Knock Knock Baby

OMG... I'm actually PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

I realize it has been a really long time since my last post, so it may have seemed like I gave up on the idea of having a baby... but I didn't! I just didn't have time to write out everything I've been doing lately... but I'll fill you in, in the next posts, exactly what I did (to give you the rundown, it boiled down to diet, exercise, decreased stress, Fertil Plus for Women, and Visalus Vitamins for me AND my husband... but I will talk about that in the next posts).

Yesterday I took a pregnancy test, and for the first time in my life, it came out positive (as you can see I'm one of those people who cuts the test strips into halves or thirds, to save money). Yes, the second line actually turned dark... and I mean, FAST. It turned dark so fast, I actually began shouting expletives. I was in shock... it truly seemed so surreal, it was hard to believe I wasn't dreaming! There have been so many times, over the last 10 years, when I've taken a pregnancy test, and... NOTHING. Somehow, that second "test strip line" never even came close to turning pink. And suddenly, I could see it changing color (a dark purple) right before my eyes!

A close girl friend encouraged me to take a second test, so I went to Costco and bought an "Answer" brand test for about $7. I took the test right there in the Costco bathroom, and sure enough... Positive. And the "pregnancy" line looked even darker than the "constant" line (the one that always turns pink no matter what).

People, I AM FORTY THREE YEARS OLD (something about that number just SOUNDS so old to me... it was making me FEEL old!). I also have a tilted cervix. My hair (without haircolor) is about 75% gray. I was getting to the point where I truly thought I was getting so old, maybe a baby just wasn't in the cards for me. It was hard not to think about all the reasons why I might not be able to get pregnant at all! I smoked on and off in my 20's and 30's. I had taken several rounds of the drug Accutane in my teens and 20's, and was starting to suspect that it could have dried up my mucous membranes to the point where the only way I could get pregnant was to do IVF (which I'd decided was a route I would not take, even if I could afford it).

I began to identify with all the people who never had babies, and decided, life might not be so bad just because I don't give birth (luckily I do have two great step kids). I even spent a couple of hours on www.adoptuskids.org, earlier this week, and decided, that was the route for me in few years. I was bawling, watching the videos on the website, looking at all these kids who truly need homes (by the way, I haven't ruled out becoming a foster parent... no matter what happens with this pregnancy, it's something I would really like to do in the future, if I can get my husband on board too).

Well, I guess because I was so psyched about the idea of becoming a foster parent, that the positive pregnancy test kind of put me in shock. I just stared at the test strip and kept saying, No way... No WAY!!!! Holy ****!!!!

For the record, I believe the date of conception was on or around January 5th (at least, that's the date my OPK said I was ovulating... and the line on the test strip was DARK).

For the last 3 weeks, I haven't felt much in terms of "pregnancy symptoms" (though on Monday I did have a weird little bit of nausea - just a few seconds - around lunchtime but it could have been my imagination, or something I ate). Yeah, I was getting the big boobs around the last week of my cycle. But I can't tell you how many times that's happened, and my excitement about the possibility of being pregnant turns to disappointment as soon as my period arrives.

The reason I took a pregnancy test was because I was having a few other weird symptoms:

1) Fatigue. On Wednesday night I wanted to work late into the evening but ended up coming home and just wanting to sit on the couch, I was so tired (I thought maybe it was from cleaning all day, or because I went for an extra long run - about an hour, on hills). My lower back was really bothering me, and I had to get on my Back to Life machine to alleviate some of the pressure. I realize, most of my fatigue did probably come from the long run and from cleaning all day, but it just seemed like I was extra tired. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch with my stepkids and watch TV!

2) Diarrhea. On Wed. and Thurs., I woke up with terrible diarrhea. I googled it and discovered that even though it's not common (constipation is actually much more common), there were quite a few women who DID experience diarrhea, early on in their pregnancies. You can see the site here:

http://www.babycenter.com/400_is-diarrhea-a-normal-symptom-of-early-pregnancy_860275_923.bc

3) Discharge. It seemed like there was an unusual amount of discharge on my undies a few days ago (I could tell because the undies were purple, not white). I looked it up, and sure enough, I guess that's a sign of conception. http://www.babycenter.com/0_vaginal-discharge-during-pregnancy_270.bc

4) Change in my body temperature. This is not actually something I noticed myself, but my husband commented, when we were having sex on Wednesday: "Wow... you're really warm! (down there)!!" I didn't make the connection that it could be a "symptom" of pregnancy until I found out I was pregnant, but now I am thinking that must have had something to do with it!

5) No pain with orgasm. Let me explain this one. For the last few years, I've had an issue with cramping after orgasm (it's gotten better since I've taken Visalus, but it's still there to some degree). This doesn't tend to occur during the first 3 weeks of my cycle, but one way I can tell my period is about to hit, is, if I have an orgasm that is accompanied by painful cramps, i know menstruation is on its way. Well, about a week ago, I had an orgasm and could feel a little bit of that pain coming on, so I figured my period was just around the corner. But when I had an orgasm two nights ago, and felt NO PAIN whatsoever, it seemed odd. Wasn't my period supposed to be around the corner? I always figured that pain must come from blood that is about to be released... so where did all that blood GO? Did it somehow disperse, or find something better to do than flood down the exit door of my cervix, as it always did on the fourth week of my cycle? I would say this was, more than anything, the biggest reason I was suspicious that I might be pregnant.

I am trying to be realistic about this pregnancy, in that, I realize, at my age, it may not actually "stick." All of my girl friends who have gotten pregnant over the age of 35 had a miscarriage on the first try. So without being pessimistic or negative, I want to keep a realistic outlook on the situation, and do everything I can to stay healthy and give this little embryo the best chance it can have! If it turns out to be a full term pregnancy, I will consider myself truly blessed (I already do consider myself really blessed, just for being able to GET pregnant!). If it doesn't, at the very least I will know I CAN get pregnant! But I'm going to do everything I can to ensure this is a healthy pregnancy. I've already gone and bought tons of healthy food from Costco: Salad mix (dark green spring mix plus an iceberg mix), organic baby bell peppers, baby carrots, bananas. I'm going to be a salad eating machine!!!

Stay tuned for my next post to see the things I did to help me finally get pregnant! (And yes, I did eat yams) : )

Fertili-Tea cured my Athlete's Foot!

2010-07-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this. I swear to God, Fertili-tea cured my athlete's foot.

I've struggled on and off with a nasty case of athlete's foot since I was about 27. It happened when I biked to work and didn't use slippers when I used the company "locker room" shower. I couldn't figure out why my foot was so itchy all of a sudden, and then my boyfriend broke the news to me: I had athlete's foot.

I've tried different creams and sprays over the years, and it just seemed to keep coming back. I should mention here, though, that it does seem to get worse when I ingest too much sugar and/or yeast... like donuts.

But I discovered - by accident (as is usually the case for my best discoveries) - that Fertili-Tea - the tea you drink to improve your fertility - made my athlete's foot practically VANISH.

I noticed this about a year ago, when I was working as a receptionist and got in the habit of making a large thermos filled with FertiliTea every afternoon. Sometimes I would even drink the leaves. I did this every day for a couple of months, and then one day I noticed... hey wait a minute... that nagging itchy foot problem isn't there anymore!

The only thing I could think of, that could have done it, was the Fertili-Tea.

A few months ago I noticed the Athlete's foot was back. So I started drinking my FertiliTea again (I'd stopped for a long time), for about a week, and sure enough - the Athlete's foot is now gone.

Who would have thought that the best cure for athlete's foot would be to drink Fertili Tea! I have no idea what the ingredient is, that cured it (there are several, including red raspberry leaf and peppermint). I'm assuming not a lot of dudes would want to drink the stuff. But I swear to you, it worked great for me!!!

Vitamin D Can help you conceive!

2010-07-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just want to do a separate post for Vitamin D because it's helped me so much.

This past winter, I discovered by accident, how great Vitamin D is. I began taking vitamin D supplements one day when I was experiencing a bad bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder... the thing you get when you get a BAD case of the winter blues. I'm one of those people who could never live (happily) in Seattle or Portland. I get wigged out when I don't get enough sun.

Well, I'd heard of people buying "Vitamin D Lamps," but didn't have one of those and couldn't afford one. So I decided to take Vitamin D supplements and see if that might help any. I knew I could get a big bottle at Costco for something like $15 or less.... a lot cheaper than a $150 sunlamp!

I took about 5 pills - about 10,000 mg (I think I heard once that Dr. Andrew Weil said this is ok), and sure enough, I did feel a little better. But what was even better than that, was that my lower back pain suddenly disappeared.

I have been struggling with lower back pain since 2005. Up till then, I'd had a really strong back and practically bragged about how strong my back was. If a friend needed help lifting something, I was happy to help. I used to pick up my nephew and turn him upside down and "shake him like a salt shaker." No back pain. Until it all caught up with me at once.

I thought if was a combination of 3 things: Drinking way too much coffee, not drinking enough water, going vegetarian (and not getting enough protein), and having all those years of abusing my back, finally catch up with me.

Suddenly I realized, a big part of my lower back pain had to do with me being severely deficient in Vitamin D. It made sense, as I was rarely drinking milk and wasn’t really getting it in other ways. Maybe I’m one of those people who needs even more than the average amount of Vitamin D.

It kills me that I'd never heard, anywhere, that Vitamin D can help SO MUCH when it comes to lower back pain. It worked so well for me, I felt almost annoyed that I'd spent YEARS dealing with lower back pain when all I had to do was take vitamin D. The pain was so bad sometimes, my back would hurt just bending over to feed my cats in the morning.

Anyway, I started researching Vitamin D and sure enough - there is a lot of evidence to support that yes, Vitamin D helps with back pain. I'd just never seen it or heard of it before.

But I was also surprised to also find out that women who take Vitamin D supplements have an easier time Conceiving when doing IVF! Here is an article about it:

http://living.health.com/2009/10/07/vitamin-d-conception/

How much to take?

I'd like to quote this part of the article, in case you don't feel like clicking on the link:

“Vitamin D is a safely tolerated supplement,” Dr. Pal said. “What you get in a multivitamin is not enough.”
Even a prenatal vitamin may not be providing enough vitamin D, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), which published a report that echoes Dr. Pal’s concern. The measly 400 IUs in the typical vitamin may not be enough, even for a child.
It seems that taking at least 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily may be the best course of action. However, according to Dr. Pal, some people who were suffering from a deficiency must take much more before their blood levels show adequate amounts. Both Dr. Pal and the AJCN cite studies where people were given 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D daily with no deleterious effect.
In fact, the AJCN’s report mentions that if a white person were to go to the beach for the day in the summer, they would receive about 50,000 IUs of vitamin D—a stark contrast with those 400 IUs in average prenatals.

Here is another interesting video: http://www.webmd.com/video/pregnancy-vitamin-d

Enjoy : )

Taking a break... sort of...

2010-07-10T12:20:00.001-07:00

My ovulation cycle is totally out of whack. I'm not sure why it is that I'll ovulate on day 28 of one cycle, then day 9 on the next cycle. But that's just what happened this month. I ovulated on day 9. The day my stepkids were over - which happened to be the WORST possible time to "get the job done" because we weren't going to see them for 2 weeks and we wound up staying up so late with them that me and my husband were way to exhausted to take our clothes off. It just kills me too, because I was producing soooo much cervical fluid that day. That was how I knew I was ovulating. I stopped taking my temperature a few months ago, but it was pretty obvious that I was ovulating when I saw how wet I was every time I went to the ladies room. My cervical position was high and soft. And I got a positive line on the ovulation test strip.

But I like to think it may not have been a viable (wasted) egg, because I didn't experience other ovulation signs, like pain with ovulation. I also couldn't feel that huge bump I would sometimes get when I ovulate. I got that about a week later. And it was so unusually early for me to be ovulating. Yes. I know. I'm probably kidding myself.

Whatever the case, due to a huge mound of financial stress I've been under lately, I've been putting this baby thing on hold (for NOW). Or maybe I should say, I've been taking a less active approach to getting knocked up. It's not like I'm trying NOT to have a baby, but I'm definitely not doing everything I could to make it happen. I realize that being 41 isn't the best time to put something like this off. But I've started a new career that won't be profitable for a few months, and until I have money coming in, I feel like I just don't have the brainspace to devote too much time to my fertility right now. My husband would freak out if I announced I was pregnant right now. Plus I have so much work to do, I've been drinking coffee, which I heard is like liquid birth control for women in my age range. It's definitely scary for me to keep putting it off, but I have to hold onto the hope that things will somehow work out for the best, in the long run!

Ovulating late in the cycle

2010-03-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I just found out I ovulated on day 28!

In previous cycles, I'd typically ovulate somewhere between days 12 and 16. But for some reason this month, I didn't ovulate till day 28.

My poor husband... he's having to deal with this whole "sex on demand" issue and we are BOTH confused about when's the right time to do it, but he's making an effort to be accomodating (though I suppose there are worse things to help your wife with... probably beats cleaning the garage!).

Anyway... day 12 came around... then day 13, 14, 15, 16... I just kind of assumed I must be ovulating, even though I wasn't showing any particular signs (except maybe a small amount of cervical fluid). But the OPK showed a negative result, and there was NO ferning on my ovulation microscrope.

Then, on day 28, after going to the bathroom I noticed a good amount of cervical mucus on the toilet paper. So I took a test and sure enough... it was positive. I also had a lot of ferning on the ovulation microscope, AND I could feel my ovary on my left side (it was huge). That was a few days ago, and now that I'm post ovulation I can no longer feel it.

I don't really understand why I had the delay in ovulation. Supposedly it's most likely to happen when you're under stress or your diet changes, but I don't think I was under more stress than usual this month, or made any drastic changes to my diet.

Anyway, I read about "late ovulation" online and supposedly my chances of getting pregnant this late in the cycle aren't good... the endometrium lining may not be as good. But it doesn't help to try, right?

I used the instead cup, tried to drink plenty of fluids, and laid down for about an hour after sex. Took my supplements, including primrose oil and guafinesin pills. I did have some decaf coffee though. Twice. With about 1/3 cup regular coffee. And half a pint of beer. Guess I'm going to have to wait and see what happens...

My new routine, including supplements

2010-02-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

I got laid off in early November, and on the positive side my diet has been WAY better, now that I'm not surrounded by all the candy and soda that was in full stock at the company I worked for.

I try to eat a big salad every day. I TRY to have this healthy 12 grain breakfast (mentioned in the last post) on a more regular basis now. And I take a good amount of supplements almost every day.

It definitely helps to keep them in a pill minder, that way I don't have to keep unscrewing bottles and I can keep track of how good I've been doing during the week. I try to take the fat-soluble vitamins (eg vitamin D) when I have some fat (eg. milk or pizza, which is not a usual thing), and then the garlic and prenatal with dinner or when I have a big salad. I try to take the antioxidants in the morning.

The supplements include:

-Vitamin D (I heard it helps you absorb 3 times more calcium!). I started taking it because I was suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and was pleasantly surprised I had a HUGE reduction in back pain after taking vitamin D. Actually I think the one I am taking may be Vitamin D3. I got it at Costco. The pills are super tiny, like 1/2 the size of a typical vitamin E pill. They're 2000 mg and I take 1 or 2 a day. I think it also helped me quite a bit with the seasonal affective disorder.

On another note, ladies: Vitamin D has been shown to help women undergoing IVF treatment! Check out this article: http://living.health.com/2009/10/07/vitamin-d-conception/

-Prenatal Vitamin from Costco. They're these big red pills - like a liquid / gel pill. I really like these. On the downside, they make my hair grow so friggin fast I have to keep coloring it (I know, you're not supposed to color your hair but I can't help it, I may have to go childless if that's the case).

-Pycnogenol. I heard this can really help women who have endometriosis. I started taking this before it was determined that I don't have it, but it's a really good antioxidant so I keep taking it anyway. You can read the endometriosis article here by the way: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/More-evidence-for-Pycnogenol-endometriosis-benefit and here's one more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64791.php

-Resveratrol, from Costco, 1 pill

-SOMETIMES I take some ACAI (a friend gave me a bottle)

-Multiple B Vitamin.

-Odorless garlic tab from Nature Made.

-CoEnzyme Q10. I don't always take these, just if I've eaten enough during the day and feel like it. I feel like I'm taking so many things I don't want to overdo it.

-Folic acid. It's a tiny little brown pill (just found one the cats chewed up, on the ground). I think it smells like fish oil. Anyway there is folic acid in the prenatal vitamins but I take an extra one of these for the hell of it.

-Vitamin C. I am on the fence about taking this, as I think it helps keep me healthy but at the same time, having an acidic environment "down there" kills sperm. So I kind of stopped taking these. I do try to drink extra milk around ovulation time because I heard it makes your body more alkaline, which is more favorable for sperm.

WHEN I'M OVULATING, I take:
- Evening oil of primrose (a really big tablet)
- Mucus relief tablets
- Fertile CM (it's pricey so I save it and only take it between about day 10 of my cycle and day 20.

I TRY to drink 2 pots of tea a day but that doesn't always happen. It does help if I make it at night in the coffee pot, let it cool down by morning and pour it into my favorite bottle (an alhambra 33.8 oz. water bottle... go figure why it's 33.08 instead of like 32 but whatever). I've heard it's not great to drink out of those bottles (because of the plastic residue... BHT? BBT? shoot I forget the proper name) but I'm praying it's still doing at least SOMETHING good.

Fertility Breakfast - 12 Grain "Cereal"

2010-02-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this yummy breakfast I've been eating for a while now. It's 12 grain "cereal" (though it looks more like bird food than cereal) and you can get it at Whole Foods or Rainbow Foods, in the section where you scoop stuff out of bins into a plastic bag, write the item # on the twist tie, and pay by the pound. It doesn't look very glamorous but it tastes GREAT when you cook it right, has tons of fiber, and best of all, it gives me a REALLY GOOD ENERGY BUZZ that I just do not get from other breakfast foods. Particularly NOT cereal, which tends to either make me sleepy and wanna crash, or it just makes me feel hungry later.

The only downside is it takes 5 minutes to cook it and, being the most impatient eater in the whole world, sometimes that's too long for me to wait. When I'm hungry I want to eat right that very second, and you actually have to cook this for 5 minutes (I managed to overcook / burn it every time until I realized my microwave has a kitchen timer!).

When it's done, it's really good.

This is how I make it.

-1/3 cup 12-grain cereal

-2/3 cup water

Bring to a boil on stove (cook for 5 minutes total).

Halfway through cooking I throw in:

-handful of cranberries, cut in half \

-MAYBE 1/2 a banana sliced up, if I feel like it

Then when it's all done I put it in a bowl with:

-big spoonful of brown sugar

-2 tbsp. ground flaxseed / pumpkinseed mixture (you can get both from whole foods or rainbow foods and i grind them up in my Magic Bullet that I LOVE).

-If I have walnuts I may throw some in, but not every time.

I pour about 1/2 cup of soymilk over the whole thing and mix it all up. It is sooo good!

It's really high in fiber and the pumpkin / flaxseed mixture give it a really good nutty taste. I heard from Fern Reiss' book on fertility that it's good to eat pumpkin seeds, and I really don't like the taste of raw pumpkin seeds but for some reason when I blend them up like this, they taste really good! I blend up the flaxseed (which must be ground in order to give you the beneficial effects) and pumpkin seeds in my magic bullet (that I got at Costco for $40 with a coupon... one of my best investments EVER). And I keep the stuff in a plastic container in the freezer (flaxseed goes rancid very quickly unless you refrigerate it).

Ground Pumpkinseed / flaxseed mixture, before putting it in the freezer.

It's really inexpensive to make this for breakfast and it's soooo good for you. Go try some!

An herbal treatment for Endometriosis : Pycnogenol!

2009-11-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

Years ago I had heard about how good Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) is for the skin. A cosmetician who was doing microdermabrasion on me had flawless, really young looking skin and she swore the pycnogenol she was taking had a lot to do with it.

Yesterday I was at the library, reading a book called "Perfect hormone balance for fertility" (it's a really good book, actually, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Hormone-Balance-Fertility-Ultimate/dp/0307337405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257871463&sr=8-1).

It said a certain type of pine tree is known to have bark that contains a potent antioxidant / anti-inflammatory called polyphenols. I am for the most part quoting what was said in the book (hoping I don't get busted on the basis that I'm plugging it at the same time with the link above).

In 2007, a large study randomly assigned women with endometriosis to take either a 30 mg. capsule twice a day of a pine bark extract, or to take Lupron. In just 4 weeks all women experienced a reduction in their symptoms. Women using the herbal extract reported that pain was reduced BY ABOUT 80 PERCENT and cramping ABOUT 75 PERCENT, which were about the same as those on Lupron. But the women on the extract continued to have regular menstrual cycles, whereas those on Lupron didn't, and those on the extract didn't experience the menopausan side effects of Lupron. What's more, at least FIVE WOMEN ON THE PINE BARK EXTRACT BECAME PREGNANT. Women on Lupron had a rebound return of symptoms when they went off the drug, whereas pine bark had no such side effect.

You can read more about the benefits of pycnogenol (for endometriosis) here (or just google "endometriosis" and "pycnogenol"... you will find a TON of stuff!!!). http://www.pycnogenol.com/media/media_press_releases.php?action=detail&id=479

Plenty of places sell pycnogenol. I bought it once at Trader Joe's and it was not cheap, but I'm hoping to get it online pretty cheap. This place sells it "buy 2, get 3 free."

http://www.puritan.com/pycnogenol-519?afid=27&safid=Google&scid=6831&cm_mmc=Google-_-Grape_Pycnogenol-_-pycnogenol-_-Exact+Ad_3555021631%7C-%7C100000000000000032299&cm_guid=1-_-100000000000000032299-_-3555021631&gclid=COy03u_wgJ4CFRhfagodfQ4SpQ

I've never tried that brand but I might since it looks like one of the least expensive on the web. I'm going to see if Costco carries pycnogenol anywhere, too.

Using an Instead Cup - ROLLED UP - to get pregnant

2009-10-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

I had tried the instead cup a few times (to keep the sperm closer to my cervix and also prevent them from leaking out) but it didn't seem to be doing much. True, I could have other issues going on but I was totally jazzed about this idea. I love these instead cups. I even got to meet the woman who invented them - she gave me a bunch of free ones and I was determined to put them to the ultimate good use.

It occurred to me that I could roll it up slightly (imagine rolling a condom so tight there's hardly any space in the reservoir tip). While the instead cup does do a decent job of keeping the sperm from leaking out, you have to remember that those cups are designed so that there’s plenty of room to hold blood during a heavy monthly flow, so there’s a lot of extra, empty space for the sperm to pool around in. If you're dealing with "barco lounger sperm" (like my husband suspects he has)... you want to get them as close as possible to the entrance of your cervix!

Be sure to roll it up with the "smooth" edge facing outward (if you do it the other way the sperm could get stuck in the crevices along the edge). It can also help to coat the cup with pre-seed, as it helps the sperm live longer! (See my post on pre seed).

Part of the reason I wanted to try this is, my gynecologist informed me that I have scarring on my cervix, from cryosurgery I had done almost 20 YEARS AGO. I couldn’t believe it. How come nobody told me that before? She made it sound like, the opening to my cervix was only about ¼ the size it is supposed to be, so it could be harder for the sperm to get where they're supposed to go (i'm hoping if I give them less distance to travel, less of them will get lost!). She did say that I could have some success with IUI treatment, but I’d rather see if I can get knocked up with some creative methods before that.

During my last cycle, I used the instead cup in this “rolled up” manner, while I was ovulating, and I swear it did something. Less than 48 hours after me and my hubby (we got married recently) did the deed, I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling some strange kind of hormonal weirdness I couldn’t explain. My boobs felt really big and swollen, and it lasted for about ten days, until one weekend I drank a rum drink and coffee, and then some hot tea in a non-BPA-free plastic bottle (I’m paranoid that the plastic from the bottle got into my system). Suddenly I got sick with a burning sore throat and a runny nose, sneezing, coughing. Just like that, my boobs were "deflating" and I no longer felt pregnant.

I guess I don't know for sure if the cup had anything to do with my temporary feeling of pregnancy, but... I’m definitely going to try again next month.

Positive Testimonials

2009-07-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

I'm currently taking fertility supplements and realized it's so easy to get distracted by new things, but I need to keep focusing on one course of treatment at a time. I have barely been taking FertilAid and Fertile CM and drinking the Fertili Tea, and have already let myself think, well it must not be working so I'm going to try something else. It's crazy how easily I can get distracted and let to try the new thing when I barely even gave the first thing a chance (it's hard not to when you have friends who are a lot younger than you, getting pregnant with barely any effort at all).

It reminds me a lot of when I was dieting in my 20's. I got caught up in the whole process of trying new things and focusing on what was WRONG, rather than focusing on what I was supposed to be doing - putting foods that I felt good about, into my mouth! I need to focus on what is truly important - being healthy. For me and whatever potential baby I might bring into the world. And that means taking supplements REGULARLY, drinking lots of water, and eating healthy. In my experience with weight loss, I found that the thing that was preventing me from achieving it was all my anxiety around it. I was focusing on the wrong things. God tends not to give you the best things in life, when you do them for the wrong reasons. So I need to continue to think fertile thoughts, and keep doing what is good for my body.

I think it's also important to psyche myself out to be prepared for this to take months to work, and know what I will do if it doesn't work. If I use all these products regularly for 4 months and it doesn't work, then I'll try not using fertil aid and see if that works (i could be one of these women who should NOT use the stuff). If that doesn't work, I'll try Fertil Plus. And if that doesn't work after 4 months, I'll try that herbalist I mentioned a post or two ago. And if that doesn't work I would consider IVF or adoption if I could afford it. If not, I would look into becoming a foster parent.

Anyway, to encourage myself, I'm adding links for the testimonial pages, of the stuff I'm taking, that I really like and would recommend to others:

Fertil Aid: Fertil Aid: http://www.amazon.com/FertilAid-Women-Female-Fertility-Supplement/product-reviews/B0002G2M9Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R2SOFW9NEC5SON

Fertile CM: http://www.amazon.com/Fairhaven-Health-FertileCM-Veggie-Caps/product-reviews/B000GQSMOE/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Fertili Tea: http://www.amazon.com/FertiliTea-Natural-Fertility-Tea-Blend/product-reviews/B0006SFQGO/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Pre-Seed: http://www.amazon.com/Pre-Seed-Personal-Lubricant-Multi-use-Tube/product-reviews/B001DNIMH6/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?ie=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

This is a GREAT video showing how herbs can help your fertility...

2009-07-03T23:12:00.001-07:00

Fertility herbs

The video is about Sharkey's healing center, and how "A curent affair" in Australia, featured the center and suddenly thousands of women were getting pregnant!

Fertil Plus

2009-07-03T22:50:00.001-07:00

This place has really good testimonials. I sent this link to a friend of mine a few months ago but then couldn't find the email or remember the name of the site. Luckily I actually remembered to bookmark it. I love it that there are AUDIO testimonials. It makes me hopeful just to hear them.

http://fertilplus.com/

Pueraria Mirifica

2009-04-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

In my last post I talked about how I'd heard someone say they felt that "boob enhancement pills" helped them get pregnant. Well, today I did a little googling on that and came across this study (for pueraria mirifica). Note the very last (bolded) sentence:

Abstract
Objective
Effects of Pueraria mirifica on bone loss in fully mature ovariectomized rats are examined.
Methods
Two series of experiments were performed. In the first series, rats were kept with their ovaries intact and divided into two groups; initial control (IC) and sham control (SH). The IC rats were sacrificed on day 1 and their data were kept as baseline control. The SH rats were subjected to sham operation on day 0 and gavaged daily with distilled water for 90 days. In the second series, rats were subjected to ovariectomy, divided into five groups and gavaged daily with 0.1mg/kg B.W./day of 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE), 0, 10, 100 and 1000mg/kg B.W./day of P. mirifica (P0, P10, P100 and P1000, respectively) for 90 days. Changes of bone mineral density and bone mineral content were measured using peripheral Quantitative Computerized Tomography.
Results
Bone loss was significantly induced by ovariectomy and it was dose-dependently prevented by P. mirifica treatment for 90 days. The preventive effects of P. mirifica on bone loss depended on bone types (axial or long bone), bone sites (metaphysis or diaphysis), and bone compartments (trabecular and cortical). At P100 and P1000, bone loss was completely prevented both in trabecular bone mineral density and content. The effects of P. mirifica were, as expected, comparable to that in the EE group.
Conclusion
These results suggest that P. mirifica may be applicable to treat the osteoporosis in menopausal women; however, an undesirable side effect on stimulating reproductive organs should be concerned.

(I guess it's "undesirable" for women who are NOT trying to get pregnant - for those of us who are trying, it could be another story!)

-----------------------

More research also said that in some cases, pueraria mirifica has been used as a contraceptive. Greeeeat.

http://www.biomaxx-sys.com/pueraria.html

Pueraria mirifica (Shaw)

Family: Papilonidae

Thai names: Kwao krua kao, Suvatabandhu

Botanical description:
A tuberous root, which looks like a row of near spherical bulbs of different sizes interconnected by a small root throughout the entire length of the root. Nine species of the genus Pueraria exist in Thailand which look alike, but Pueraria mirifica can be clearly identified from the distinct characteristics of the stamen of the flower and its hairy pod.

This plant grows exclusively in Thailand, and only in a very limited area of several hundred square kilometres at an altitude of 300 m to 600 m above sea level. Recent research has shown that there are vast differences in quality of active substances between the plants which grow uncultivated in the north and north-east of the country. As little as 60 km (40 miles) is sufficient to produce a difference of up to 50% in the phytohormones contained in the parenchyma (flesh) of the bulbous roots. To ensure the high quality that is required for medicinal purposes a far more selective harvesting has to be carried out by experts than for almost any other curative herbs. Cultivation takes place on a commercial scale and the three best varieties were selected and are known as Pueraria-I, II and III.

Export Quality Control:
Since October 2001 the export of pueraria has been subjected to stringent regulations which were laid down by the Ministry of Commerce in collaboration with the author’s research group. The export of the raw product can now only take place through government agencies which ensure that only products in their marketable form for medicinal purposes and not the whole roots can be exported.

There is nevertheless, as is only to be expected, a lively black market which is driven by the high demand; even in the West there are products on sale, particularly in the cosmetic industry, which supposedly contain pueraria and which are accompanied with the wildest claims for their beneficial effect on health. Government agencies have already instigated appropriate investigations.

Uses in Ethnic Medicine:
For generations known only to the members of a population group in northern Thailand (Laana Tribe), the knowledge of this plant has become more widespread in the last 80 years due to the development of modern communications. Pueraria is strictly used as an ‘elixir of youth’. As the child bearing age of women is extended, pueraria has in certain doses been used as a contraceptive product long before oral contraception - the ‘Pill’ - was developed in laboratories in the West. However, in other doses, pueraria can actually increase fertility. The plant is taken for breast enlargement and improvement, for disorders in mood and well being, and menstruation problems. The plant also has positive effects against loss of hair, greying, and wrinkles in the skin.

Note: I am guessing that it has to do with what your hormonal balance is to begin with. You can only have too much of a good thing. In my lifetime I've seen many cases of people treating themselves for things that didn't need to be treated, and then they screw themselves up. For example, if you're already fertile and then you take the stuff, it could decrease your fertility. I read some testimonials from women who were taking fertility pills. Before they started taking the supplements they were ovulating regularly, but as soon as they started taking them, it seemed to screw them up (whereas most of the women had the opposite effect). If you're wired on caffeine and then drink more coffee it will make you tired. You can only so much of a good thing before your body starts to send you in the "opposite direction" because you've hit a wall and there's nowhere else to go.

I thought it was interesting that it seems to "act against" endometriosis:

Effects of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome):
Unlike synthetically produced hormones, pueraria mirifica has demonstrated that it is able to successfully remove menstrual complaints and symptoms without producing any side effects. It is therefore the most appropriate remedy. Pueraria stimulates production of the endometrium (lining of the uterus) and acts against endometriosis (growth of endometrial tissue in an abnormal location). Pueraria is used in the treatment of menopausal complaints which are caused by a change in the composition of female sex hormones. The hormones in pueraria also stimulate improvements in the skin by reducing wrinkles (anti-aging).

And I read one more study on this site (it was in the body of an ebay post, from a user selling pueraria mirifica) http://myworld.ebay.com/iamsiamz/ (type in pueraria mirifica in the seller's search box to see one of their posts, as they expire every week or so).

The studying effect of crude extract of Pueraria mirifica was found that it had potency by increasing body weight in both male and female Wistar rats. While they were subcutaneous administrated continuously 25 mg/kg. of body weight for 5 and 10 days. As well as increasing in ovarian and uterus weight, but had no effect on pituitary and testis weight. Histology study showed clearly spermatogenesis inhibition in male, proliferation of endometrium and ovulation inhibition in female rats. In weaning rats were subcutaneous injected with 100 mg/kg. of body weight, were affected significantly on increasing of litter weight. Result of single crude extract administration 50 and 100 mg/kg of body weight after fertilization for one day were embryo implantation inhibition 40 and 100 percent respectively, and the number of embryo implantation were significant difference.

Note: "Ovulation inhibition".... that doesn't sound too good. But it also says it helped increase litter weight...? Go figure.

Breast Enhancement Pills

2009-04-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

That's right. Boobie pills.

Before I explain the connection between boobie pills and fertility (still out for debate) let me tell you how I got interested in the pills in the first place.

Years ago I was having a heated debate with my friend Randy about whether or not a certain woman's boobs were fake. Personally, i don't really care how a woman gets her boobs or if they're fake, that's not my business. But I told Randy that "she could have been taking boob pills" and had to explain to him what those are.

I would not actually believe they worked, since i had never taken them, but about a year prior when I was on a plane to Hawaii I got to chatting to this gal sitting next to me and we spent almost the whole plane ride talking about girly stuff. It was surreal, I had just met this woman and we were both single and chatty and next thing you know we're talking about supplements and PMS and she tells me she's taking breast enhancement pills (and NO she was not selling them). They were called Grobust. I'll never forget how she gave me a wink and thumbs up and said they really work. It was so funny - I had JUST MET this woman.

Anyway, I was so annoyed with Randy for acting like I was totally naive to believe "boobie pills" actually work, that I basically told him I was going to take them and let him see the difference. Yes, he had seen my boobs before, and knew they weren't particularly big.

I did a lot of research on ebay to find a brand that women seemed happy with. And one of the testimonials was from a woman who said they helped her get pregnant. This was about 5 years ago, and I tried to go back to ebay and find out which brand that was but I could never find the testimonial again! I don't even think the person who was selling that brand is selling it anymore. I know how that is, I've sold things on ebay as a wholesaler and after a while you can get burnt out.

Well, I found a brand that seemed to have good reviews and tried it and yep - my boobs got bigger. But so did a mole I have on my butt, and it kind of freaked me out. It got kind of swollen and my first thought was, what if this turns out to cause cancer?? I stopped taking it after the first bottle and left it at that. I never did get Randy to feel the difference (he moved to LA and wasn't about to drive all the way there to get him to feel them).

This year I decided to try taking some "boob gum" to increase my hormonal balance and see if it would help me get pregnant. I ordered it in the summer and after the first week of taking it, my bf commented on my boobs, people said I looked like I was glowing, and I think I may have even gotten pregnant (it didn't last but I got that metallic taste in my mouth that I've heard is a symptom). I was moving a bunch of stuff around my office and misplaced the gum and so stopped taking it (they say you're not supposed to take boob enhancement stuff while you're pregnant anyway). I was also under a lot of stress and didn't cut out coffee or alcohol or make a point to eat super healthy, so I can see how a zygote wouldn't really want to move on to the next level.

I've started chewing the gum again (since I recently found it) and yep, the boobs are getting bigger (but I don't seem to have that problem with the swollen mole). In addition, people are saying I'm glowing, and my boyfriend recently had this comment: "God... you just feel so amazing lately..." The only other time he noticed a big difference during sex was when I was taking maca and Fertile CM (I believe maca can change your hormonal balance - for the better). So I'm guessing the gum may have had something to do with it. There are only 3 things I've done different lately: 1) cut back on caffeine (true, that could be part of it), 2) drink a little more water, and 3) chew the boob gum.

I did a little googling to see if I could find any reports of breast enhancement pills helping women become pregnant. This is what I found (on this page: http://www.supplementsolutions.com/breastenhancement.htm):

Breast BALANCE
Balances Female Hormones
Level Mood is Maintained
Libido Increased
Contains Nutritives, including EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids), for Healthy Breast Cells and Glandular Tissue
Menopausal Symptoms - Improves Hot Flashes, Vaginal Dryness, Nervous Tension and Sleepless Nights Resulting in Daytime Fatigue
and also Breast Enlargement done NATURALLY
Formulated with Botanicals and Other Natural Ingredients for PMS Relief Including Mood Swings, Irritability, Bloating and Cramping
Includes Herbs and Antioxidants that Contribute to Healthy Immune Function and Breast Support
New Ingredients for Breast Health and to Maintain Healthy Hormone Levels to Bring Balance and Harmony

ALSO on the site:

I am trying to get pregnant;
will Breast Enlargement Pills help?

Reports indicate that the formula is helpful because of the beneficial effects on problems such as irregular menstrual periods, infertility, PMS, cramping, bloating, and irritability. We have generally seen improvement in these types of problems as soon as three weeks.

The formula also helps to increase libido, which of course, is very helpful if you are trying to get pregnant. Women have generally seen improvement in these types of problems as soon as three weeks.

Can I take the formula during pregnancy?

The formula should NOT be taken during pregnancy or while nursing.

----------------

I should note that I have always suspected I might have a little bit of a hormonal imbalance. My periods have always been kind of irregular. In my 20's and early 30's, When i took the pill (ortho tricyclen) my boobs got a LOT bigger and my skin got clearer. I heard some women take the pill just to get their hormones balanced. Well, I feel like that's what the pill kind of did for me. But I can't take the pill now, obviously, so... I'm going with the boob gum.

I keep worrying my boyfriend or a co-worker will see me with the gum and say "can I have a piece?" And I'm going to have to say, 'Um.... no... trust me you don't want this gum" without having to explain "Why NOT?" It looks just like Eclipse or any other gum that comes in those foil packets. I don't want to be rude and say no you can't have any of my gum (though it's true I don't really want to share - the sh*t's expensive!). But I don't want my boyfriend to start growing boobies either. I've tried to think of excuses I could use. "It's Nicorette" (no, that would be worse). I think I might just keep another pack of Eclipse in my purse and if they ask for a piece, i'll pull out the eclipse and say "Here - have one of these - it's fresher - I'm just eating these other ones to get rid of it." They may go, "Oooookay...?" but at least the questioning will probably stop right there.

By the way, you're supposed to give up caffeine while you're taking the gum, and I've been trying (it's not easy!!!). I gave up caffeine on April 1st - then a few days later I cheated and had a diet dr. pepper, and now I've had tea and decaf coffee. True, I've cut back, but... I'm easing out of it rather than going cold turkey.

One last note: I couldn't remember if I'd read the pregnancy testimonial, from ebay, in regards to a breast enhancement pill or if it was for this other boob-enlarging stuff called pueraria mirifica (which does come in pill form but they sell it all kinds of different ways). So I googled that too and there does seem to be some evidence that what these pills basically do is help your hormone imbalance and help increase your uterine lining.

I found this online and it is so funny. Obviously written and translated (maybe with babelfish) by someone who doesn't speak english very well (taken from this page: http://www.dite.co.jp/shop/eng/pueraria.shtml

Relation with the estrogen
Women are controlled by the estrogen for their body, their skin, and so on.
Cramps, headache, stomachache, stiff neck, tiredness, chillness, body trouble with such as swelling, nervousness, anxiety, sleeplessness, unpleasant mental symptom such as forgetfulness, problems for skin such as dryness, spots, stain and wrinkle. These are caused by the effect for all the estrogen.

Especially estrogen is the estrogen. It is increased secretion since the
awkward age. It creates a woman-like body and helps to implant insemination
ovum or thicken a womb skin for ready to get pregnant. It creates also ovum.
Estrogen is concerned in an autonomic nerve, move of feeling, bone, skin, mucous

membrane, knuckles, muscles, stomach, intestines, move of the brain greatly.
Characteristic for Pueraria mirifica is to work the estrogen function deeply.
Most of women notice something effect.

Particularly for women whose woman's function are decreasing or inactive.
It effects for boobs and beauty skin and especially for a menopausal disorder.

Stress and pregnancy

2009-02-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

I actually think I may not have even ovulated this month. I'm 16 days into my cycle and was so overly-caffeinated this month i think i probably skipped the ovulation altogether. Understandably, my boyfriend is a little worried this is a bad time for me to try to get pregnant (he already has 2 kids and is having a hard time making ends meet in this economy). I was like, "don't worry honey, I probably won't get pregnant this month - I'm doing like, every 'anti-fertility' thing - drinking coffee, stressing out, not taking any more fertility supplements because i ran out and can't afford to buy any more. And i haven't given up alcohol entirely, either. Anyway, I know he's thinking, yeah, RIGHT, as soon as I give him the "don't worry honey" speech I'll probably get knocked right up. But seriously. I've never felt more INfertile in my life.

I also took a bunch of diet coke home from work - they were getting rid of it because it was past the expiration date (as if I care about that). I remember looking at all those cans, thinking, if i actually keep these in my kitchen i'll probably end up drinking them all and that would NOT be good for my fertility...

And that's exactly what I did.

I am so stressed out right now, because of money. I took a job that doesn't pay all my bills (but I did so because I needed the free time in the AM to work on another business venture that's hopefully about to come to fruition). I KNEW it was going to be a tough few months until I started making money with this side project. And sure enough - yeah, it's been super tough. I've had to borrow money from friends and family and it just makes me sick, I really hate having to do that and it bothers me so much every day that I can't pay everyone back right now. It seems like the stress is just compounding itself. I honestly can't picture myself being able to get pregnant when my body is in this kind of state.

I am so stressed out, and also broke, that I can't afford to do a lot of things I think could help my fertility - like seeing a fertility doctor, or a chiropractor, or continue to take FertilAid, FertileCM and Maca (I've run out of the first two and still have some maca but will probably run out soon). I couldn't even conceive of taking clomid. I can't even afford the co-pay for a regular doctor right now. I am just really hoping that things will change within the next month or two. I've been putting a lot of work into this side business and if it pays off, I am just praying I will be able to pay everyone back and my body will be able to get to a state where I can actually conceive.

On a side note - the fertility statues are actually on tour right now and will be in San Francisco in April, I believe. I am really hoping I'll be in a better situation by then!!

Mid-Cycle Bleeding

2009-02-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

I get this quite a bit now (though I never really got it during my 20's or 30's). I have heard that this is fairly common but have started to think maybe it's something I should look up. The bleeding seems pretty regular now - I almost always get it about 2 weeks after the first day of my last period. Not enough to count as a period, but it seems that the egg-white cervical mucus is often tainted with a small amount of blood. There was one time, a few months back, where I thought maybe it was implanation bleeding, but I know it could have just been normal spotting in my cycle.

Anyway, here's a pretty good link I found online:

http://pregnancy.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Bleeding_During_Ovulation

They actually said that if you have mid-cycle bleeding every month, you may be able to predict when you'll ovulate. Cool! But they did say you should make sure the bleeding isn't caused by something else, like fibroids, etc..

If I could actually afford to see a doctor or fertility specialist right now, I would. But due to some financial things going on in my life right now, i just can't afford it. Even though I have health insurance, I can't even afford the co-pay at this time. I'm hoping that things will be a lot better for me in a few months (I have a business that's just starting to take off), but for the past few months I've been seriously scraping by. I am hoping that when the stress in my life is reduced, it'll be easier for me to get pregnant. At age 40 I can't be dicking around too much longer!

Maca Magic!

2008-11-28T18:43:00.001-08:00

By coincidence, I learned about Maca while I was in Indonesia (Bali) last week with my boyfriend (my brother was getting married there). We were in a convenience store, stocking up on water and beverages to last us a few days, and while cruising down an aisle full of candles and incense, I looked up and saw this purple bottle on a shelf (with cold medications on it) that said "MACA." The tiiiiny little word "fertility" on the bottle caught my eye (it's funny how you hear about new mothers developing the "mommy ear" for danger, etc. with their kids, and I've got the "fertility ear" - ears and eyes for women with ticking clocks...I bet 50 people would have walked past that little bottle and the word "fertility" jumped right out at me!).

Anyway this is the photo:

I took this picture of it because I wanted to look it up when I got home. Sure enough, there's a ton of info about maca online, including testimonials and discussions from women who have used maca to get pregnant. It sounds really promising. Here are some of the discussions I found, with people saying they really think it worked:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-897437.html

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=885433

http://www.peruvian-maca.com/faq.php?faq_id=39&category_id=14
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/308189
http://forum.canadianparents.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=502182

Maca grows in Peru, waaaay up in the mountains, at very high altitudes. The women in Peru have taken this stuff for a long time, to icrease fertily. Studies have shown it even increases fertility in animals, and also increases sperm count in men, AND sexual desire AND energy levels in men and women!

I went out and bought a jar of the stuff at whole foods today (see photo below). And here's some info about the particular brand, Maca Magic, which is grown organically. http://www.macamagic.com/storyofmaca.html

I just love it that they have a page where you can meet the growers, who practice sustainable farming methods: http://www.macagrower.com/index.html

The women in the discussion forums made it sound like it has the worst smell in the universe. I didn't think it was actually so bad (compared to what they said). I put a little over 1/2 tsp. into about a cup of water, shook it and drank it. It has a kind of malty smell/flavor. Not exactly like regular malt, but close enough so I could get used to it. Could be a lot worse!

Here's a pretty good video about it:

And lastly, I found this really cool video that shows how one company manufactures maca, to get it into capsule form. Interesting stuff!

12/17/08 - just wanted to post an update on my experience with maca. I've been taking it for about 2 1/2 weeks and the stuff is awesome. This may sound like TMI but...I have not felt this wet "down there" since I was in my early 20s (I'm 40 now). At one point while I was ovulating, it actually felt like I was having my period. My boyfriend even commented that the sex was better and he actually said "you just feel amaaaaazing." I kid you not. This stuff rocks. I cannot say that it made me have better orgasms - and at one point it actually seemed like i couldn't have one - maybe my expectations were too high, as i just assumed that since i was so wet i SHOULD be able to have one pretty easily, and started getting anxious/annoyed when it just wasn't happening : D. But on the positive side, I can't help thinking that it's got to be doing SOMEthing to increase my fertility, and at the very least, it feels good to know i'm not totally drying up down there. I've even been drinking way more coffee and caffeine than usual (and almost no water... i know... not good). Usually this would make me feel really dry all around, but it's not - particularly not "down there." It's like it's the opposite.

I should also note that I have been making more of an effort to take vitamins on a regular basis, but I honestly think the Maca is what made the biggest difference. I started out using 1/2 teaspoon and then just went ahead and put a whole teaspoonful into my yogurt every day or every other day. Luckily the smell is totally bearable to me. It also helped me sleep better at night (i did see some people said it gave them weird dreams but that wasn't the case for me). by the way - maca is what they call an "adaptogen." this means that it somehow knows if your body is off balance, and the maca helps put your body back in balance. i know this page will explain it better:

http://macaroot.com/benefits/index.html

it also has over 60 phytonutrients! you can read more about it's nutritional properties here:

http://http://macaroot.com/nutrients/index.html Interesting stuff!!

I would highly recommend maca to anyone.

Using a Midwife

2008-11-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

My sister used a midwife for both her births and I've considered going that route for a while, IF I should ever be so lucky as to get pregnant. I don't know if I'd REALLY have the guts to do it (I consider myself to be a pretty ballsy person but...my sister is like... warrior woman). The thought of giving up all chances of a last minute epidural freaks me out a little (you hear so many women say they were dead set on taking the natural route and then at the last minute they were like, GIMME THE DRUGS!!!!!!!!). In the event that I did feel brave enough to go there, I wanted to save this resource here. It's a website about midwives, and I found this link via the woman who posted the page about her beautiful cervix (she's a midwife). I'd like to use the woman my sister used but she's in another state.

http://cfmidwifery.org/find/

I recently qualified for health insurance, so it is tempting to think, IF I got pregnant I'd rather go the hospital route - just for the painkillers. But the thing I don't like about regular hospitals is - the way traditional western births are set up. It's set up to accomodate the doctors and nurses more than the woman in labor.

When you think about it, it is waaaay more natural to give birth in a squatting position, rather than laying on your back. The only reason women give birth laying on their backs is so that the doctor and nurse can see what's going on, more easily. I mean, I get it, but... I just think it's unnatural to try to squeeze out something so big, when you're laying in a horizontal position. Seems a lot more natural to use GRAVITY. Can you imagine trying to relieve yourself in the bathroom, sitting on your side? Only we're talking about something a whole lot bigger than that.

OK I'm even grossing MYSELF out here. I guess that's my cue to get back to work.

Things I didn't know about the Female Cervix

2008-11-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

(Please note these photos are not necessarily in order of a woman's cycle... and no this is not MY cervix - credit goes to www.sisterzeus.com)

Note #2- you may not want to let your boyfriend see these... mine just freaked out a little when I sent him the link. His reaction was like, "UGH!!!! I'm never putting my dick in a vagina again! I'm joining the priesthood..." I guess there's a good reason our cervixes can't normally be seen on our bodies. But whatever. It's a part of the female body. I'll give the bf another 48 hours to forget about the priesthood : D.
-----------------

For a few months now I've been trying to figure out where my cervix is. This may sound silly to someone who already knows, but i've been pretty clueless. Even if I stick my finger up there in the shower, I'm never quite sure if I'm feeling the right thing.

The thing that gets me is, the thing that I keep THINKING is my cervix just seems waaay too far up there for any sperm to actually want to head that way. If I were a sperm, I think I would be a lot more inclined to head left or right - not directly into the tiny little hole that's at the top of the cervix. I'm not sure if I think that way because I'm a little ADD, bad with directions and tend to get lost easily(therefore I think that's what the sperm will do once they're on my turf), or if I just have a negative attitude, but... with all the different curves and crevices in a vagina, it's just hard for me to imagine them going to the right place. I think the sperm will feel like I did on my last trip to IKEA - totally lost and unsure of which direction to go.

The thing I don't understand is... with all that space all around the cervix (on the sides, etc), why would the sperm go into that tiny little hole. I'm trying to think of an analogy... it's like... say your cervix was a lightbulb (with a small hole in the bottom) screwed into a light fixture at the top of a ceiling, and you were a firefly. If you were continuously trying to move in an upward direction, would you be inclined to fly directly into that tiny little hole, or move to the side of the bulb and just head straight to the top of the light fixture? I imagine like 99% of the fireflies would rather move to the side and head for the top of the fixture, going around the bulb completely and getting stuck in the sides, and only like one percent, IF that, would figure out that they're supposed to be actually going INTO the bulb.
In videos like these, they make it look like all the sperm know exactly which way to go and what to do, and I just don't see it really happening like this (yes i do realize it's a cartoon, but... still...)

Sometimes I feel like, in order to get pregnant, I'd be much better off doing "backwards visualizations." Rather than WANTING the sperm to find my cervix, I have to practically think of my cervix as being this precious, sacred thing that I'm actually hoping the sperm will stay far, far away from - this way, I could practically guarantee at least a few of those buggers would somehow find their way in there - just to trip me up.

Another visualization that could work better might be something like this:

My sister has this theory that there's a correlation between erratic lifestyles and pregnancy. Mind you, this is not the same thing as a stressful life and pregnancy. I think it's like this. If your life is really erratic and you're all over the place, the last thing you want is a pregnancy... but then whoop, there it is. Meanwhile, there are other people in this world who want everything to be perfect and they stress out about little things like - namely - getting pregnant. Those are the people who find it just about impossible to get knocked up, because they're focusing way too hard on it and are trying way too hard to control the situation, rather than letting nature take it's course.

Anyway - I digress. I actually started this entry to focus on the cervix.

I thought this article (where I got the cervix pictures from) was just great. It shows pictures of the cervix in the "proper order." I had to look up the definition of an "OS" - that just means the opening of your cervix.

Here's the article: http://www.sisterzeus.com/cervob.htm

And the online definition of an OS: http://pregnancy.about.com/od/laborbasics/g/cervicalos.htm

This is also a great site: "My beautiful cervix." It's awesome, this woman took some great photos (again - may not want to show em to your partner, but... an interesting fact: the gal who posted these actually got her BOYFRIEND to take the photos. So if my honey happens to be reading this: hey babe at least I didn't ask you to go there).http://mybeautifulcervix.googlepages.com/

And this site shows some good drawings of changes in cervical mucus, and how sperm can either be helped or hurt by different types of mucus.

http://www.sisterzeus.com/mucob.htm

I still don't really understand why it is that your cervix would be HIGHER when you're most fertile (you'd think it would be lower so the sperm would have an easier time reaching it) but I guess that's just another one of the mysteries of life.

A Highly Recommended Female Fertility Specialist

2008-11-07T23:58:00.000-08:00

Over a year ago I saw some kind of discussion online where women were raving about a woman in San Rafael named Anca Sira. She's an acupuncturist and has helped many, many women get pregnant and have healthy babies. From her testimonials, it really sounds like she's a very caring and empathetic doctor. My favorite testimonial is from a woman who had her first baby at age 44 without the use of fertility drugs.

Part of the reason I'm putting this post here is because I want to remember her webpage. If I can afford to see next year, I'm planning on it!

This is her website:

http://www.ancasira.com/home.html

I don't know what she charges. I am guessing she's not terribly cheap, as I'm imagining every moderately infertile woman living in Marin must want to see her.

If I can't afford to see Anca, I want to see this lady. She's located a little closer to where I live and her prices seem very reasonable.

http://www.fertilitychinesemedicine.com/physicians.htm

Drinking adequate water can help prevent miscarriage

2008-10-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am just posting this again because I think it's important. When I read my own blog, it kind of looks like the end of the page is the end of the whole blog, and you can miss stuff that's been posted earlier (like the post and video on DHEA). I just read this (added it to an older post after I read it but I didn't want it to get lost). I think this is really important - I'd never heard this before:

"Dehydration is the number one cause of preterm labor. When the body is dehydrated the uterus begins contracting, which leads to labor and premature birth."

I'd never heard that before!!

If you'd like to see the full article just click on the blog post about HYDRATING YOURSELF (to the left of this page) or click here: http://knockknockbaby.blogspot.com/2008/10/dehydration-can-hinder-your-fertility.html

Robitussin, Guaifenesin, & Mucinex

2008-10-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Walgreen's today and stood there in the cold, cough and sinus section for a good 15 minutes, trying to decide what would be the best brand of expectorant to buy (with guaifenesin in it).

They had Mucinex on sale - for something like $18.99 for like 40 pills. I thought, Good Lord that is like a dollar a pill. They call that a SALE? So I looked at some other options, like Robitussin. But it is so hard to figure out which one you're supposed to take. They say "avoid the one with the letters on it" but there was more than one box with letters on it, like CM or DM. They say that the DM is an ingredient that can cause birth defects. I'm not sure about the other letters but - it's enough to make me want to look for a different option. I wish they could just write it on the back of the box: "Yes Ladies, this is the one you want to take if you're trying to get pregnant."

I'd read in an online chat that you can just take the less-expensive guaifenesin pills (not a name brand) - like in a basic expectorant. I took a look at a very large bottle of Walgreens' brand expectorant pills after I saw they had an active ingredient of guaifenesin - 400 mg. There were 240 tablets in the bottle, and it was $19.99 - so I'd be getting like 6x more than with the Mucinex (which must have a huge advertising budget). Love how it says "MUCUS RELIEF" in big capital letters on the bottle.

I analyzed the ingredients on the back of the bottle, trying to make sure none of them were dangerous. The only "active ingredient" in the pills was the guaifenesin. Still, I wanted to look up the ingredient "maltodextrin" when I got home, but luckily it seems to be some kind of harmless corn starch, so I think it's pretty safe to take the stuff.

I stood there for a while, trying to figure out if I'd really need that many pills. That's like - 3/4 of a years' worth. But then again life does have this funny way of working, where, the odds seem like they'd be much higher that you'd get knocked up right after buying this huge bottle of pills, whereas if you just got the 24 pack of Mucinex, you'd find yourself having to run back to the drugstore, spending another $20, month after month. Kind of like the rule with women where, if you want to get lucky with a guy, you should wear the most horrible pair of panties in your whole drawer. Fate just can't resist setting you up for comedic relief.

Here's the article I read on Robitussin / Guaifenesin:

http://www.pinelandpress.com/faq/cm.html

Egg Trivia - Things I just learned today

2008-10-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

After casually researching the art of conception for a few years now, I was surprised to learn some new and interesting facts about the female egg! This knowledge came courtesy of www.in-gender.com - one of my favorite TTC websites. For those of you who have read Toni Wexler's book from cover to cover, you may already know this stuff. But I didn't till today!

I'd heard the ovaries are about the size of a walnut. But did you know that, just before your egg is released from the ovary, your follicle continues to grow until it's nearly the size of a GOLF BALL? It's so big, it can actually be felt during a pelvic exam and seen in in a vaginal ultrasound. Which seems pretty funny considering that the actual egg itself is smaller than a grain of sand when it's released. I knew the follicle got bigger, but had no idea it got THAT big. Before, I would have guessed it became maybe the size of a pea.

Another trivia fact: contrary to popular belief, your ovaries don't necessarily release eggs in alternate cycles (left, right, left). Now they believe that it's actually pretty random. I did not know that!

I also learned that the egg is the ONLY human cell in your whole body that only contains half of your entire chromosomal makeup. Every other cell in your body has all 46 chromosomes, but an oocyte (the unfertilized egg) only contains half that number, because it's waiting for that that one Super Sperm to come along, bond (literally) and make up the difference.

For anyone who hasn't seen the Miracle of Life Video (which I still remember having to watch in the 6th grade), it's a pretty crazy looking process, how the sperm combines with the egg. The photos make it look like there's a literal explosion, where the sperm's head suddenly pops off and all the genetic material spills out and combines with that of the egg. It makes you feel almost sorry for the sperm, as it's just worked soooo hard and traveled aaaaall that way to finally get to the golden egg... and how is it rewarded? It's head blows up!!!

If you'd like to read more about eggs and ovaries (and a basic explanation of sex chromosomes) click on this link for the page I read at in-gender.com.

http://www.in-gender.com/XYU/Conception/

To see this full picture (below - not cut off by the margins in this blog) go to: http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/98/26998-004-554F159B.jpg

Chiropractic Treatment and Fertility

2008-10-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago I went to see a chiropractor for a free consultation, as my lower back had been bothering me for about a year. He just happened to mention that he's helped several women become pregnant. One of his patients in particular had been trying for FOURTEEN years and was unable to conceive - but shortly after his treatments - BAM.

In his office, he had this diagram / machine on his wall that showed how your spine is related to all the other parts of your body. It would make sense that if the part of your spine that is connected to your ovaries is damaged, and your nerves and blood flow are out of whack in that area, then you might have difficulty in either conceiving or carrying a pregnancy to term. He showed me a photo of my spine and my lower back looks like I was in an accident. The lower disks are kind of smushed together. I actually cried when i saw this because I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to have a baby, but he said he thinks my chances would improve a lot with treatment. I've never been in a serious car accident so I don't know how my spine got to be like that. All I can think of is that it got damaged in the 3 times in my life I've fallen hard on my tailbone - the last time being when I was learning how to snowboard and fell so hard on the hard ice (which was like concrete) it knocked the wind out of me and I literally crawled into a bush nearby and cried, it hurt so bad.

I'm getting medical insurance in about a week (first time in about 10 years) and am planning to go back to see him for a treatment. He also said that he can show your partner how to do a treatment on you, so I'll have to try to sweet talk my boyfriend into coming in with me. Will let you know how it goes!

In the meantime, here are some related videos. I'm happy to see these on youtube because I searched the net about a year ago and couldn't find anything! Finally, the word is getting out!

One more thing I'm thinking of trying is the Back 2 Life back machine. For anyone who hasn't seen the infomercial, it sounds pretty promising, and I'm thinking it could help me fix my squished vertebrae. Basically, it's been shown that "continuous passive motion" can be the key to healing your back and re-aligning your spine (I even remember the chiropractor saying something about how his treatments would be very gentle, but they're very effective). I'm thinking that buying one of these machines could actually cost me less in the long run than seeing a chiropractor, and I can even let my friends and family try it out. You can do a payment plan of about $40 a month for 5 months.

When I started to develop lower back pain, one of my first thoughts was, damn. How am I going to deal with having a kid? Half the fun for me would be getting to pick the kid up and carry them around, go walking in a power stroller, etc.. but lower back pain would take most of the fun out of that. So this could really help in a lot of different ways.

To view the infomercial, look here (I'd embed a video but can't find it on youtube): http://www.getback2life.com/

Here's an explanation of what it does and why it works so well: http://www.getback2life.com/howItWorks.php

And lastly (I'm adding this months later), this is just an interesting webpage I found - it teaches chiropracters how to keep babies to turn from the breech position. Interesting stuff.

http://pregnancychiropractic.com/bagnell_technique.php

This is a woman who said the Dr. who teaches this technique had actually helped her to turn her baby from the breech position at 37 weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7HxTuEzEw0&feature=channel

Fertillity and Acupuncture

2008-10-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

Years ago, one of my girl friends told me that a woman she worked with finally got pregnant after receiving acupncture treatments. I haven't tried this but am planning to if it takes longer than a few more months to get pregnant.

Thought this was pretty interesting... Below you can see a conversation with a Fertility Acupuncturist. You do have to turn the volume way up (the sound isn't great) but it's worth it.

This is also a great video on the positive effects of Acupuncture on Pregnancy:

And another really good video:

Eating Right to Boost Fertility

2008-10-24T21:51:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided to load up on Healthy food from Costco, as the McDonald's daily drive thru just didn't seem to be cutting it.

I bought tons of salad, tomatoes, granola bars, beans, whole grain cereal, soy milk, organic soups and chili (Amy's Organic Chili RRRRROCKS by the way - I love it how she doesn't list it as a "vegetarian" food - it tastes so good, why bother???).

I've been feeling pretty good since I started eating healthier and started taking my vitamins / pills on a regular basis - which include a prenatal vitamin, Flaxseed oil, and 75 mg (in 3 25 mg. doses) of DHEA. I have to keep this stuff in a pill minder and refill it every week but keeping it by the coffee table in front of the TV (which is where I always eat my salad since it takes 20 minutes) seems to help.

Eating right is also helping me save money - handy while I'm between jobs. No more McDonald's trash sitting in my car either.

Here's a nice video (I kept surfing on youtube after I found the fertility statues' video) about eating healthy to increase fertility. Compliments of SexHealthGuru.com. Enjoy!

These Fertility Statues have helped Women get Pregnant - Believe it or Not!

2008-10-24T21:17:00.001-07:00

UPDATE MARCH 09: THE FERTILITY STATUES ARE SCHEDULED TO BE ON TOUR AT THE SAN FRANCISCO RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT MUSEUM IN APRIL OF 2009!!! See their site for more details on admission etc. (and you can even print out a coupon - woohoo).

http://www.sfchamber.dpway.com/promotions/ripley.aspx

I know it must sound crazy, but a friend of mine worked at the Ripley's Believe it Or Not museum in San Francisco over 10 years ago, and became pregnant when they had the fertility statues on display. She told me - I kid you not - that several of her co-workers also became pregnant while they had 'em there (by the way, I'm not referring to the women in the ORLANDO headquarters as in the video below - my friend was working at an actual Ripleys museum). Now I'm a believer. My friend has had lots of babies since then. Check out this video:

I heard they're located in Florida now, at the home base in Orlando (last time I read about them on the net I heard they'd been "retired" there). A friend of mine just moved there... I think it might be time to take a little trip to visit her! : ). For years I've joked about how, "One day if I can't get pregnant I'm going to go find those statues and touch them." The time has come.

Here's an article on the statues:

http://www.ripleysf.com/ripley/exhibits/Fertility.html

Note: I just called the Ripley's Museum in San Francisco and asked if they might happen to have the statues back on tour. The guy who answered the phone said they're on tour right now, and I could call the Orlando office to find out exactly where they are. For anyone who wants the number, it's 407-345-8010.

UPDATE: Okay I just found out by looking online: They're in New York for a few months. You can read the article here: http://www.nyc.com/events/ripleys_fertility_statues_kick_off_world_tour.996127/editorial_review.aspx

Why does Cervical Mucus have to be so Hostile??

2008-10-24T20:57:00.001-07:00

For some reason it cracks me up to hear the term "hostile cervical mucus."

I guess because of the word "mucus" being so much like "mucinex," I sometimes (when I'm not well hydrated) picture a cartoon character that looks quite a bit like the green nasty looking character in the mucinex commercials, lurking around in my cervix, beating up the sperm as they try to get closer to my egg.

They say (as I'm sure you've heard) that good quality, "thin" cervical mucus is ideal for sperm because it helps them swim more freely to their destination. And if your mucus is thick - especially if you're dehydrated, it's not good. I know I can be really bad about staying hydrated - and staying away from coffee - so my mucus may be less than optimum.

Mucinex is supposed to help thin out your cervical mucus (as well as the phlegm in your throat when you have a bad cold). So hopefully if I take the stuff (and drink a lot of water) it will help kick some Hostile Mucus Ass!

This article may give a more accurate description of what Hostile Mucus is:

http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/hostile-cervical-mucus.html

Wanna get knocked up? HYDRATE YOURSELF!!!

2008-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

It makes sense - if you're dehydrated, you're likely to have a harder time getting pregnant. I always suspected this could be true and just googled it. Sure enough, this article says: "... aside from all the vitamins and herbs (recommended), probably the most important thing you can do to improve your fertility is to drink plenty of water."

Here are two excerpts from the article that I really like (the full article is accessible through the link below it).

"The number one area that water helps with getting pregnant is that it acts much the same way guaifenesin does. It thins out the mucus. It also increases the mucus. Cervical fluid is something that is extremely important to have in order for conception to occur. Without it the sperm cannot reach the egg. Good fertile quality cervical fluid will help the sperm to reach the egg. It will also help keep the sperm alive for several days to await ovulation. This is key in how to improve fertility."

"Dehydration is the number one cause of preterm labor. When the body is dehydrated the uterus begins contracting, which leads to labor and premature birth."

http://www.stages-in-pregnancy.com/how-to-improve-fertility.html

I've been trying to get pregnant for a few months now, and nothing has happened. But one thing I suspect is that the reason it hasn't happened is because things are kind of "dry" up there. When I don't drink enough water, I can actually feel it to an extent. Like... how do I describe it... it's almost like things are "warmer" up there when you're dehydrated, and this may not be THE best climate for sperm survival.

I try to picture myself as a sperm trying to travel through my uterus, and I hate to say it, but it's not the kind of place I'd probably want to hang out. When I'm dehydrated, it's got to be like a sauna up there compared to the average, well-hydrated person. And it's also not that easy for the sperm to travel because it's just not slippery enough to keep moving forward. I don't even know what hostile mucus is but something tells me i've got it. I picture the sperm getting stuck and not being able to move around very freely because it's just too thick or not slippery enough.

But if I were to drink plenty of water and take Mucinex like they say you should, I reckon things would be a little different. So I'm planning to try that this month. We'll see what happens. I'm going to get my uterus so lubricated it's going to be like a slip and slide. Hopefully not all the sperm will slide back out the wrong way.

Miracle Ingredient that helps sperm survive!

2008-10-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Okay pardon the hype but I am totally fascinated by some of the research Dr. Joanna Ellington has done on sperm.

Dr. Ellington is the maker of "Pre-Seed" (which you've probably heard of if you've been trying to conceive any longer than a month and have visited other fertility websites). I've heard about this stuff for years, but didn't have any clue as to WHY it worked so well. Recently I was reading Dr. E's blog and found out.

Last year she did an entry, explaining how she decided to use "arabinogalactan" (took me a while to get that spelling right), aka. "larch tree extract." Apparently, one of her colleagues' fathers used to study the stuff so her friend suggested it. Talk about a great tip!!!!! Dr. E found out that this stuff helped the sperm survive way past the normal time it would live in a petri dish. Interesting note: arabinogalactan is also one of the active "ingredients" in echinacea.

I was happy to see that they came out with "Pre" because I think it's more convenient and eco-friendly to have everything in one tube, rather than to use a bunch of little "one application" tubes (if you're like me, you can't stand to waste stuff and will find yourself trying to squeeze every little last bit out of the tube, or trying to use it again later after it's been opened, even if you're not really "supposed to"). At first, Pre' didn't have as much arabinogalactan as pre-seed, but they decided to add more to it (I could swear I heard they now have the same amount). I've still heard that Pre-Seed is the "better one" to use if you're trying to get pregnant but it's more expensive. What I'm thinking is, because I'm on a budget, it might be best to use Pre' for "everyday" (well... maybe not EVERY day) use but you know what I mean, and then Pre-Seed for times when you KNOW you are ovulating.

To read the blog entry yourself, just follow this link:

http://www.preseed.com/blog/?p=12

DHEA - A hormone that can rejuvenate egg production!

2008-10-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, my aunt (who went through several In Vitro sessions and spent about $75,000 in the process) gave me a great tip for older women who are trying to get pregnant.

This invaluable bit of advice came from a woman who works at my aunt's elementary school. She and my aunt struck up a friendship, and this woman told my aunt that she was going through IVF treatment. Early in the treatment, she wasn't producing "good quality" eggs, which you really need in order to have a successful treatment / pregnancy (makes sense). But then she started taking DHEA and she was producing a lot more eggs. She even got to look into the microscope and could see that she had a lot more "follicles" (which release the egg) after taking the DHEA. I thought this was so interesting!

Anyway, I've done some research on it and there's a lot of info about it, but one of the best things I've seen on the net was this video on CBS's early show. You can read all you want on the net, but a picture (or should I say video) of a healthy baby is worth a thousand words! (Note - sorry you do have to watch a commercial they put at the beginning but it's worth it).

Watch CBS Videos Online

This is a discussion about it, from women who've tried it: http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/forums/pregnancy-fertility/threads/121525/lower-fsh-increase-egg-with-dhea/

You can also download the reports (related to the video above) by clicking these links:

http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/pdf/dheafs.pdf

http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com/pdf/breakthrough_1004.pdf

Welcome to Knock Knock Baby!

2008-10-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

I created this blog to share with other women some of the interesting things I'm learning about fertility. I just turned 40 a few months ago and am currently trying to get pregnant (I've been trying "casually" on and off for years but since I've turned 40... IT'S ON!!!!!).

There are so many things to keep track of when you're trying to get knocked up. It seems pretty humorous at times to see how much "fertility stuff" is accumulating by my bedside and in my home. It started in 2004 with a "fertility scope" called Ovulook. I was fascinated to look at my own ferning patterns under a microscope! I've bought many things from Trying-To-Conceive (TTC) websites over the years, including sperm-friendly lubricant and a basal thermometer to keep track of my basal body temperature (aka BBT... good lord i've accumulated a big mental dictionary of acronyms!).

Anyway, I have heard of many "pregnancy tips" over the years, that I think some women may not have heard of (yet) so I like the idea of getting it out there. This blog is just a way to put all these ideas into one place (I originally wanted to do my own website but it's so much easier and faster to do a blog!).

More to come soon!

Ellebelle