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Women claim that Mucinex, the common over-the-counter cough and cold medicine, helped them get pregnant.
Between home remedies and cycle tracking, there are many best practices to help increase the likelihood of pregnancy. However, many women online believe that the $14.99 relief pill, usually purchased at pharmacies, is the reason they finally managed to get pregnant after five months of trying.
“The Mucinex method” is going viral on TikTok, with millions of viewers clicking on #mucinexdpregnancy and listening to expectant mothers explain how they used the drug to aid in reproduction.
Amanda MacGibbon posted a video urging other women to follow her example and take Mucinex Fast-Max All-in-One if they want to get pregnant. The lifestyle influencer said she took the medication 30 minutes before “baby dancing” or intercourse, because it only lasts 12 hours.
According to her, any type of Mucinex or “guaifenesin” medication will work. Guaifenesin is used to remove mucus and phlegm from the chest, according to a Mayo Clinic report.
“Around the time of ovulation, the body will naturally thin out the cervical mucus. Thinning the cervical mucus doesn’t mean eliminating it,” MacGibbon said. “Mucinex will thin it out even more and make it more slippery so sperm can get where they need to go.”
She continued: “You should take it (Mucinex) during your high fertility week.”
With thousands of videos posted under the hashtag, experts and doctors began to evaluate some of the theories about Mucinex helping with fertilization.
Board-certified gynecologist Dr. Karen Tang took to her TikTok to argue that the idea that guaifenesin “might make pregnancy easier” is nothing new. That said, there’s no concrete evidence that it works, which is why doctors don’t prescribe Mucinex to women who are trying to get pregnant.
In the April 4 video, Dr. Tang cited a 1982 study by Fertility and sterility The study, titled “Enhancing Cervical Factor with Guaifenesin,” looked at 40 couples who were experiencing infertility due to a “cervical problem” and evaluated them after intercourse “before and after the women took Mucinex.”
Women were given 200 mg of guaifenesin three times daily during and after the fifth day of their menstrual cycle.
“About half of the couples showed significant improvement,” Dr. Tang said. “But there is no comparison group in this study, meaning there is no placebo group — people not taking Mucinex — so we can’t say that taking Mucinex improved that much. This effect could have been a fluke.”
However, a 2010 case report, “Guaifenesin and Increased Sperm Motility,” showed evidence of improved sperm count in a patient who had taken 600 mg of guaifenesin twice a day for two full months. Again, researchers were unable to officially confirm that guaifenesin was the cause of this outcome.
Talking with Good morning AmericaDr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, echoed Dr. Tang's sentiments, saying that Mucinex has not been identified as the cause of significant improvements in cervical mucus in any of the studies that have been done.
“When we look at the data and the studies that have been done on Mucinex and fertility, we know that it has not significantly improved the quality of cervical mucus, which could, again, help with some of the mobility of sperm getting to the egg,” she said.
In a statement to GMAReckitt, the maker of Mucinex, reiterated the importance of using the cough and cold medicine for its intended use. While the company admitted that they were aware of some women claiming it had helped them get pregnant, using it as a method of reproduction is considered an “off-label use” of the drug.
“Taking any medication outside of the approved indications or without knowing all the active ingredients can be harmful. If in doubt, we recommend that women consult their physician. Always read the label and safety information before taking any self-care medication,” the company said.
