Trying To Conceive? Our Guide To Fertility Friendly Lubricants
There are entire online communities filled with people who are trying to conceive or TTC. These communities provide tips for couples who want to get pregnant, some of whom have been trying for months or even years.
You'll see plenty of advice about how timing is crucial, and this is true. A woman's best chance of getting pregnant is around 14 days before her next period or mid-cycle.
However, it's not just timing that works with – or against – a couple who is trying to get pregnant. Overall health, age, and even personal lubricant can contribute to the likelihood that you'll get pregnant!
Sperm friendly lubricants can help sperm along the way while, the wrong lube can hinder fertilization and pregnancy.
Effect of Lubricants on Sperm
According to study conducted by Journal of sexual Medicine, it's estimated that 66 percent of women in the U.S. have used a vaginal lubricant during intercourse and some of them use it regularly.
So its very important to understand how lubricants affect sperm.
Before that, Let's give you a brief rundown of how an egg is fertilized to lead to pregnancy.
Sperm, Meet Egg
A single egg remains in a woman's Fallopian tube for approximately one day, awaiting fertilization via sperm. When a man ejaculates inside a woman's vagina, his sperm must move through the cervical opening and uterus to reach that egg. Only the best and strongest sperm make it to the Fallopian tube, and once fertilization occurs, the egg changes to prevent other sperm from making contact.
Even if you've just started to get pregnant, you'll want to do everything in your power to aid that single sperm make it all the way through the vagina and uterus to fertilize the egg in the Fallopian tube.
How Vaginal Lubricants Damage Sperms
Doctors better understand some of the things that can make it difficult for a sperm to penetrate the egg and personal lubricant, which is often recommended for more comfortable sex, can be one of those things.
pH of Lubricants
A woman's body is actually designed to help the sperm along. For example, the pH balance of her cervical mucus and uterus is friendly to sperm making their way to the egg, however, pH of most lubricants is not sperm friendly.
Because lube is often created to make things feel better, you might not realize that its acidity is enough to kill sperm.
This makes it harder for you to get pregnant even when there aren't any other issues. But if a man has a low sperm count or his sperm has low motility, acidic lubes may make it even difficult for a single sperm to make it all the way to the egg before it drops to the uterus and disintegrates.
Thickness
Even if your lube of choice isn't acidic, the thickness may slow down sperm even more.
Water
Even thinner lubes that contain more water can be problematic if the sperm absorbs the water and becomes damaged.
Clinical Studies - Lubricants and Sperm Motility
There are two well known clinical studies that analysed the effect of lubricants on sperm.
- The Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics analysed effect of lubricant on sperm motility, vitality and its DNA structure in an in-vitro setting and concluded that personal lubricants have detrimental effect on sperm. On the other hand, Pre-Seed and Conceive Plus, which are fertility friendly lubes, have no adverse effect on sperm function.
- Journal of Fertility and Sterility analysed effects of synthetic lubricants and natural oil on sperm motility. This study concluded that Sesame oil and synthetic coital lubricants impaired sperm motility. On the other hand, sperm friendly lubes like Pre-Seed, canola and baby oils showed no deleterious effect and may be considered sperm-friendly coital lubricants.
Natural Lubes Aren't Always Better
Now, you might think this doesn't pertain to you because you use a natural, organic personal lube or good old-fashioned spit, which is too acidic when you're TTC. Even natural lubrication can be damaging to sperm.
If you can negate the need for lube at all by spending more time with foreplay, you'll be presenting sperm with the most friendly environment, but this isn't always possible.
There are a few natural lubrication options to try if you're not quite ready to purchase a sperm-friendly lubricant.
- Plain yogurt, which some people have used to treat vaginal infections, shouldn't interfere with a woman's pH balance or sperm motility.
- Egg whites have a consistency similar to that of cervical mucus, but you run the chance of salmonella poisoning.
- Coconut oil is often recommended as a natural lubricant that may have minimal effect on sperm.
- Canola oil and baby oil may also be sperm-friendly, but you'll want to avoid them if you're prone to vaginal infections.
Information about these products and their effectiveness as sperm-friendly lubes isn't readily available; although, baby oil may be more effective than some lubricants that are advertised as sperm-friendly.
The Best Sperm Friendly Lubricants - Reviews
There aren't as many sperm-friendly lubricants on the market as there are other lubes, but you do have a few choices. We've rounded them up so you can make the best choice for you.
1. PreSeed Fertility Friendly Lubricant
Does Preseed work?
Pre-Seed has come up first in multiple studies. The lube has the least negative impact on how sperm travel and results in the lowest amount of damage to a sperm's DNA.
If you're going to use lubricant while TTC, Pre-Seed is definitely one to consider. In fact, it's even recommended by fertility clinics.
How to use Preseed
Unlike traditional lube, Pre-Seed comes with applicators that help you use exactly the right amount of products and can help to reduce mess.
Furthermore, the applicators enable you to deposit some of the lubricant near the cervix, which can help sperm to reach the egg.
If you've experienced reactions from glycerin, rest assure that Pre-Seed contains none of this ingredient, which may also be harmful to sperm.
Things We Liked
- High ratings in clinical tests
- Clinically proven sperm friendly
- Comes with applicators
- Excellent as lubricant
Things We Didn't Like
- May feel slimy
- Contain paraben
2. SASMAR Conceive Plus Fertility Lubricant
Conceive Plus is a sperm-friendly lube that fairs well in research. One study found that sperm treated with this lube had a 70% vitality rate, coming in second only to Pre-Seed.
Conceive Plus is slightly more affordable than Pre-Seed, and it's also formulated to be pH balanced.
If you're having trouble conceiving, you might consider this lube because it contains calcium and magnesium ions, which may be beneficial to the fertilization process.
All the ingredients in this lube have been approved for conception by the FDA.
You can purchase Conceive Plus in a smaller tube or purchase it in in pre-filled applicators, which make it easier to apply directly to the cervix without any mess.
In fact, the Conceive Plus website recommends using the applicator 10 minutes before intercourse and simultaneously using Conceive Plus lubricant from the tube for optimal results.
Things We Liked
- Clinically Proven
- FDA cleared
- Easy to use applicator
Things We Didn't Like
- Dries up quickly
3. Yes Baby Lubricant - Twin Pack
This sperm-friendly lubricant takes into consideration not just pH balance but also osmolality.
Osmolality refers to the amount of solids that can be absorbed in a liquid. Every personal lubricant has an osmolality level. So does the vagina and anus for that matter.
Lube that isn't osmolality-balanced may damage sensitive tissues in those orifices and, you guessed it, sperm.
Yes Baby attempts to be both sperm-friendly and vagina-friendly.
Yes Baby isn't just sold as a single tube. Every box comes with 5 sperm-friendly applicators for use near the cervix. There are also 3 vagina-friendly applicators for use wherever you like a little more lubrication.
The box also comes with ovulation sticks, which you can use to determine the best time to try to conceive.
The drawback to Yes Baby simply comes down to efficacy. Both Pre-Seed and Conceive Plus are better for a sperm's vitality. Yes Baby performs similarly as baby oil and several other TTC lubricants, which did not make this list.
Things We Liked
- No parabens or glycerin
- Vagina friendly
- Comes with ovulation sticks
Things We Didn't Like
- Sticky
- Not as effective as other lubricants
4. Astroglide TTC
Astroglide might not be your first thought when it comes to sperm-friendly lubricants, but the company makes an option you might want to consider when you're trying to get pregnant.
Astroglide TTC is a water-based lube that comes with applicators.It was designed to be sperm and egg-friendly as well as pH balanced.
With an osmolality between 220 and 400 mOsm per kilogram, it closely resembles the osmolality of semen. However, vaginal osmolality usually ranges between 260 and 290 mOSM/kg, so this sperm-friendly lubricant may not also be vagina friendly.
The ingredients list includes Fructose and Galactose, both of which are present in seminal fluid.
Eight applicators cost less than $10, making it the most affordable option on this list.
But before you rush off to buy Astroglide TTC, you should know that none of the existing studies on sperm and personal lubricants have included Astroglide TTC. There's no definitive answer on whether it helps you to conceive or, at least, doesn't impede fertilization.
Things We Liked
- Price
- Includes gructose and galactose
- Affordable
- Less sticky than other TTC lubes
Things We Didn't Like
- Not yet tested
- May cause vaginal discomfort
For couples who like to use personal lubricant, choosing one that is sperm-friendly may be essential to conceiving as your lube of choice may be killing sperm. Even if you don't normally like lube, you should consider using one of these on this list because it may aid sperm. Pre-Seed performs well in every study; although, research on the subject is slim
