Conceive

Join us next Tuesday, October 8th at 12:30pm for a live conversation between Lauren Berson Sugarman, Conceive's Founder & CEO, and David Stern, CEO of Boston IVF, as they discuss the future of fertility and industry innovations in the first Live 'Conceived' Conversation!

Join us next Tuesday, October 8th at 12:30pm for a live conversation between Lauren Berson Sugarman, Conceive's Founder & CEO, and David Stern, CEO of Boston IVF, as they discuss the future of fertility and industry innovations in the first Live 'Conceived' Conversation!

Join us next Tuesday, October 8th at 12:30pm for a live conversation between Lauren Berson Sugarman, Conceive's Founder & CEO, and David Stern, CEO of Boston IVF, as they discuss the future of fertility and industry innovations in the first Live 'Conceived' Conversation!

0/ Miss me? I'm back with this week’s #fridayfertilitynews--from IVF wins in CA, to a heartwarming surrogacy story, a Netflix film on the first "test-tube baby," an IVF mix-up lawsuit, and more. Grab your coffee (or 🍸)—and let's go... 1/ 😳 IVF & Heart Risks: Tiny Odds, Big Worry?– New study says IVF babies have a slightly higher risk of heart defects—but it’s still v rare. Experts suggest single-embryo transfers could keep those odds even lower. https://lnkd.in/eegudmDw 2/ 💥 IVF Just Got More Affordable in CA! – Gov. Newsom just made it easier (and cheaper!) for Californians to access IVF—especially for LGBTQ+ families. Insurance will now cover treatment costs so more people can grow their families. https://lnkd.in/enimTwsJ 3/ 🎬 Lights, Camera, IVF! – Joy, a new Netflix film, tells the true story of the pioneers behind the first IVF baby. Meet the team who made IVF a reality and changed reproductive medicine forever. Premieres 11/22! https://lnkd.in/engvY6-v 4/ 👀 Surrogacy Real Talk: One Mom’s Honest Journey – Kate Hazell shares about her surrogacy journey — from finding the right surrogate to navigating emotional highs and privilege. https://lnkd.in/ePTM2vRH expanding%20a%20family. 5/ 🐣 Freezing for the Future – Meet the amazing Amanda Rice, a two-time cancer survivor and founder of The Chick Mission - an org that offers grants for egg freezing, giving women a chance to protect their fertility before cancer treatment. https://lnkd.in/eQYatJmx 6/ ⚖️ IVF Mix-Up Nightmare – A father & daughter are suing a Vegas fertility clinic after a DNA test showed she was conceived using a stranger’s embryo. Now, he’s legally adopting his own child. Nope, not a movie. https://lnkd.in/ekVEzzBv 7/ 👶 Twin Moms Aren’t Super-Fertile After All – New research debunks the “twin moms have higher fertility” myth. Turns out, the more likely a mother is to have twins, the fewer kids she might end up having overall. Why? Many stop having more kids after a twin birth due to health risks or reaching family size goals. https://lnkd.in/eiy_A7QF 8/ 💔 IVF Amid the Culture Wars – One mother shares her story of using IVF to screen for a genetic disorder—while fighting against lawmakers who want to take that option away. It’s personal, it’s powerful, and it’s why protecting access matters so much. https://lnkd.in/eHcWQ72H 9/ Want more? Our newsletter The Eggdrop covers all things fertility news, research, and more. Sign up here! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ek2nW4Nf

On magic potions... Since fertility is underfunded and under researched, there are many areas with emerging evidence or none at all that somehow go viral. The latest one resurfacing is the idea that Mucinex (yes, the cough syrup) can boost fertility. Let’s break it down. The thinking behind Mucinex and fertility is that the active ingredient, guaifenesin, can thin the cervical mucus, making it easier for sperm to reach and fertilize an egg. I’ll admit: when we got pregnant with Elle in 2018– after two years of trying– we were taking guaifenesin (So I guess I’m a trendsetter?). And yet, it’s so easy to look back and create a story about your success, without really knowing what to attribute it to. This was after 2 years of trying! So who the f knows. Was it the guaifenesin? The acupuncture? The release I felt after starting a new job? Just science? Dumb luck? We'll never really know... In reality, when it comes to research, there are a total of two case reports in the 21st century that each looked at one individual who was taking guaifenesin who got pregnant. A 2010 report looked at sperm count and motility (not cervical mucus). The other report from 2000, described a 46 yo woman who got pregnant after 14 months of progesterone therapy and also happened to be taking guaifenesin. Back in the 20th century, 1982, there was also a study involving 40 couples who were struggling to conceive who had hostile cervical mucus. No control group. All 40 couples were given guaifenesin and over half of them showed marked improvement in sperm motility and mucus quality–resulting in 15 pregnancies. That’s it. No large-scale studies. No conclusive evidence. And yet, if you’ve seen the #MucinexBaby stories on TikTok, you might think this is the magic solution. But correlation does not equal causation. Until we have more research, it’s just that – a correlation. So how do you make sense of this for yourself? Well, I often say, if we waited for there to be a randomized control trial for everything fertility related, we’d sooner die—let alone be in our childbearing years. So we need to make a call! In consulting with the expert reproductive endocrinologists, the consensus is that there is likely no harm in trying Mucinex around ovulation if you’re curious (but also no guarantee it’ll help!). So you decide. Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments. P.S. We continue to know next to nothing about cervical mucus. Here’s hoping some of that Pentagon money can take a deeper look! https://lnkd.in/eQy_yUdf