Pycnogenol while ttc?

[janarae18]

I have searched the internet and can't find any opinions on this.  I am currently ttc and taking 50 mg of pycnogenol pretty much daily for endo pains (self diagnosed) may be just bad periods  but also for antioxidant and immune support... I know women have gotten pregnant while taking this for endo but I still feel worried about it when I read that NSAIDs can mess with your ovulation and progesterone and implantation... pycnogenol is not an NSAID but it is a strong anti inflammatory... could it possibly have the same side effects as nsaids?

[Jaimee]

I don't know a ton about this and it seems like a good question for a fertility doctor, but I will say that another member was asking about ibuprofen while TTC and I did a little poking around.  What I found was a bunch of conflicting information on the internet and in journal articles about the affects of ibuprofen on TTC.  Some said it could hinder, some said it could actually help.  It would appear that the topic has not been studied enough, especially in humans.  So with this information I would say that it is possible it could be an issue and to give yourself the best chance possible, I would stop taking it.  But if you cannot function well without it, then you would have to weigh the benefits against the unknown cons and decide what makes sense for you.

[janarae18]

I actually was approved by a RE to take it before (who I am not currently going to because I ended up conceiving naturally long story) but I still wish there was more info on it...  yeah I did see it can be beneficial to take baby aspirin, is that what you meant by it helping?

[Jaimee]

No, the studies have been done on ibuprofen, not aspirin.  But there were a few studies that showed improved conception rates when given a dose of ibuprofen prior to ovulation. 

[janarae18]

oh ic.... Ill have to check those out thanks!