Can you help me with supplements? Vitex, Maca, parsley tea?

[zwitterion]

Here is my situation. I am still breastfeeding my 19-month-old DD, and I am pretty sure I ovulated last August at 13 months postpartum (7 day LP--to be expected in the first PP cycles while BFing). I then had a few 28-ish day cycles, and might have ovulated once, possibly twice, but I can't say for sure. I also had a fair bit of spotting throughout the cycles, which is pretty unusual for me. I should add that each time, "AF" was super light--just a day or two of spotting that never made it to my pad--but was accompanied with cramping, etc like a normal AF would be. I had a super-short 14 day anovulatory cycle, and now I am on day 90 or 95 of the next cycle and no signs of ovulation yet (and the spotting is gone, too). I'm burning through OPKs like a madwoman because my cervix has been stuck in high, soft and partially or fully open for the last few weeks and I've had many days of EWCF, but nothing has come of it. I have tried to cut DD back a bit on nursing to help things get moving so I can conceive again, but she's adamant about her nursies.

For those of you who know more about this than I do (and all I know is what I get from Google searches), would Vitex or Maca help me out? Or would they cause more harm than good? If I was able to induce a period with parsley tea, would there be any benefit? Also, I have been taking 100 mg of B6 a day since the middle of December (about a month into this cycle) to try to decrease the effects of prolactin a bit. Is there any chance that the B6 is making things *worse* rather than better? I'm ready to add some supplements to see if that will help, but I'm not sure which, if any, are suitable for my situation. I would love any advice you have!

Here's a link to my charts, if that will help you out: http://www.tcoyf.com/members/zwitter...s/default.aspx

[jennmk13]

It took my cycles a long time to regulate after DS was born. For me I was having super long cycles like 50+ days. After 6 months they did regulate on their own.
I used Vitex when ttc #1 and I’m convinced it did the trick and in only 1 ½ months. However, this time when ttc I started using the Vitex again, and this time it was causing me NOT to ovulate. I think that the difference was that the first time around it was correcting issues connected to an unknown hyperthyroid. However, this time ttc I have addressed the hyperthyroid so the Vitex was over compensating and causing NO O for me.

Maca on the other hand is a food and not an herb (like the Vitex) so it’s more of a regulator. It doesn’t cause your body to do anything, but it supports the body and encourages it to perform optimally. I’ve been taking the Maca for 1 ½ months now and it has done a lot of great things for me including more energy and a BFP.

I would think that the Maca would be a good safe place to start. You may have noticed but there is a thread here on TTC with Maca. Check it out!

[babygrey]

Hi,
Not sure I can be of much help answering your questions, bc I had/have the same ? as you.
I talked to my MW, an herbalist, a ton of books, and, well all the lovely ladies of the internet and here's what I decided to do;
pnvs, omegas and vitD (already taking these prior tp ttc)
100-150mg B6 (in complex)
500-1000mg Vitex (going to do tincture when I run out, but caps was all I could get locally)
EPO pre-O to help build lining

I was told and am hoping that Vitex would be good for my situation (and probably yours, too), and I just had my second ppaf without too long of a cycle, so I'm hopeful it is working. The reason I go back and forth on dose, tho, is bc I worry about the same thing- is it going to do more harm than good? I decided to not do Maca, b/c doing both seemed like overkill and my MW had more positive things to say about Vitex

As far as I can tell, there is no harm from that dose of B6 (can be toxic in higher doses, tho), esp cuz nursing moms are at a higher risk of deficiency. I make sure to split mine into 3 doses/day so my DD doesn't ever get a high dose.

I also considered parsley tea, but from what I could read, even if it was successful in bring af, that wouldn't make me O, kwim? Hopefully someone else can help you out with that one.

ok. I don't know if that helps you, b/c I'm no expert and I'm certainly no success story (yet), but just wanted to share. Hope you find something to help you get your bfp soon.

[zwitterion]

Thank you for your input! I have been reading the TTC with Maca thread.

I have definitely considered Vitex because it seems like there are a lot of nursing moms who got cycles back or lengthened luteal phase with it. However, I've also heard plenty of stories of ovulation being pushed back or stopped while on Vitex, too, and that scares me. It would be one thing if I were already ovulating and could say, "oh, gosh, I stopped ovulating on Vitex--I guess it's no good for me," but I don't really have a way to check that, KWIM?

Maca, OTOH, seems like it won't mess things up (as far as I can tell), but I wonder if it would help that much, either. And again, I get nervous that if it does cause problems, I won't recognize it quickly, just like with Vitex.

Congrats on your BFP, jennmk13! Babygrey, here's hoping you and I both get ours soon, too. I have to decide what I want to do, and I feel a bit like Hamlet at the moment.

[zwitterion]

Any more opinions? I'd love to hear pros and cons!