that I had dried myself with the sex towel. The use of oils as a lube were a low (greasy) patch for us and one to which we haven’t returned.
4. Mustard oil as a lube?
You have got to be kidding, right? The craziest suggestion for lubricant that I have ever come across is mustard oil. Research, presumably from a scientist who has never been laid, has shown that "exposure to mustard oil caused persistent hyperactivation of sperm in each sample with no decrease in motility."
As desperate as I am for a baby, I draw the line at rubbing mustard oil into my vag and asking my husband to ‘jump on’, ensuring that the mustard oil is rubbed into every crevice. No thanks.
The research concluded that "Mustard oil exposure resulted in hyperactivation of sperm and needs to be studied further." If you bathed me in mustard I'd be pretty hyperactive too. All I can picture are millions of angry, itchy sperm whizzing around the Petri dish trying to outrun the burn. It is a definite pass. For now. Let’s see how desperate I become in another year’s time.
5. Branded fertility specific lubricant, such as Pre-seed
Returning to more conventional suggestions, Pre-seed is PH balanced to mirror cervical mucus and designed specifically not to harm sperm. Studies shows this lubricant to be superior to other conventional (non-fertility specialist) lubes in terms of sperm maintaining motility and staying alive. After half an hour Pre-Seed does cause a decline in progressive motility (an inability to move in a straight line - like me after several wines). After this initial decline the total and progressive sperm motility remains high.
I've used Pre-seed for many cycles. I'm not sure that the company would appreciate me declaring that, given that I've never fallen pregnant and must be a terrible advert for their product. It is effective, doesn’t ruin the bedding and doesn’t burn like I imagine mustard might. But there is one drawback – it can be a mood killer. The lubricant comes with applicators to apply it internally which either requires prior planning of unsexy scheduled sex or a 'hold that thought' moment as I dash to the bathroom to get Pre-Seeded up. Not hugely romantic, but then neither is trying for a baby really. Not for us infertiles.
What lube to avoid when trying to get pregnant - Sperm murderers
Is conventional lube fertility friendly?
Purchasing conventional lube will ensure two things
1) that it will hinder the sperm’s arduous journey to the egg, and
2) that at the point of purchase, lube clearly in hand, I will run into a senior work colleague or old friends of my parents. I have a lot of respect for life's wicked sense of humour.
Commonly used vaginal lubricants have been shown to negatively affect sperm motility in vitro and so this is something that is firmly off my shopping list. There is some research showing that using conventional lube does not impact on time to conception, but this study used fertile myrtles only. Women with a history of infertility, or with a partner with a history of infertility were excluded from participation (charming). I will definitely err on the side of caution, especially as I wouldn’t have even qualified for that study.
Sesame and olive oil as lubricant?
Although oils such as baby and canola, have been shown to be acceptable in terms of their lack of harm to sperm, others such as sesame oil and olive oil have more severely negative impacts on sperm and should be avoided. No doubt sesame and olive oils would have an equally impressive impact on ruining bedsheets, but given its sperm hampering tendencies, they should be reserved for the kitchen only.
So there we have it. All I know about lube in one place, mixed in with plenty of unnecessary and graphic personal details. If I ever become desperate (and stupid) enough to try the mustard oil I shall let you know, straight after I am released from hospital with genital burns.