TikTok There are remedies for everything. The vast majority of them have no scientific evidence. But of course, when desperation takes over, we try anything. Just in case. In the end, among all these remedies, some actually work. So when this social network introduced infertility remedy The post, which consisted of using a very easily accessible drug, went viral. Everyone wanted to try Mucinex try to get pregnant.
This is a drug for cough and cold treatment. It is sold under this trade name only in the USA. However, it is supposed to be an anti-fertility agent due to its content in guaifenesin and it is an active ingredient that is also found in some medicines sold in Spain, such as Expectorant.
Its mission is precisely that: help get rid of mucus which accumulates in the respiratory tract. And that is why there are those who consider it a remedy for infertility. If it kills mucus in the respiratory tract, won’t it do the same to the cervical mucus that makes it so difficult for sperm to pass through? Science says so.
The causes of infertility are very diverse.
A couple is considered infertile if after a year of unprotected sexpregnancy does not occur. In this case, you will have to study the reasons, since they can be very diverse. If infertility comes from the male part of the couple (we are, of course, referring to heterosexual couples), then it is usually due to a problem related to sperm. A person can ejaculate, but there are no sperm in the ejaculate. This is what is known as azoospermia. There may also be very few of them. This would be a case of oligozoospermia. In some cases, there are many sperm, but they have problems with morphology or motility that prevent them from fertilizing the egg.
There are also anatomical problems that They prevent ejaculation. Or there may be ejaculation, but the sperm does not come out, but moves backward. That’s what it’s called retrograde ejaculation.
Regarding female infertilityThe ovarian reserve may no longer exist or may be of very poor quality and the eggs are not capable of becoming an embryo after fertilization. There may also be anatomical problems that prevent the sperm from reaching its destination.
In some cases there are hormonal problems this can affect ovulation, but also other processes. For example, in the cervix there is a very thick substance called cervical mucuswhose role, among other things, is to control the passage of sperm. During ovulation, it becomes more fluid, opening the door for male gametes to fertilize the egg. But in some cases, usually due to hormonal reasons, mucus continues to accumulate in a thick form, preventing sperm from passing through.
These are just a few examples. That’s not all. But we’ll focus on the latter because that’s the reason why TikTok fertility remedy. In fact, this is the first loophole, because even if it worked, it would only affect a very small sector of infertility.
Why can cough medicine be a cure for infertility?
Advocates of this infertility remedy claim that to facilitate pregnancy it is necessary mucolytic. They hide behind a study published in the 80s in which 15 out of 40 pairs Participants achieved pregnancy after using guaifenesin.
However, as you well remember in Talk reproductive biology experts Adam Watkins and Emma Lucasthere were many gaps in this research. First, 40 couples is too small to be considered a representative sample. Except, there was no control group. This includes a portion of volunteers who receive a placebo instead of the drug being tested.
This is to ensure that the results are not a coincidence. If the number of people achieving pregnancy in the control group were the same, this would mean that it was just a coincidence or there were other reasons. not related to the drug.
Since then, several separate reports of one case have been made, but This is still not representative.
Experts do not agree that this cough medicine is a good remedy for infertility. In fact, the company that sells it in the United States reminds that its use is not such and that side effects or dosages are not listed in the package insert. The one who consumes it does so at his own responsibility and cannot complain if he suffers. some unexpected effect.
But first of all, we must keep in mind that cervical mucus has little to do with respiratory mucus. Cervical region always present in the vagina and cervixbut responds to hormonal changes by changing its viscosity.
From the respiratory tract is also always present, but reacts to intake possible pathogenssuch as viruses or allergens, increasing their quantity and viscosity. The composition of the two types of mucus is very similar, but not identical, so they should not be treated the same.
So this fertility remedy doesn’t work?
Guaifenesin works increased amount of water in the respiratory tractso that the mucus dissolves and cannot stick to the walls. So act on that level. There is no evidence that it does the same to the cervix. Therefore, it cannot be considered a remedy against infertility.
In principle, it is not dangerous to take, but, like any drug, it has side effects. We shouldn’t expose ourselves to them because we know for sure that it won’t work.
Source: Hiper Textual
