Q: I’ve been told that I would have a difficult time conceiving because my cervical mucous is too thick. How can I thin it out to get pregnant?

A: You must have been given a Postcoital Test (PCT) also known as the “after sex” test which examines the ability of the sperm to enter and move into the cervical mucus just before the time of ovulation.  A PCT can also show if there’s an adverse reaction between the sperm and cervical mucus that could be causing infertility.  Either too thick or too thin mucous can make it difficult for the sperm to pass smoothly through the cervix. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that you can physically do to thin it out, but you do have a good option to consider to conceive.

Uterine insemination (IUI) involves placing sperm inside the uterus using a thin catheter inserted through the cervix. IUI is often done in combination with hormone treatments to increase egg production. IUI works in cases such as yours because the procedure bypasses the cervix and the problem of “too thick” cervical mucous.

Q: How long can a woman safely take the fertility drug Clomid®?

A:  While the length of time varies from patient to patient, three to six cycles is a reasonable trial for Clomid, a fertility drug that works by stimulating the pituitary gland to produce the hormones that cause an egg to ripen and be released by the ovary.

Although there’s been concern that long-term use of Clomid or other ovulation-inducing drugs might increase a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer, no clinical studies have proven that link.

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