What is the pregnancy pill?
We are being asked, does the pregnancy pill work? Recently, ABC released a story about a pregnancy pill, called PregPrep. PregPrep was recently made available as an over-the-counter medication at a fairly affordable cost.
PregPrep is a two-step process which uses a dietary supplement, FertilPrep, and multivitamin, VitaPrep, to prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy. One of the main ingredients in the FertilPrep supplement is N-acetyl (NAC). NAC is a natural mucolytic which is said to dissolve and thin cervical mucus. This makes sperms’ journey to the egg a little easier. VitaPrep, is a multi-vitamin which contains Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin D. Most daily multivitamins for women and prenatal vitamins contain the same ingredients.
Will the pregnancy pill actually help me get pregnant?
Women who are struggling to get pregnant may consider trying PregPrep as a low-cost, low-risk avenue to parenthood. As a reproductive endocrinologist and an expert in fertility, I wanted to review the studies that PregPrep uses to back its claims. Years ago, a similar notion that women trying to get pregnant should take Robitussin cough syrup, which was also said to reduce cervical mucus. Unfortunately, infertility specialists saw a lot of women lose precious time while experimenting with this method, which lacked scientific backing. By the time they came to see us, they were at their wits end.
Upon reviewing the studies with which PregPrep make its claims, I feel there is some important information that women trying to become pregnant should know.
- Use of PregPrep was found to be effective only for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) patients.
- None of the studies demonstrate any effectiveness for women who are having regular periods and ovulating monthly.
- A number of the studies state that women who take a folic acid supplement prior to getting pregnant will be less likely to have a child born with birth defects. This is true, and a folic acid supplement can be purchased at any local grocery store or pharmacy.
Does the pregnancy pill work? Please know that my motivation in writing this is not to dissuade women from trying less invasive methods to conceive a child. I write this because I don’t want to see a woman waste six months of precious time trying a product that is not designed for her specific fertility issues. As always, please feel free to send us a note through the Contact Us form on our website.
