Women are taking Mucinex to get pregnant. Does it work?

The journey to get pregnant can be a long road for many women, some of whom are sharing that they found unlikely help from an over-the-counter cough and cold medicine. The hashtag #mucinexdpregnancy has over 1,500 posts on TikTok from women claiming the medication Mucinex helped them get pregnant. "I tried the Mucinex hack [ and ] it worked!," one TikTok user captioned a post with more than 1 million views.

"After 5 months of trying gave it a shot [ and ] got pregnant first try." "Trying to conceive for years just to take Mucinex and get pregnant," another TikTok user captioned a viral video with 2 million views. According to people sharing their stories on social media, taking a Mucinex pill every day during their high-fertile window helped them get pregnant.

"Good Morning America" spoke with board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Jessica Shepherd to break down the trend and whether it's research-proven to work. Why would Mucinex help with pregnancy? Mucinex contains an active ingredient, guaifenesin, that helps with congestion by thinning phlegm, a type of mucus produced by the respiratory system.

The theory in using Mucinex to help with fertility is that guaifenesin could also help thin cervical mucus, making it easier for sperm to reach an egg during fertilization, according to Shepherd. In addition to Mucinex, guaifenesin is also an active ingredient in other over-the-counter cough and cold medications. "The reason why people think that this is going to be a way that's going to help.