Have you been trying to get pregnant for a while? Are you getting increasingly frustrated with the utter lack of a second line on every pregnancy test you take?

There are a number of OTC products that can significantly help out with trying to conceive. They’re worth trying out before you start to explore the big wide world of <a href="https://glowing.com/glow-fertility-program">fertility treatment</a>! Here are a few of the Glow Community’s favorites:

Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)

Ovulation predictor kits, or OPKs, help women identify when they’re ovulating. Used together with the Glow app, an OPK can pinpoint the ovulation window and help maximize a couple’s chances of conceiving naturally.

OPKs, look and work like pregnancy tests, by detecting a surge in the luteinizing hormone (LH), which tends to occur roughly 36 hours prior to ovulation. If you have sex just as LH surges, then you greatly increase your odds of having sperm present in time to meet the egg and fertilize it--leaving you pregnant.

OPKs can help teach you a lot about how your body works. Do you ovulate late? Ovulate too early? Don’t ovulate at all? OPKs will help you answer these questions, and the results can be an important starting point for any conversations you may start with a fertility specialist down the line.  OPKs can be purchased at your local drugstore or online; it’s ~$40 for 20 tests, but varies by brand. Digital OPK tests tend to be more expensive.  

Fertility Friendly Lubricants

Fact: The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says that normal lubricants, like the KY Jelly you have on your nightstand right now, could be killing up to 60% of your partner's sperm. Talk about a buzz kill!

That’s why when you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you should only use fertility friendly lubricants, such a Pre-seed and Astroglide. Other natural lubricants like mineral oil or canola oil can also be conducive to fertility. Any local drug store should carry fertility friendly lubricants, you can also buy them online for ~$20 per 9 applications.   

BBT Thermometers

Your basal body temperature (BBT), which is the temperature when your body is completely at rest, rises ever so slightly just after ovulation. Three days of a continued rise in BBT confirms that ovulation did indeed take place. Knowing when ovulation is likely to occur is key to maximizing your chances of conceiving.

To measure your BBT, you’re going to need a BBT thermometer.  This is simply a very sensitive thermometer that is able to identify even the tiniest temperature changes, usually to the one-hundredth (0.01) of a degree Fahrenheit. A BBT thermometer can be purchased at your local drugstore or online for around $15.  

STORK OTC

This is a really smart in-home insemination device. Here is how it works: The male partner wears a condom-like collector to contain the semen in a cervical-cap-like repository.  Then the couple uses a neatly designed applicator to insert the cap with the semen all the way into the vagina and up to the cervix.  Next the woman keeps the cervical cap there for about 6 hours.   

It’s like a DIY <a href="https://glowing.com/glow-fertility-program">IUI</a>.

The Stork OTC can be purchased online for around $150 for 2 applications.  

Fertility Supplements

There are many products on the internet that claim to hand you a baby in a bottle. Few work. The supplements below are touted in the Glow Community as being somewhat beneficial. Always, always speak to your doctor before you take ANY supplements.

Vitex - The berries from the Vitex agnus-castus tree are used to create herbal supplements that is said to improve your hormone balance and increase your fertility.

DHEA - Dehydroepiandrosterone is a naturally existing hormone that the female body converts into androgens, mainly testosterone. DHEA is used primarily to treat women with diminished ovarian reserve , which occurs either as a consequence of premature ovarian aging.

Red Raspberry Leaf - This herb may be helpful for the following conditions where there is menstrual bleeding issues or uterine weakness present.

Many of the products above can prove beneficial in helping you become pregnant without the added stress and expense of a doctor’s visit. However, there are no cure-alls for infertility. If your fertility issues arise from blocked tubes, PCOS, Endometriosis, or dozens of other conditions, your best bet will be to see a doctor as soon as possible.