What you need to know when you're trying to conceive to prepare for the healthiest pregnancy possible. The educational health content on What To Expect is reviewed by our medical review board and team of experts to be up-to-date and in line with the latest evidence-based medical information and accepted health guidelines, including the medically reviewed What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff. This educational content is not medical or diagnostic advice. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy. Registry Builder New. Getting Pregnant Topics Ovulation.

Lubricants make sex more comfortable and enjoyable, and they may be especially necessary when trying to conceive. When choosing a lubricant normally, you only need to follow a few specific requirements: no parabens and no added fragrances. But the stakes are higher when trying to conceive, says Dr. Rizk, and using the wrong lubricant can jeopardize the success of conception. When trying to conceive, always look for a lubricant designed specifically to be fertility-friendly.

Our director, Seth G Derman, MD's blog with insights into what is new in reproductive and fertility medicine. Many couples trying to get pregnant require a lubricant in order conceive a child but still wonder whether the lubricant they are using is hurting or helping their chances for having a baby. Here are the answers to some of the questions you might have about lubricants and your fertility. For many couples, intercourse and natural conception would be impossible without using a lubricant, so in that sense, yes it does. But the answer, as to whether it can harm the sperm, and the chances for having a baby is far more complex than that.

Objective: To determine the effects of natural vegetable oils and vaginal lubricants on sperm motion and viability. Design: Four widely used vaginal lubricants K-Y Jelly, Astroglide, Replens, and Touch and two vegetable oil products that have been used as vaginal lubricants were purchased through local vendors. Sperm was obtained by masturbation without lubrication from normal, healthy donors. Lubricants were mixed with sperm from individual donors and the effects on sperm motility were determined at 1, 15, 30, and 60 minutes.