Fertility Awareness Method

[written by a community member]

This is my own experience of taking Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) to increase the quantity and quality of my cervical mucus (CM) (in particular the peak type mucus which looks like egg white – EWCM). I did plenty of research before deciding what to take and how much and saw results from the first cycle I started supplementing. So I am sharing my ‘protocol’ in case it may help others. I am aware that many others in our Facebook community have seen success with EPO too.

*note* dosage is very important for this to work
*double note* If you are TTC, do not take EPO in your LP as it may cause uterine contractions  

Gamma-Linolenic Acid
The key ingredient in EPO that does the good work is Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA). So when looking at the ingredient label you need to try and find a brand that has the highest quantity of GLA per capsule because that will mean taking fewer capsules each day (this can be an issue since the capsules/softgels are quite large and knocking back a handful of these can be daunting). Every brand will state the EPO dosage on the front, like 1000mg EPO, or 1300mg etc, but do check the GLA content on the back – this is most important.Every woman is different and it has been said that it can take several months for you to see a difference but I strongly suspect that is because the dosage is not high enough – and few people realize it is the GLA content you need, not the EPO content, so end up taking a poor quality EPO with insufficient GLA and don’t see good results. A higher EPO content does not necessarily mean a higher GLA content, so be aware. 

The recommendations I came across in my research was to take 200-400mg of GLA per day. I started at the high end of that dosage and saw immediate results (ie I started on CD1, and by CD9/10 I was seeing a three fold increase in the quantity of my EWCM). It really was that noticeable, and others have experienced the same. I also found it much easier to categorize my CM in general – creamy was well, more creamy. If that makes sense.I did a *lot* of research on the best EPO to buy and how much to take, so I am sharing my findings and the EPO I take below. I am vigilant on not buying supplements with added fillers and other questionable and/or low quality ingredients, so the following brands are those that I consider ‘pure’.

Sports Research https://amzn.to/2DRluNy

This contains 120mg of GLA per capsule which is the highest level I have found in any EPO product (and I have looked at a great many) – take 2 or 3 capsules per day

This contains 120mg of GLA per capsule – take 2 or 3 capsules per day

This contains 117mg of GLA per capsule – take 3 or 4 capsules per day

I have used all of the above and they all work equally as well.

Others that I deem high quality but that I have not tried are as follows:

(note that you will almost certainly need to take more than the recommended dose on the bottle).

Borage Oil (Starflower Oil)
GLA can also be found in borage oil as well as EPO. So you could take this instead, or a mixture of both borage and EPO. Just make sure you check the ingredients list for the amount of GLA and that there are no nasty fillers.

Here are some high quality borage oils without fillers (I do not have personal experience of these):

Contains 240mg of GLA per capsule – take 1 or 2 capsules per day

Nature’s Way https://amzn.to/2POKnMa

Contains 312mg of GLA per capsule – take 1 capsule per day

Jarrow Formulas tinyurl.com/w9pc6ce

This contains 240mg of GLA per capsule – take 1 or 2 capsules per day