Cycle Day 15- An update

I know I have been slacking the past few days, I have just not really had anything happening that I have felt is worth blogging. My basal temperature has been really strange, I am not sure if it is because of the PCOS or what, my CM the same way. On days 11 and 12 my CM was very fertile, like an egg white, and was stretchy. Then on day 13 it went back to being of a creamy substance and my basal temp shot up to 97.33. On day 14, my CM was sticky, and my basal temp went back down to 97.18. This morning my basal temp read at 97.20 and my CM is going back up to creamy. 

I am just really confused right now, since this is my first month tracking. I guess it is going to take a month to figure out the pattern of my cycle. I am really hoping that my next cycle will be more regulated and I can figure out around the time I am supposed to ovulate.

We have added another supplement into the mix from Fairhaven Health. My DH is now taking the Countboost along with the FertileAid for Men. So as of now we have:

• FertileAid for Men
• FertileAid for Women
• Countboost
• OvaBoost
• FertileCM
• and the Fertili Tea

 I have not been drinking the tea every day, but at least every other day. I did make an appointment to see my gyno. I will be seeing her in less than two weeks. I will report back what she says about the Fairhaven Health products. 

Not much else to report for now.

Cycle Day 8 (PCOS & LH)

I have felt a little better today, as far as having energy. I went to the gym for the first time in almost 2 weeks, and attempted to get on the bike. I was on the bike for about 8 minutes and started to have severe pain shooting up my legs from the tendonitis. I had to stop, which is something I never do. I ended up doing a couple of the weight machines, then got back on one of the newer bikes, which tends to put less stress on your legs. Anyway. I am now laying on ice, icing both of my ankles and calves.

This morning when taking my basal temp, it registered at 96.8, which seems to be right on target. I really think I had a false reading on Tuesday, from not getting any good amount of sleep the night before. I really don't think I am supposed to technically ovulate until next Tuesday, which would be Day 22 of my cycle. 

It's nice seeing a gradual change in my CM, which is a good sign that everything is going the way it is supposed to be. I keep reading on some of the message board sites that I have been on lately that a lot of women with PCOS show high levels of Luteinizing Hormone (LH). This is the hormone that shows up in urine when ovulating. I find this interesting that many women with PCOS claim that they cannot trust the ovulation tests because of this, since every OPK test I have ever taken has come up negative. This could be good or bad I guess. Good that I am not getting false readings, but bad that maybe I never ovulate. 

I am keeping the faith though that after being on the supplements for a while, everything will straighten out, and read accurately.

Could I be ovulating??

Today has been one of those days where I just wanted to stay in bed all day. I seriously did not fall asleep until 4:30 am..so crazy! I don't know if I am feeling bad because of my body adjusting to the FertileAid products or what, but I just feel so tired and not at all like my normal self. 

All day today, I have felt a cramping, twinge pain on my right side near my hip. Could I actually be ovulating??? I have no clue! I took two of the OPKs today, and both came up negative. Maybe I am getting ready to ovulate...I really don't know. This is all new to me since with having PCOS, I don't think I have seriously ever ovulated. 

I seriously have spent a lot of time today researching signs and symptoms of ovulation, PCOS, etc. on message boards and on medical websites. I drank some of the fertili Tea before going to bed tonight, and I even took some pain medication, and I still feel that cramping. I probably should make an appointment to see my gyno.. anyway, I am going to try to get some rest.

Good night for now.

This is CRAZY! -Cycle Day 7

I woke up this morning and took my basal temp, and it spiked up to 97.33, and yesterday morning it was 96.80. So when I charted it, the drop in temp yesterday, then the spike today made my fertility calendar say that I actually ovulated yesterday!! I really don't think I have ever, ever ovulated in my life! I had to actually do some online research to find out what to look for when ovulating, and I found out you get cramping on one side, and right now I do feel cramping on my right side. This is super crazy! 

I did not sleep well at all last night, which I know can throw your temps off, but I am just going to trust that since I do feel some cramping on my right side, that I am in fact ovulating!! Yay!!

11:00am Tuesday:

I really still don't trust my cycles just yet, and I am really not believing that I am ovulating, so I ended up going to a nearby dollar store and grabbed several ovulation tests. I am going to try one out here shortly, and will be back with the results. 

As you can see below, I was right. The LH surge shows that I am not ovulating, which proves especially when it comes to PCOS, not to always trust charting basal temps alone.

My Rant About Fertility Doctors

I felt compelled to write this post because I know if you are in the same boat that me and my husband are in, you have been trying to start a family for so long, and will do almost anything to make it happen.

When I saw my gyno, he referred me to a fertility specialist here in Tampa, who was with a reproductive medicine group. The doctor had an arrogance about him, although he was trying to start us off with the most affordable options since our insurance, and most insurances these days do not cover any sort of infertility treatments such as IVF. 

Our insurance at the time we were being seen by him, had a large copay you had to pay upfront, I think ours was around $500, then what that covered was the test he ran to clear out my fallopian tubes, along with appointments to see the doctor, and any blood work. So basically it would cover anything related to the diagnosis of what the fertility issue was, but not any infertility treatments. 

As I stated earlier in my blog, my husband had a semen analysis done several times, and his count and morphology kept coming back lower every time. He did have to have his appendix removed around that time period, so I am not sure if that played in any part of why it was dropping so dramatically. So anyway, we were told eventually that IVF was our only option, since the doctor was not going to try Clomid on me since my husband's sperm count was too low. 

Now for my rant. 
First off, I HATE drugs! Since I have had to take drugs my entire life for seizures, and have experienced every bad side effect out there humanly possible...Drugs are my enemy! What really BUGS me is, and I know this is what doctors are taught in medical school, but they always want to just cover up any sort of problem or issue going on with some sort of drug! Oh your in pain? Here take a pill! Oh your depressed?? Here take a pill! When in fact, almost everything they want to cover up with a drug could probably be treated or healed more natural or holistically. I know, there are some things where drugs are the only option, but most of the time, there are other alternatives.

So this fertility doctor says to us that our only option to have a baby is through IVF. Okay, so let me just grab my thousands of dollars I have laying around! No big deal right?? He never once mentions to try taking any natural supplements, or doing anything that might actually CURE the problem, he like many doctors out there wants to do what I call "Cover up" the issue with some good ol drugs, instead of actually giving any medical advice such as maybe eating differently, or using a natural supplement in your every day regimen.

The fact is,  the reason many women with PCOS who have IVF done, miscarry because they have issues going on that are not being cured by IVF. All IVF really is doing is it fertilizing the egg for you, but why would you put a healthy fertilized egg, back into an unhealthy environment where it is not going to allow your baby to grow? I would never want to risk that, this is why there are so many failed IVF attempts. 

I was going to a holistic doctor who did acupuncture for infertility. Again, insurance would not cover this because it was not western medicine..which I think is ridiculous! So I was not able to see her except for a few times. But during the time I was seeing her, I was feeling very good, healthy, very little pain. No drugs involved.

Anyway, what I am wanting to get at is, before draining your account, or spending every bit of money you have for artificial fertility treatments, try using natural supplements. A fertility doctor of course is not going to suggest this to you, because he/she wants you to rely on their way of so called treating the problem with drugs. In the long run, it will be better for you and your baby if you can get pregnant with more natural supplements.

Ok I am done now. :)

FertileCM

Today I wanted to talk about the FertileCM from Fairhaven Health because I am already noticing a big change in my cervical mucus. This description is coming directly off the Fairhaven Health website:


"FertileCM for Women is a balanced dietary supplement to promote the healthy production of fertile cervical mucus – the bodily fluid central to fertility and conception. The ingredients in FertileCM have also been shown to support female arousal and sexual sensitivity and strengthen the uterine lining, both of which can increase chances for successful conception.

Fertile cervical mucus during ovulation is central to getting pregnant, helping to nourish and protect sperm and facilitate sperm transport. A woman's cervical mucus changes throughout her cycle (volume and consistency in the first half of the cycle will differ from cervical mucus after ovulation takes place). In order for conception to occur, sperm must swim through the cervix and uterus and ultimately to the fallopian tube where fertilization occurs. The ingredients in FertileCM promote the production of healthy, fertile-quality cervical secretions by hydrating and thinning the cervical mucus and ensuring a proper pH balance for a vaginal environment conducive to conception."

I have been keeping  track of my cervical mucus, and I noticed that it is changing pretty dramatically by the day. The last two days of my period, when I was spotting, my CM was pretty dry. Day 5 of my cycle, my CM was sticky, then the next day (today) it is already watery!

When a woman is most fertile, her cervical mucus will be stretchy, you can take it between two fingers and it will stretch out pretty far. This allows the sperm to survive in the cervix, when traveling towards the egg. According to my fertility calendar, I am supposed to ovulate next week, so I am looking forward to reporting more changes in my CM!

What is Vitex Chasteberry?

I am naturally a researcher, so tonight I decided to look deeper into some of the key ingredients in the FertileAid products. I discovered that the Vitex Chasteberry, which is one of the main ingredients in the FertileAid for Women is considered to be an effective remedy to regulate female hormones.

It works by stimulating and normalizing the pituitary gland, which is responsible for regulating the balance of estrogen and progesterone in the body. Typically, estrogen is higher before ovulation, and progesterone is higher afterwards. What the herb Vitex does, is it balances and supports the endocrine system and balances out what is needing to take place.

The Vitex increases the chances of conception through it's ability to regulate ovulation, and also can help prevent miscarriages if taken within the first trimester of pregnancy. Many women with PCOS have miscarriages. Now it makes sense to me of why this happens. 

The Vitex Chasteberry is sometimes referred to as "the women's herb", because it is sometimes used for menstrual cycle irregularities, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), as well as symptoms of menopause. 

I am now understanding why the FertileAid does what it does. It seems to really help women who have PCOS because I know with myself, I have a low level of progesterone, which is making sense to me now after researching more about it, why I have most likely never ovulated. 

I am now more interested in seeing what these supplements do for us. It is just sad how so many people who have to go through so much heartache to have a baby because of the failed trials of IVF, or any of the other infertility treatments. I believe God created natural plants and herbs to cure almost anything. So obviously God created the Chasteberry to help cure infertility. 

Signing off for now.