A More Natural Approach

Well, we have tried just about everything there is to try while trying to conceive, short of IVF, which we have discussed and have a skeleton of a plan for in the near future. We have two years of just everyday trying under our belts. And one year of trying with conventional medications. We have tried both of the most common oral medications Femara and Clomid. I also tried an alternative that can be bought at WalMart called Soy Isoflavonnes. I have been taking Metformin daily for over a year. We have tried intercourse sporadically all cycle long, as well as timing it to the days right before ovulation, and two IntraUterine Inseminations. We also have one cycle of injectable medications on our "done that" list. Our injectable cycle really was a beautiful one, we just didn't come home with a pregnancy. And our long term plans are to save up the funds to do two more of those cycles before accepting defeat and saving long term for IVF in a few years.

In the meantime, while were twiddling our thumbs and doing nothing productive because were "saving money" Ive been contemplating a more natural approach. My research has brought me to  Vitex Agnus-Castus, better known as Vitex for short and also known as Chasteberry. 

Vitex- is a fertility-promoting herb with a long history of human use. It was recognized for its herbal-medicinal properties in Ancient Greece and was used to treat a number of health issues. Women in Europe have used vitex to increase their odds of conceiving a baby, as well as to treat symptoms associated with hormonal imbalance, skin condition, or PMS. Proponents of herbal therapies for fertility believe that the benefit of vitex lies in its ability to work at the endocrine, or hormonal, level to decrease the secretion of prolactin. vitex is listed as one of the herbs commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to stimulate ovarian function. It can also be beneficial to women with low progesterone and luetal phase defects. vitex is not a hormone but has been show to stimulate the production of LH and gently suppress the production of FSH by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. So basically Vitex works by restoring the balance of hormones inside the body and that are involved in ovulation. It is also beneficial to women with short luetal pahses and can help with maintaining progesterone production and the corpus luetum cyst during the LP. Good website with info on Vitex -- http://natural-fertility-info.com/vitex

It appears that Vitex can come in both gel cap type pills and in a tincture and that both are pretty much the same so its whatever you would prefer to take and the dosing is pretty standard across the board. It appears to be safe to take all cycle long and it can take a few cycles to see any major results. Its not a fertility drug per-say but there is alot of buzz on fertility forums about its benefits and alot of women crediting it with getting their cycles regular and their BFP (Big Fat Positive/Pregnancy). Im thinking that this may be the path I want to take for awhile. I am already working on taking some vitamins and I do, when not supplementing, have a vitamin D deficiency which can effect fertility. 

GOAL:  Find Vitex. Give it a 3 month trial. Share on the blog. Remember to take my daily Vit D and B-complex and Prenatal.  :)