MACA?? DOES IT WORK?>?

[mummy24]

Hey all, i have been ttc for 2 years now after having 2 other successful pregnancies. For some reason this time we are struggling. I have been told by dr to lose weight & it should help, which i am currently doing.

I have also started taking maca. I took it for a week but my period didnt come when it was suppose to so i stopped. Got a light bleed for 3 days & thats it. So i thought it wasnt the maca & I have now  been taking it for almost two weeks now & my period hasnt returned.

Could it be the maca stopping my period. I also feel as though i could be getting period or pregnant as i am moody with nausea & some funny little cramps. But when i test its negative & no period.

Has anyone had success with Maca? Has anyone experienced no period etc?

[xxkayluhh07xx]

may i ask what is maca? sorry im kinda new

[Sunshine4me]

Maca could def. be the reason. It doesn't work for everyone and I am one of them.  Do you have regular periods? I get a period every month but I am taking Vitex which has made my cycles shorter and I hear it brings on a period for many women. I would def. look into it if I were you. 

Good Luck!

[tantylynn]

From the research I did about Maca it shouldn't be stopping your periods. Since it's a food it doesn't have any hormones in it. It works by stimulating your hypothalamus-pituitary gland to naturally regulate your hormones. It's supposed to reduce PMS symptoms and increase fertility. I actually started taking Maca because I researched Vitex and heard from a lot of people that Vitex can mess with your cycles if they are already fairly regular. It can also have other side-effects. I haven't noticed any big difference since I started taking the Maca about 2 months ago, but I figure it needs a bit more time to build up in my system.

I hope you are able to figure out what's going on! I really believe that our gut instincts are usually right, so I suggest following yours about what is causing the lack of AF. Best of luck!

[Sunshine4me]

I read all that too until I went to the doctor. I think it really depends how your body reacts to it. I do great with Vitex but Maca went against me. He told me to stop taking Maca right away and when I did, my period came and has been since.

[mummy24]

Thanks for the replies, i think i might stop taking as my period still hasnt arrived & still getting BFN!! :( I will let you know if they return. I was fairly regular before taking the maca so i am thinking its just not for me.

Thanks again

[stellamia]

I used Maca and vitex to bring on my first PPAF (DS was 18mos at the time). My cycle started within two months of taking them together. It definitely does work (not saying for everyone...but it does work for many). Are you ovulating regularly? I ask because maybe the maca is balancing your hormones and fixing anovulatory cycles? That could create a longer cycle, but a more effective one. I would try vitex and maca and see what happens. 

[mummy24]

Thanks for the reply Stellamia. I ended up stopping taking as there was no signs of my af returning. Yeah i ovulate regulary. after about 2 weeks finishing the maca, my af arrived today.More painful than i have ever had it. So i am thinking maca didnt work for me. I have been considering taking Vitex but i might go see a naturopath first before taking anything else & they can hopefully find the right stuff for me.

thanks for the reply

[BubbleMa]

I'm sorry it didn't work for you.  I didn't experience any change in my cycle, which is good because it's very regular.  The only benefits I really noticed were that I slept better at night (a huge plus for me!) and I did notice more EWCM.  I'm currently in the 2ww, so we'll see if it helped us make a baby soon!  :)

[ISISandOSIRIS]

Hubby and I recently started taking maca (powdered form), so I have yet to complete a full cycle.  My cycles are very regular, and other supplements, such as vitex, seemed more geared towards correcting irregular cycles.  Also, I'm a bit wary of herbs that must be stopped during luteal phase and maca seems relatively safe even if you become pregnant.  Since we haven't been taking it for that long, hubby and I aren't sure what are real versus placebo effects.  We both feel more energy, but placebo is a powerful thing!  We have been ttc for almost 2 years.  Although maca doesn't have hormones in it, it's erroneous to believe the reason why is because it's a food.  Many foods are naturally full of hormones, such as phytoestrogens.  

[BubbleMa]

It didn't help me get pregnant get last cycle.  :(  But I'm not giving up.

I just wanted to add another benefit I just realized...my acne has cleared up!  I usually have mild/moderate acne and it's gone!  I didn't even experience the pre-menstral breakout this month like I normally do.  That leads me to believe that it IS balancing out my hormones.   

[ISISandOSIRIS]

So..... I have about a week left of my first full cycle eating maca and I'm suddenly breaking out :-(  My skin was looking so nice too.  Has this happened to anyone else? I'm going to skip a day or two and then lower my daily dose.  BubbleMa, if you're reading this, what's your daily dose?  

[andaluza]

That is interesting about the acne/breakout and maca. Let me tell you what happened to me. Last month was my first month ttc and I used maca on the advice of a specialist in herbal remedies. I used it during my period and until ovulation (1 or 2x/day, 580 mg). It was my first cycle that did not have mid-cycle bleeding, but I don’t know if it was because of the maca, the red rasp tea I had been drinking daily for 6 weeks, or it being my first cycle after going off the pill my gyn had prescribed to regulate my cycles. As I say, it was my first regular cycle in several years (I still had mid cycle bleeding even when on the pill).

However, as I was ttc, I went off my “upkeep” acne meds (salycilic acid wash and benzoyl peroxide not being recommended for pregnancy). My face had been clear for years, though sensitive. I broke out horribly, red bumps everywhere, worse than when I ever had what I thought was bad acne. But I attributed it to a new sunscreen I used. Maybe it was the maca or a combination of all of the above??

I am not continuing with the maca, so we’ll see what happens this month.

[ISISandOSIRIS]

It's always difficult to tell what causes breakouts. It sounds like you made a lot of changes, so it's hard to tell whether it was the maca or not.  I personally can only wear oil-free sunscreen for sensitive skin, otherwise I break out.  For me, I'm not even sure if it's the maca, the heat, or stress from going on vacation in a week with nearly 30 people (as much as I try to stay even-keeled, I get myself so excited and obsessive). Like you said, try eliminating one thing, like the maca, and see if it helps.  However, I suspect that being off benzol peroxide and salicylic acid is a huge contributor.  When I first went off proactive, which contains both those ingredients, I had an explosion of breakouts... but after awhile my skin calmed down.

I skipped the maca again today and I'm going to cut down from 1/3 tsp to 1/4 or less tsp per day.  I don't want to give it up altogether until I've given it 3 full cycles.  I also noticed I had very painful menstrual cramps last cycle, but again, I'm not sure if it was the maca because it certainly wasn't the first time I've had horrid cramps.  It actually reminded me of the cramps I had as a teenager and early 20s... they've calmed down over the years (although do pop up during random cycles, so this could have been one of those random cycles).

Does anyone know whether maca is safe to take while on clomid?  I plan on doing a clomid cycle in the fall.

[BubbleMa]

I take about 1 tsp. each day. 

[ISISandOSIRIS]

Thanks BubbleMa.  The one I take is concentrated, so 1tsp is probably about equivalent to what I was taking.  BTW, I've changed to about 1/6 tsp and so far, so good