Hey Silarose

You sound a bit more upbeat today



Think I must be a bit thick but what is an HSG?

x x x

Hiya

You're right - I am hoping the HSG helps. It's like an xray - they put dye into your uterus and tubes to have a look but some people say it helped them to conceive (not really sure how). I am also finding this forum helpful.

How is it going with your chinese medicine?

xxx

Hi again

I think its going well with the Chinese medicine. I had my first consultation a couple of weeks ago where I was asked a huge amount of questions ranging from exactly what my periods are like, colour and consistency etc etc to my sleep, eating and drinking, temperament, all sorts - basically every aspect of me and my body. The doctor looked a lot at my tongue (which has a crack down the centre - not great apparently) and also did a lot of pulse checking. There are six different pulses in TCM and they use these for much of their diagnosis. Apparently I have spleen qi deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, both of which are extremely common in LPD. I had a long acupuncture session too and was prescribed a ton of herbs which I have to soak and then boil each day to make a decoction. I am going back on 1st April to see the same doctor again, so I guess for her to see if there are any changes and also to have more acupuncture. The thing with TCM that I like is that it looks at underlying causes and balances the body to address issues, rather than addressing symptoms like western medicine does.
Only time will tell if it is having an effect, but fingers crossed.
If you're interested, I'd def recommend the book The Infertility Cure to get some hope, and also background info. Plus, look into the type of place you go to as I think they vary.....do you live in London or elsewhere? If you are in London, Acumedic are brilliant.

Keep in touch and lots of positive thoughs to you

x x x

Hi everyone

day 15 today and no signs of ovulation - not good when you you usually have a 26 day cycle - sigh!as hoping that the supplements might bring o forward a bit - looks like that's not going to happen this month. How is everone else getting on?

Hi there Silarose
I'm sure your O will arrive shortly.....are you charting temps to work out whether it's happened or poas or can you just tell within yourself?
I myself am all over the place I reckon, due to my miscarriage, and am waiting to see how long it will take before my first post miscarriage O. I am reckoning on a week after the bleeding stopped, the same as with a period, but as its uncharted territory for me, guess I will just have to wait to find out.
I'm off to the Chinese dr on Wednesday next week so fingers crossed she has some positive news for me.
All this TTC stuff....I never expected it to be on my list of things to deal with in life did you?

x x x

Hiya Laughing girl. It must be awful waiting around and not knowing ... I hope things happen for you soon. I know how you feel about not expecting all of this. I have wanted children for a while but didn't think it would be such an issue. It's just soooooooo frustrating and really depressing!!!

I am using Clearblue Fertility Monitor and o sticks so I know when I ovulate. Day 16 today and no lh surge yet! Was really hoping it would come a bit earlier this month - doesn't look like it though. I usually get ewcm a day or so before I ovulate and there are no signs of that yet argh!!!

What makes it worse is friends talking about it all the time as if it would be the end of the qworld if they didn't have kids - I do feel like that but if I keep focussing on it it makes me feel really crappy!

Keep me updated about your chinese medicine. xxxxx

Hey guys,

This is my first post to BnB and i cant believe this thread is exactly what i have been searching for!

Renee_xx, you finally made me realise the link between egg quality BEFORE ovulation as to it's affects on the leuteal phase !
Suddenly the penny has dropped !!

Silarose28, you basically typed your question exactly as i would have done so and the replies have all been uncanny.

This has been such an insight and inspiration to me since i have been totally on my own trying to figure out my infertility issues.

For a few years I've had 4/5 days spotting before my AF flow and thought nothing of it because i had no idea it was not normal.
Periods in general are a bit of a new thing for me since i didnt get any while on birth control for a good 10 years prior to coming off it recently.
Until we began TTC for baby number one, i had no idea it would be so hard.

So after working through issues on my own for so long i concluded i must have a leuteal phase defect. I know my progesterone levels are low, but now i realise it is also the FS/LSH ratio that is important prior to ovulation too.

EPO has really helped me start ovulating and i am already on Vit B (along with Metformin). The combo must have worked as i got pregnant beginning of this year only to have a horrible m/c at 8 weeks.

The AF after the m/c was what i could consider 'perfect' arrived in full red flow at 28 days, lasted a good 6 days and gone again with no spotting.

This month, spotting at 5 days past ovulation !!! and a 6 hour proper flow that was it !!

I am on a waiting list a mile long to see someone, and i have been told it will be about 3 months so i wanted to try Vitex in my mix.

So, you guys think Vitex could help with the FH/LSH ratio imbalance and product a better egg quality maybe ??

I'd love to hear how you guys get on with all this.

Take care everyone.

Sam (sorry it was an essay for my first post!)

Hi guys
Hope that the LPD girls are all doing ok.
Sam...I've been taking vitex for 3 months now and it doesn't seem to have done much.....that said, I ovulated today, so perhaps this month it will have worked some miracle......gotta hope haven't you?!
Was just thinking today that its great that things seem to have got underway after my m/c earlier in the month, but now I have my 1ww/count down to spotting to see if it the spotting comes AGAIN this month or perhaps the vitex/wild yam/star flower oil/pregnacare/acupuncture/chinese herbs cocktail may finally work.....
I was really interested in the fh/lsh ratio you mention and wondered if you would be able to explain it to me......
Thanks
x x x

hiya all

Glad you have joined us on here samisit!

laughing girl - glad to hear about your o this month - my fingers are crossed for you.

I have read a lot about vitex and how it affects lh and fsh ratio. This is how I understand it (please tell me if I am wrong!!!). Apparently fsh triggers the ovaries to produce oestrogen so prepares the ovary for ovulation. lh triggers ovualtion and formation of the corpus luteum which produces progesterone which is important for pregnancy. An imbalance in fsh/lh can lead to an oestrogen/progesterone imbalance. This I think leads can lead to a short luteal phase - often linked to low progesterone levels. I copied this from an article that explains how vitex works:

Vitex increases LH production and mildly inhibits the release of FSH (see Figure 4). The result is a shift in the ratio of estrogen to progesterone, in favor of proges-terone. This is, in fact, a corpus luteum like hormone effect.10 The ability of Vitex to raise or modulate progesterone levels in the body is therefore an indirect effect and not a direct hormonal action.11 This is in contrast to other phytomedicines, like Black cohosh, frequently used in gynecology because of their direct binding of estrogen receptors ("phyto-estrogens").12

Vitex also modulates the secretion of prolactin from the pituitary gland. Early animal studies indicated an increase in lactation and enlargement of the mammary gland following administration of Vitex.13 It is interesting to note that Vitex has been historically used as a lactagogue (substance to increase milk production) in lactating women with poor breast milk production. As we will note below, clinical studies have confirmed this effect.


I have also read something that said that b6 regulated the fsh/lh ratio. I am no expert on this but that is how I understand it!!!

xxxxxxx

Interesting - just decided to read up on chlomid. apparently that tricks the body into thinking that it does not have enough oestrogen so the body produces more fsh and lh. This means that the follicles are better developed and it can also lengthen the luteal phase. know the general advice is not t take chlomid and vitex together as they counteract each other and I now understand why - vitex reduces fsh/oestrogen whereas chlomid works by increasing it s they cancel each other out!!

I havent had mcuh luck with the vitex yet - though I am told it does take about 3 months to work. I have got a 'near' positive test on an ovualtion stick today meaning it will prob be positive tomorrow (day 21). this means I prob won't o till day 22 - it's soooo late and frustrating!!!!!


xxxxxxx