Different Kinds Of Herbal Supplements For Fertility

Some women often turn to herbal and natural ways to enhance fertility or to increase their chances of conception. Whether it be because they are not quite at the 1 year mark and are trying to help things along so they don't have to resort to fertility drugs, or if they just don't want to do fertility drugs period, or they are taking a break from the fertility drugs, or, like me, trying something to fill in the time until we can afford an IUI, it has become a very common and often times successful route.

I don't have statistics on success rates so you guys will just have to use good old google for that one, but I can give you a list of some of the most commonly used herbs/supplements women have been using while TTC.

Vitex/Chasteberry- Very popular fertility herb. Often used to regulate hormonal imbalances and is especially helpful for those with PCOS.

Maca-(For men and women)- Great for increasing sex drive, regulating hormones, and increasing energy levels. Supports thyroid function, sexual function, can improve sperm count and motility, and is very safe. MUST be the root as that is the beneficial part for fertility.

Royal Jelly- a substance secreted by nurse worker bee glands helps to balance hormones and support the endocrine system. Royal Jelly has been shown to mimic human estrogen which may help if you suffer from low estrogen. Also may strengthen uterine lining.

Dong Quai- Used as a health tonic for many generations in Asia, this is used for overall health of the uterus and regulating menstrual cycles. Also helps with stress relief. Women with endometriosis can also use this for pain relief associated with endo especially when mixed with Chasteberry, Black Cohosh, or Ginseng.

Red Clover Blossom- Very good for women with endometriosis. High vitamins and protein help with the uterus. Also high in calcium and magnesium which relaxes the nervous system. Also can help with fibroids and balancing hormones. 

Red Raspberry Leaf- Tones the uterus and pelvic muscles. Try mixing with Red Clover to enhance results. 

Evening Primrose Oil (EPO)- Has anti-inflammatory properties which helps with PMS, menopause, breast pain, cramps and it's best known for improving cervical mucus. Taken only from menstruation to ovulation.

Black Cohosh- Used to help stimulate ovulation. Taken only from end of menstruation to ovulation. 

Ginger Root- Aids in moving blood to organs. Reduces cramping and can help with ovarian cysts and endometriosis. 

Flaxseed Oil-(For men and women) Perfect for not only fertility, but overall health. Helps keep sperm healthy and helps improve the uterine lining and helps stabilize estrogen and progesterone. 

On top of these herbs, you can buy pills that contain combinations of these herbs for specific reasons. For example, I'll be using FertileCM while hubby tries Maca. There are a ton of different kinds that you can find either here  or  here for just about anything.

Clomid (Clomiphene citrate)

What is Clomid?

Clomid, Serophene, or Clomiphene citrate (it's all the same drug) is an ovulation inducing medication and is one the first treatments given to women who are having trouble conceiving due to ovulatory issues. It's a well known, relatively cheap and effective fertility drug and stimulates ovulation about 80% of the time.

How do I take it?

It's taken as a pill starting anywhere from CD2-CD9 for 5 days (the days you start it depend on your doctor and your response to Clomid). Take it at the same time everyday you take it and I recommend taking it at night before bed to cut down on some of the side effects. Typically, you will take Clomid for 6 cycles and if unsuccessful, move on to other treatment options.

How does it work?

Clomid blocks the estrogen receptors in your brain. It tricks your body into thinking you don't have enough estrogen. Your body then goes into overload and tries to produce more estrogen by producing more gonadotropin releasing hormone or GnRH (GnRH is what stimulates FSH and LH) therefore stimulating the production of FSH. FSH or follicle stimulating hormone is what is needed to ripen the eggs. In a nutshell, Clomid tricks your body into producing more FSH to encourage more follicle growth and more LH to push the eggs out.

Who benefits from Clomid use?

Typically women who are having ovulation problems. Either not ovulating all together or ovulating too late in a cycle.

How do I know I'm ovulating?

Charting! One of the easiest ways to see if you are ovulating is to chart your basal body temperature (BBT). If you're charting and not noticing a clear biphasic pattern, bring your charts to show your doctor. You may not be ovulating.

What dosage will I take?

Typically you'll start at 50mg if it's your very first time taking Clomid (if you've taken it before and know 50mg doesn't work, they will start you on whatever worked for you last time). It goes up in increments of 50 until 200mg. The lowest dose needed is recommended because the higher the dosage, the more it can make your mucus hostile to sperm and cause uterine lining issues.

What are the side effects?

Side effects on Clomid aren't THAT bad but they aren't exactly pleasant. The number 1 side effect I get and that people I know who have taken it have gotten is hot flashes. Oh the hot flashes! It seems to be the general consensus around the internet too. And this also seems to be the one that hangs around the longest (I think I had hot flashes for 3 months after 3 rounds of Clomid). Side effects include:

• Hot flashes
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Hostile cervical mucus
• Mood Swings
• Headaches
• Tender breasts
• Hyperstimulation (OHSS)
• Twins

Did you just write twins as a side effect?

Yes, but it's not really a side effect. It's more like a slight possibility. You have about a 10% chance of having multiples while on Clomid.

How successful is Clomid?

Clomid will get women to ovulate 80% of the time. About 40%-45% will get pregnant in 6 cycles of use.

Clomid Use In Men

Men can also take Clomid to raise testosterone levels and therefore sperm counts. Read more about it here.

Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)

One of the ways to increase your chances of conceiving is to use ovulation predictor kits (aka OPKs or ovulation tests).


What do OPKs do?

• OPKs show your luteinizing hormone (LH) surge and typically 12-36 hours later your mature egg is released (ovulation). You always have LH in your system so don't be surprised if you always see two lines on your OPK. When your LH is surging you get a positive OPK. A positive is when the test line is darker or as dark as the control line. (Make sure you double check the instructions on the OPKs though). They are not the same as pregnancy tests. 2 lines of varying color do NOT equal a positive. I can't stress this enough!

When should I test?

• Anytime of day is fine but it is recommended that you don't use first morning urine (FMU). LH typically shows up later in the day so testing in the morning may give a misleading result. Just remember to take your OPKs at the same time everyday. You could miss your surge if you don't. (Or you could just do what I do and test twice a day. I'm a bit obsessive lol).

When do I start using OPKs in my cycle?

• If you have regular cycles it will be easy to figure this one out. (It'll be even easier if you've been charting and know about when you will ovulate). If you have the mythical and much sought after 28 day cycle, you should start testing on CD11 so that you don't miss your surge. This would be 3 days before you expect to ovulate. If you've been charting (and I can't recommend doing so enough) you'll know when you ovulate (if you have regular cycles). You should start taking OPKs about 3-4 days before you typically ovulate and BD when you get a positive. If you don't have regular cycles take your shortest cycle subtract 17 days and the number you get will be the day you start testing. (ex. if your shortest cycle is 50 days, start testing on CD 33 or if your shortest cyle is 32 days, start testing on CD15). 

I've gotten a positive! I will ovulate...right?

• Not always. One of the biggest misconceptions is that if you get a positive OPK, you will ovulate. I am perfect proof of that. I frequently get positive OPKs throughout my cycle and don't release an egg. My body typically attempts to ovulate at least 2-3 times before it will succeed (which makes for VERY long cycles of course). OPKs do not tell you that you ovulated. They will only tell you that your body is trying to. You could have a surge and then for some reason not release the egg. The only ways to confirm ovulation are by testing your progesterone levels (blood draw) or by charting.

Why are my OPKs positive many times throughout my cycle?

• The most common cause of frequent positive OPKs throughout a cycle is Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). In short, PCOS is an imbalance of the female sex hormones and it causes LH to remain elevated causing positive or near positive OPKs throughout a cycle. If you have extremely long or anovulatory cycles and frequently get positive or near positive OPKs it's something you might want to bring up to your doctor.

Well, You Already Have One...

Ah, people can be so charming can't they? If you are TTC your second child (whether you had an easy or difficult time with the first) and are having a difficult time conceiving, this little gem comes up often. People think that just because we have one child, our goal is complete or that we should not even want another because we already got what we wanted. But it goes so much deeper than that. How can you explain to someone that your family isn't complete? Especially if that person has had no problem conceiving their 245366564 kids. 

Simply put? Tell them to stick it. They are never going to understand what your complete family will feel like to you and they will never understand the tears, the money, the hormones (gawd the hormones!), the disappointment, the procedures, the tests, and the frustration we endure to make our families "complete" (And let's not forget the downright soul crushing sight of those people having 2455467357 kids).

It's hard to explain to anyone who doesn't truly understand what you are going through how it makes you feel and sometimes, people say things that are meant with good intentions, but come out terribly wrong (most notably family and close friends). And then there are the people who don't even care to try to see how it makes you feel and say things out of genuine stupidity not giving a care of how it could affect you. 

Try explaining to the people with good intentions that your family just isn't complete with one baby. Make them understand that it's just a feeling you have that you "aren't done" and try to see if they can relate to the feeling of being done or not done. That will be the easiest way to make the people who care about you understand.

For the other people...

There's really no hope. We haven't found a cure for stupidity yet and it's not looking like we will ;)

A Little Humor To Start The Morning

Letters To Infertility

I was given a great idea by my sister of putting aside an area where we could write letters to our infertility. Tell infertility why you hate it, what is has done to your life, your relationships with family and friends, and how it's affected you. Leave your letter in the comments and you can leave it anonymous if you want to. Or share your TTC story(ies) on the Facebook Page! (If you'd like to keep anything anonymous send a private message and I'll repost for you).

I'm Sure We All Have Felt This Way

Let's Get This Started!

WELCOME!

This is the place to soak up all the information you want/need about trying to conceive (TTC).

My facebook page on TTC wouldn't allow me any permanent documents to help with the flow of easily accessible information (guess I should have done a group maybe) so here is where you will find it!

Good luck to everyone and *~BABY DUST~*