Couples Turning To Fertility Supplements To Help Get Pregnant
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Some couples are beginning to turn to over-the-counter fertility supplements in an effort to get pregnant.
Sheena and Kyle Barlow have been trying to make an addition to their family for the past two years, but have been having trouble.
In hopes to improve her pregnancy chances, Sheena Barlow turned to a fertility supplement which are natural pills packed with amino acids, among other ingredients.
"I am willing to try anything, anything that can help us get pregnant," she said.
Dr. Amos Grunebaum, the director of obstetrics at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, helped to create the FertilAid products for men and women. He said they are designed to promote conception by helping to improve sperm count and thinning the cervical mucus.
"We have had many, many women who send us letters saying they were trying to get pregnant, they even saw their doctors, and after they took our product they did actually do get pregnant much faster than they expected," said Grunebaum.
However, there are skeptics to the fertility supplement that can be purchased online and at some drug stores.
"We don't have those kind of studies to prove that these supplements actually do what they claim to do," said Dr. Jan Rydfors, chief medical adviser for the American Pregnancy Association.
Rydfors added that the most important supplement is a prenatal vitamin with folic acid.
"You should be taking that every day, at least one month before you conceive," she said.
Grunebaum said his supplements do more than just help a couple get pregnant.
"Improve your chances to get pregnant, but also will decrease your chances of having a miscarriage and having a baby with malformations," said Grunebaum.
Experts say the best way for couples to improve their pregnancy odds is to be at an optimal weight, eat the right foods, and time their sex to when women are ovulating.