Working extra hard on TTC this month!!!

I'm in my 3rd month of taking Fertil Plus, and am not fooling around this time. This month I'm going all out. And right now I want to drink a Visalus Neuro soo bad, but I'm holding off, just for today, since it's the one day this month that I've had a DEFINITELY positive OPK test, and I wasn't able to have sex until about 8 hours after I took the test. I had been drinking Neuro daily, when I got pregnant last time, so I know it's pretty safe, I'm not producing nearly as much cervical mucus today, as I was yesterday, so I just want to hold off on the caffeine to increase whatever odds I may have.

In the past, I don't think I've ever had a particular month where I've really, really focused hard on trying to get pregnant. I think it's because I haven't wanted to be disappointed if it didn't happen. You hear all these stories of people saying they got pregnant when they weren't really trying, and that even happened to me, sort of (I kept taking the supplements, etc., but definitely had more of an attitude of, if it happens, great, if not, I'll be ok).

But this month, I'm like, screw it. I'm taking things more seriously this time. I got pregnant the last time, after about 3 months of being on Fertil Plus, and now I'm at about the 3 month mark again. But this time I've done even more stuff than I was doing last time (though I will admit I could be better at drinking extra water and exercising). 

I do realize there is a chance that, no matter WHAT I do, it just may not happen. Which would be disappointing, given all the work, time, and money I've put into trying to have a baby, but I just have to prepare myself for that. I feel like, I'm probably doing just as much work as someone who's doing IVF (time wise), only it's costing me a lot less money. Still, though... it's not cheap. I do have to pay for the supplements, etc., that I'm taking, and when you add up the cost of every single thing I'm doing, the cost is probably about $400 a month (true, I have included the cost of my Visalus Core Kit, which is about $200/mo, even though I like it so much I would be taking it whether or not I was trying to get pregnant). 

I had sex two days ago when the hubby got home from work. I'd noticed a lot of cervical mucus on the toilet paper, and then got this moderately positive test.  I took precautionary measures to try to make sure my hubby's sperm went in the right direction....

... so I backed up to the wall with my feet in the air, hoping it would help the sperm enter my cervix. I could only do this for about 10 minutes though, because it hurt my neck to sit like that. After that, I just lay in bed with my butt propped up with a pillow, like I did when I got pregnant in January.

We didn't have sex again until today at about 5:00.  So it's been 48 hrs. since the last time. I know they say that sperm can live for 5 days inside a woman's body (though apparently that's the MAX), but I've never quite been sure if that would be the case for me (me and my hostile cervical fluid). I feel like, I should have sex RIGHT when the OPK turns dark, but sometimes that just isn't possible.

But I did just learn that, apparently, sperm has a much better chance of survival if it actually makes it into the uterus, cervix or fallopian tubes. So as you can see, I'm doing my best to help it get there!

For the last week, my ovaries have been going a little nuts. Right now I'm feeling mittelschmerz on both sides, no kidding (it must be the yams). I usually just feel it on the left, and to be honest can't even picture a time when I've ever felt it on the right, but this time it is DEFINITELY on the right (it's on the left too, but stronger on the right). 

And this is one of only about 3 times that I've seen my OPK test strip turn really dark (one of those times being the time I got pregnant). You can see today's test strip in this picture, it's the strip at the bottom dated 12/14.  I should note there are 2 strips at the top of the photo that have a super dark line but those are pregnancy tests (you can see the blue bit in the top strip), and that dark line is the "constant" line (not the "positive" line) anyway. The 3 random test strips on the right are ones that fell on the ground and I don't know what day I took them, but I'm putting it here to show I was ovulating on one of those days. As you can see, I'm not the best about keeping good track and writing the dates next to them. But I'm showing you this photo so you can see that it looks like I've had more than one fertile day this month. I usually just test once a day, but today I tested twice. Once at about 2 AM, the other time  at about 10 AM. 

FYI today, 12/14, is day 17 of my cycle. 

Today I was really stressing out (to the point where I was actually crying) about the fact that my OPK kit turned REALLY positive right after my husband left for work (and we hadn't had sex for 2 days). The last time that happened (where I got a really positive test after he left for work), I did not get pregnant. Though it's true, I wasn't doing as many "fertility enhancing" things as I am right now (and this time, even my husband is taking better care of his health).  But just having the anxiety of knowing that it didn't work out the last time, makes it hard for me not to think about it again. It blows my mind that you can be doing aaaaalll this stuff to improve your chances, but if you just don't have sex at that exact, right moment, you can totally blow it. All that work you just did for the last month, taking pills at the right time, drinking vegetable shakes... doesn't matter, you still have to start over. But on the positive side, I know the longer I am taking care of my health THIS well, the better my egg quality will probably be.

I forced myself to drink a huge broccoli shake today, and skipped the orange juice that I normally put in it, because I was worried the acid from the OJ might kill off some of the sperm, and  decided it was better to be safe than sorry. That orange juice makes a huge difference. It was NOT fun to drink that way, but I just forced myself to down the whole thing. Like I said, I want a Neuro so bad, but I'm made myself drink 2 V8's on ice instead. Just like how last night was date night w/the hubby and I really wanted a margarita, but had a sprite instead.

So anyway, we had sex around 5:00 today and I've spent the last 5 hours just laying in bed, mostly.  The last time I got pregnant, I had gone to bed right after sex and stayed there for something like 12 hours. I woke up feeling annoyed with myself because I hadn't been productive, but when I found out it got me pregnant, I realized, I'd been more productive than ever!

This is the list of what I'm taking / doing:

-Fertil Plus, 3x a day

-Pycnogenol, 100mg, 2-3x a day

-Fertile CM, 3x a day right after my period ends, for about 2-3 weeks (I keep taking it because I am one of those people whom I think ovulates at random times, possibly more than once a month).  (I take the Fertil Plus, Pycnogenol, and Fertile CM together, soon as I wake up), then at 3pm, then at 10. If I forget, I take two or even three at a time, but usually I remember.

-Oil of Evening Primrose, 2-3x a day (week 2-4 of my cycle)

-Ground Flaxseed, about 2 tbsp. / day (w/veggie smoothie)

-Ground Pumpkinseed, about 2 tbsp. / day  (w/veggie smoothie)

-Vegetable smoothies (made from any combo of kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, any dark leafy vegetable, mixed with juice, frozen fruit, the flaxseed/pumpkinseed mentioned above), 1 tsp. maca, 1 tsp. Fertili-Tea, and Visalus Vi-Shape Mix (1 scoop per smoothie... and I'll have 2-3 per day).

-Visalus Vi-Pak Vitamins (AM and PM)

-Visalus Vi-Shape Mix (as mentioned above - it's part of the Vi-Pak)

-Visalus Neuro  - This is my caffeine allowance for the day. I am one of these people who needs at least a little caffeine every day, and I love this stuff becaues it gives me a great buzz, with just 40 mg. of caffeine, and doesn't dehydrate me like coffee or even decaf, does). 

-CoEnzyme Q10 (I've been taking 200-400 mg. per day for the last 3 months). I've done this in the hopes of improving my egg quality. 

-Eating 1-2 yams per day

-Using Preseed (a half-half mixture of PreSeed and Astroglide Natural) every time I have sex. I inject it with the applicator, right after sex (doing it beforehand makes me way too slippery). 

There is a part of me that doesn't want to post this, because there's this superstitious part of me that feels like, it's not good to talk about things too soon. What if there are people who read this and actually don't wish me well, and hope that it all fails, and then I don't get pregnant and I'll kick myself thinking, I never should have posted that so soon. 

But Suze Orman talks about "standing in your truth."  And this is my truth. This is what I've been doing for the last 3 months. I don't know if any of it is going to work, but I am hopeful. Those who are happy for me, will be happy if I get pregnant. Those who are thinking I'm going to fall on my face and none of this will work, will have been right, but so what? It doesn't change the fact that this is what I'm doing, no matter what. This is me. This is my truth. 

I may end up not having children, but at the very least I want to show people what I'm doing so that maybe they can learn from my mistakes, and some of my successes. There could be a day where I just throw in the towel and decide, OK I've had enough, I'm done trying to get pregnant. There is a big part of me that would be sad about never having kids, but I also know that I'd be free to do more things. But of course, right now, I just want the thing that I've always wanted, since I was a little kid.  I want to be a Mom. I love kids. I love to read to them, I love to help them and encourage them and praise them and guide them. I can't imagine there could be any job more heartwarming and rewarding, than being a mother.

You just have to keep looking at the postitive side of things, and the most important thing is, KEEP THE FAITH, that whatever happens, will be for the best. 

What kind of yams are you supposed to eat, to increase your fertility? I think I've found the answer...

You'd think there would be more posts about this "yam" subject, but... I couldn't seem to find any that gave me an answer I was satisfied with. The confusing thing is, some people say the regular "yams" we're used to eating, are actually "sweet potatoes" so the regular kind you get in the grocery store won't work. Some people say you have to get the "African Yams."  So one day I went out and looked for African Yams, and had to travel like 30 miles to find a store in my area that sold them, and not only was I still not sure I was buying the right kind, but they did not taste good at ALL.

I wanted to shout... can somebody please just tell me WHAT kind of yams you are supposed to eat???

Well, I'm no expert, but... I really do think the kinds of yams you're supposed to eat, to increase your fertility are just the regular old yams you get in the regular supermarket, or your typical Asian or Mexican market. And the reason I think that is, I've eaten a LOT of yams in the last 2 weeks, and I feel like my ovaries are working on overdrive.

When I got pregnant in January, I was eating lots of these "regular" yams. But I was doing a ton of other fertility enhancing things too, so I was never quite sure if my getting pregnant had anything to do with the yams. I basically stopped eating them for almost a year, but this month I started eating them regularly again, and have even upped my yammage (sometimes I actually eat 2 a day).

For the last 3 months, I've been doing all the same fertility enhancing things I did back in January, in order to get pregnant (you can read about those things here), except for eating the yams.

But then about a month ago I started eating them again. For the last week, my ovaries feel like they're going a little haywire (and I am NOT complaining!). I have been feeling mittelschmerz simultaneously on my left side AND right side this month (and I almost never, ever feel it on my right side). I've been feeling it on both sides for a WEEK. I am not kidding. And there are only three things I've been doing differently this month, as opposed to the last month, and one of those things is eating at least one yam every day. The second thing I did differently is, I started using ground pumpkin seeds in my shakes (I blend Flaxseed and Pumpkin Seeds    together). I had done that when I got pregnant in January, but stopped doing it till about a month a go. The third thing is, I've taken a few doses of "He Shou Wu" (more about that further down in this post).

So anyway... rest assured, you do not  have to go out and look for 5 pound African tubers, or look for a place where you can special order them online. You can do just fine with plain, old yams. The great thing about it is, they taste good after you cook them, and they are CHEAP. True, they were on sale in this picture (50 cents a pound!!!), but they are never more than like 80 cents a pound at this place. I just eat one kind of small one a day. It's maybe the same size/weight as a small banana.

I just cook them in the oven on either a cake baking tin or cookie sheet, I think I cooked them at like 350 degrees and had to leave 'em in there for almost an hour, they seem to take forever to cook all the way. But when you do, they are really good, and super sweet (love when they get all carmelized - yummy!).  I've also tried cutting them up and frying them... they're pretty good that way, and I especially love to do this with garlic. But honestly I am just too lazy to cut them all up if I'm eating 1-2 per day.

The way I usually eat them, to be honest, is to blend them into a veggie smoothie. Here is my recipe for a fertility smoothie, that seemed to work pretty darn well for me. I started feeling "ovary pangs" about a day after I drank this (about day 5 or 7 of my cycle... sorry I can't remember exactly... it was shortly after my period ended).

-1 small or medium sized yam
-1 banana
-Filtered water (I start by putting in about 1 cup, then add more to thin it out)

-ViSalus VI-Shape Nutritional Shake Mix    (1 or 2 scoops, though I usually just need 1)

-1 teaspoon FertiliTea (yes, I just blend it right into the shake, instead of drinking it... gives the whole thing a nice minty taste).
-1 tsp. Maca Powder
-1 tsp. Ground Flaxseed

-1 tsp. ground Pumpkin Seeds   
And I'll sometimes throw in some kind of vegetable, like a little kale or broccoli or something. Not much, maybe 1/4 cup, and I just do it cause I am eating a TON of veggies these days and have so much in the fridge.

Just a little warning, here... the combination of the yam plus the banana will inevitably make the shake so thick, it will look more like a some kind of party dip, than a shake. So I just keep adding more and more water till it's thinned out enough to drink.

OK so here is a quick list of the other things I'm doing / taking regularly:



-FertileCM  (I start taking this right after my period ends, till it starts up again, since my ovulation days are so unpredictable).

-Oil of evening Primrose    (darnit the price for a bottle at Trader Joe's went up, from $5.99 to $7.99!!!... but still worth it of course). Like with the Fertile CM, I take 2 a day right after my period ends, with meals.


- Mucus Relief (Guaifenesin) tablets. (I took the Walgreens "Mucus Relief" brand, but you can get Guafinesin on Amazon... any basic kind should work... but be sure you do not take any kind of cold medication like Robitussin if it is called Robitussin DM (as Robitussin is rumored to be "the thing to take" when TTC)... and I think I'd heard Robitussin CM may also be something to avoid). You can read my post on Guafinesin tablets here.To be on the safe side I just went with the straight-up Guafinesin (Mucus Relief) tabs. I take these after my period stops, also. Maybe day 5 or 6 of my cycle.

-FertiliTea:  (you knew that). I just have it once a day, usually, in my shake.
-Maca Powder   1-2 tsps per day (I'll have the second tsp in a second shake - a veggie shake - that I'll drink in the evening). By the way I love this brand... it's organic, and a great price for a 2 lb. bag on Amazon.


ViSalus Core Kit {30 Meals, 5 Health Mix-Ins, Neuro, VI-PAK}




And of course, I'm trying to have lots of sex AND make sure to use PreSeed right after.

I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of "increasing my odds" this month, for the most part. But I realize I could have been better about two things: exercising daily (I keep thinking I'm going to do it, then get busy and never get around to it), and  drinking LOTS of water. I sometimes forget since I feel like I drink so much liquid by doing the veggie shakes that I don't feel the need to drink any more water (each shake I make is like the size of a Big Gulp... I kid you not, I have to stand there and sometimes force myself to finish it all). But it probably wouldn't be a bad habit!


So about the (He Shou Wu (Shou Wu Chih)  I've had a few doses (a few tablespoons at a time, is what I took) of something called "Shou Wu" (you can read more about it in this other post I did). I recently read that it can help enhance your fertility. I actually bought it years ago, because I'd heard that it can help your gray hair turn dark again, but I was scared to take it again because I didn't want anything to mess up my fertility.

But I am so sick of dyeing my gray hair (and I have to do this a LOT because the Visalus vitamins are like prenatal vitamins... my hair grows soo fast!). So I decided to look it up and lo and behold it is actually a fertility enhancer.  I can tell you, I felt mittelschmerz within a day or two of drinking it, along with my fertility shake.  I actually like the taste... reminds me of Vanilla extract. I realize, the mittelschmerz may have been caused by the yams, who knows. But at least, my drinking it, didn't seem to prevent me from having all these fertility signs! FYI you can get He Shou Wu (Shou Wu Chih)at just about any Asian grocery store. Luckily there are a lot of them in San Francisco.

OK time to go exercise. For real.

EB

Taking He Shou Wu (Fo Ti) for Fertility... and gray hair reversal

Just wanted to share this with any women it may help.

10 years ago, when I was bitching about my hair starting to turn gray in my 20's (it's genetic- I get it from both my parents' sides) - a friend of mine, who was born and raised in China, told me about something called He Shou Wu (otherwise known as Foti). I believe this is a root. And supposedly, it can help to restore your hair to its natural color (or at the very least, help delay the "graying" process).

Well, I went to a Chinese herb store and bought some - it looked like wood chips, just like this picture on the left. I had to make a tea out of it. But honestly, I just wasn't that motivated to keep up with it. I was never sure if I was preparing it right, and it didn't taste very good. Another time, I bought some in a bottle, but again... wasn't sure of the proper dosage, and just kinda gave up on it.

Well, fast forward 10 years, and now I'm in my 40's and the TTC supplements are making my new roots come in soo fast, I'm dyeing my hair more than ever. Which I realize, can't be good for my health (or a baby's health) but I am just too damn freaked out by the idea of showing the world just HOW MUCH gray hair I have, to stop dyeing it. I hate seeing gray hair in the mirror (and I have a LOT). Hate it. I feel like a completely different person when I dye it. So I'm just going to keep doing it and hoping for the best.

But anyway... all this to say, I recently have been wanting to start back up on the Foti (He Shou Wu  ) supplements again, because I am so sick of having to dye my hair (it's up to once a week now...at least, that's about how often I do touchups). But the reason I've been holding off, is because I didn't want the Foti to mess up my chances of trying to conceive.

So, I started googling Foti and He Shou Wu  , along with "TTC" and "Fertility" and "pregnancy" to see if other people had taken it during pregnancy, and had experienced any negative side effects.

Well, lo and  behold this stuff is actually considered to be a fertility ENHANCER. Which I guess makes sense, given the fact that it's able to turn back the clock on your hair, right? So maybe it can do the same thing for your reproductive system.  Lucky for me, I live in an area where we have lots of Asian markets, and I can get the liquid version at a decent price.

I did find a "testimonial" from a gal who seems to feel it helped her get pregnant. Her review is copied and pasted below, and you can find it on this page: http://www.herbwisdom.com/review-fo-ti-root.html   And please note, it does seem that it may be best to STOP taking it once you find out you're pregnant (I'd seen that in 2 places online). Yeah I know... I need to look this up some more. But better safe than sorry.

Ruby •  

• −

"I have been taking Fo Ti Root for just over 2 month for stress. It has been working fantastically. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for the past two years, I was told by doctors that I didn't even have a 1% chance of falling pregnant. I have just conceived and am 4 weeks pregnant. The chemist has told me to stop taking the Fo Ti Root because it's not good for the baby.. Is that true? Anyway I highly recommend it for both stress and fertility."

Again... more research needs to be done on this one, but just wanted to put it out there. Who knows, maybe it could help someone. At the very least... maybe it can help you skip a trip or two to the salon : )

EB

Aunty Flo just came to visit today...

... But I had a feeling it was going to happen, and like last month, I am not too disappointed. Note: It's funny how my period has come on the same exact day of the month (the 27th), for the last 3 months. Usually it's at least a day or two off, and more often than not, it will arrive on a Sunday. Or, as I've told my husband, if there's some important event on a Friday or Saturday - like if my husband's office party is that day and we've rented a nice hotel room - my period will somehow choose that day to randomly show up and say "Surprise!!!"  Call it the Murphy's Law of Menstruation.

Anyway... I was somewhat relieved to get my period today. And it's definitely not that I don't want to get pregnant at all, but I think it would be most ideal to wait just one more month to get pregnant, if possible. I had been slacking a little on taking my supplements regularly, for stupid reasons (like misplacing my pill minder).  Although I did keep taking my Visalus vitamins pretty regularly, so hopefully that has me covered at least somewhat.

I want my eggs to be as healthy as they possibly can be, and it would be ideal if I could know that I've spent at least THREE months, taking excellent care of my health and improving the quality of my eggs (one month to go!). For the last 2 months I have been taking better care of my health than ever...  eating more whole foods than ever, and exercising. I've been taking Fertil Plus again (I think I started up again in September), and taking good amounts of CoQ10 to help improve the quality of my eggs, plus extra Vitamin D, Folic acid, maca powder, pumpkin seed and flaxseed.

As for the hubby, he's been taking Visalus vitamins, drinking 3 Visalus shakes per day, and also, for the first time in his life, he's been eating vegetables. AND he's also getting extra CoQ10 and Maca. He's looking better and healthier than ever, so I do have hope.

Yes, I do realize, this isn't the time to be slacking. I realize, beggars can't be too choosey. I realize I must sound completely crazy, being 44 years old and saying, "this just isn't the ideal time... I think I'll wait." But I'm just talking about one more month. I've heard you and your partner should ideally spend at least 3 months, being healthy, before conception. So I'm just doing what I can. I'd rather feel really good about the eggs I'm producing, and the sperm my husband is producing, than get pregnant and worry for 9 months about the fact that maybe we're dealing with damaged sperm and eggs. True, you never know what's going to happen. I know, there is no way you can predict or control the outcome. But you can always do your best, and have hope!

And if for some reason it doesn't happen in the next few months... articles like this one give me even more hope ; ).

EB

Women who Gave Birth Over the Age of 40 (Not Celebrities)

I just thought it might be inspirational to see some stories of women (on one page) who gave birth in their 40's. I'm thinking 45 may be my cutoff point to keep trying, but these videos do give me hope that I can get it done! : )

I'm sad that I wasn't able to find the rest of this episode (of Ricki Lake) on YouTube. It featured a woman who was pregnant at 45. Would have loved to see the rest of it! But I thought at least this clip would give some women hope... that's what it did for me! : )





This video features women who were 57, 58 and 70, when they conceived / gave birth:



The woman in this video below caused a huge firestorm with her pregancy. In my opinion, it's everyone's personal choice whether they want to have children at a later age.

Also, I didn't see a lot of videos on youtube showing Nancy Grace (who gave birth at 48) talking about her pregnancy, but here is one below, and you can read an article here:  http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/celebrity-interviews/nancy-grace-miracle-babies

She did say in the article that it's hard on your body to do it in your 40's... but she sure looks happy being a mom!

Also... I decided to make a visual list of celebrities who became mothers in their 40's. The list is sorted by age, and  you can see it here.

Oh and just for yuks... here is a list of some older fathers (celebrities)... thought it was worth sharing too!

http://lifewise.canoe.ca/FathersDay/Photos/2010/05/27/14137801.html#next

Enjoy!!!

EB

Study finds that babies born to older moms are healthier

I was happy to read this one!

I do see how it makes sense... I think if I had a kid right now, I'd probably be a lot more careful raising him or her, than I would have been in my 20's. And the kid would definitely eat better!

http://www.wtop.com/267/2875692/Babies-born-to-older-moms-are-healthier-study-finds

OK I confess, I went ahead and took a pregnancy test...

Who was I kidding, that I'd be able to wait another five days to take a test?? LOL!

Well, it was negative. Not even the SLIGHTEST trace of pink on the "second line." That's what I get for letting myself obsess over it!  But I can't say I blame myself. Something weird IS going on with my body... maybe it's just from the FertilPlus, but... I don't remember my boobs feeling this big, or sore, when I took the stuff before. It's true, I do remember going running with some girl friends after taking the supplements, and thought, "ow."  Like they hurt a little more than usual. But... they feel like freekin water balloons right now. And it hurts of something brushes against them or my husband touches them in the wrong way.  I also have that weird discharge thing going on, plus the back pain and OMG the fatigue. I don't get it. I am eating soooo healthy right now (AND exercising) so I feel like, the last thing I should feel is fatigue. 

Well, the last time when I took a pregnancy test, I didn't really notice symptoms (that I remember or took notes on) till almost 30 days after my period started. So if that's the case with me, I have another 4 days to go.  It's just that... when i took the test, 30 days into my cycle, that second line on the pregnancy test got SO red, so dark, so fast... you'd think that if I were feeling this many symptoms at this point, I'd at least see SOME kind of line... even if it's really light pink?  But... no dice.

Ah, well. Like I said, if it doesn't happen this month, at least I feel good about being able to keep up with the health kick I'm on. I'm eating a TON of vegetables, and taking my vitamins regularly... including extra CoQ10, to improve the quality of my eggs. I'd been slacking there for a while. I actually misplaced my "pill minder" and used that as a bad excuse to not take my supplements regularly (although I kept up with the Visalus Vi-Pak most days, I didn't take many additional things I normally would, like extra Vitamin D, folate, CoQ10, or garlic). 

If I'm going to have a kid, I want it to be the healthiest kid possible. So I'm going to do my best to go all out, to improve my health over the next few months. It's now or never, baby!