TTC with MACA Thread! - Page 9

[A Mothers Love]

Originally Posted by reina28

Oh yeah and what's with all the Monty Python references(under our names)?!? April Fool's anyone???

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=871360

[Olerica]

Originally Posted by JSMa

Yup banana anything helps the taste LOTS.


Ugh! So my temp went down again today! *cries* It's still above cover... but meh... *prays it goes back up tomorrow* :

Like AMothersLove mentioned, it's more likely to be an implantation dip. I think a 6 or 7 day luteal phase would be impossibly short, wouldn't it?? I just read your chart info at the top, about not having had a period since 12/3. Hopefully, you did O and caught it!

[LibraryMo]

Originally Posted by A Mothers Love

I am getting my first pos. OPK's EVER!!!
I'm so excited:

Bananas in the Maca it really covers it up!!!!

Yay for A Mothers Love!

[WoodlandFairytale]

Well, I had my appt. with a new dr today. She was very nice and MUCH MUCH better than my last one. She thinks that my long long bleeding this month was an anovulatory bleed and no big deal. She is going to test my insulin levels next week though, to check for PCOS. She thinks it's more likely that my hormone imbalance is still being caused by going off birth control pills and due to being a bit overweight, though, and recommended that I lose 10-15 lbs to kick start ovulation again and said she'd refer me to an acupuncturist also to try that. I forgot to mention that I was taking maca - I guess I kind of assume that doctors don't know what it is... I mentioned vitex and she didn't have anything to say about it, just marked it on my chart.

[A Mothers Love]

WoodlandFairytaleI hope that this is the new start you need.
I could lose 15 lbs. I'm with ya have any plans how you will do it? I know when the weather warms up I will get out more & I have a garden to keep up with. That helps a lot.

[Phoenix~Mama]

s Alice I really hope things work out for you soon, hon! A previous doc wrote me off for needing to lose weight too... They love that one. I'm sure it can't hurt. But if things are still wonky, I'd press them. I'm glad they are sending you for tests... I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that it comes back as good things. :


And I thought it *could* be an implantation dip... but I'm not trying to get my hopes up, cause I can't deal with the dissapointment. I mean what are the chances of catching the first egg?? lol It would be AWESOME!! But I'm not going to hold my breath for it.

[WoodlandFairytale]

Originally Posted by lifewithrecipes

I haven't actually started on the whole maca train, but I was wondering if anyone had had any raw cacao bars with maca? They are delicious, but how much would be workable? Also, does anyone know about Herb Pharm's pharma maca tincture? What do you think would be a reasonable dose (if any)?

I'd never heard of them in this form. I've heard though, that raw cacao doesn't taste all that good... I've never had any, myself. I'd be willing to try anything that tastes better than what I have, though

JSMa... yeah, the 'lose weight' thing - while I agree that I could stand to lose some weight, and would like to feel healthier anyway, I don't think that's necessarily the answer for what's going on with me... I'm VERY glad, though, that her next step would be acupuncture and not immediately going into medical interventions... while I do want to start ovulating ASAP, I want to do it naturally if at all possible. Hence the vitex and MACA!

I sure do hope that it's an implantation dip for you! I'm crossing my fingers for you!

[LibraryMo]

Wow JSMa, that sure looks like it *coule be* an implantation dip. I have my fingers crossed for you!

[Phoenix~Mama]

s Thanks guys... story of the morning... I doubt it's implantation dip.


I was running a fever last night, and it broke in the middle of the night, then my temp went way low this morning. *sighs* Fertility friend has now made my beautiful solid lines dashed...

So much for a "normal" looking chart.


Would implantation cause fever by any chance? Though I would think the temp would stay some what high then... not stupid 97.15.

Meh...

[Guinevere]

Hi again, everyone, just checking in...

I'm now somewhere around 11 DPO (if, in fact, I O'd this month -- OPK gave me a +, but I'm not temping, so there's a possibility I didn't). I've been feeling increasingly yucky since the weekend -- really tired (have taken a nap everyday now for the past 4 days,) acne, very irritable, crampy, cravings. You know, where you either feel extremely PMS'y or pg, and only time will tell you which, lol. Don't you hate that? A cruel joke, that is, that the symptoms of both are basically identical. : In any case, if, as I suspect, it's PMS, the dosage of maca I've taken thus far (the 1000 mg/day) hasn't helped one bit with that, unfortunately.

I took a Dollar Tree test yesterday (9-10 DPO) -- BFN. I was going to take a FRER this morning and let that be my final shot, but tired me forgot to poke around for it in the cupboards last night, so this morning when I went to pee, I couldn't find the darn thing in time and just said, "Oh, well, I'll find it for tomorrow." Clearly, I'm not very organized about this TTC thing this month!

I do need to make sure I'm NOT either pg/not pg by this Saturday b/c I have a kidney CT scheduled (for the kidney stones that I'm sure are contributing to how yucky I've been feeling -- I'm almost positive that I have another attack coming on soon, great, right?) and I would never do an x-ray if I were pg. Well, it seems like a greater power must want to me finally get a good look of what's going on in there, at least that's what I'm going to cheer myself up with, since I really, really wanted us to end the family line-up with a little Sag baby.

Next cycle, I intend to double the maca (2000 mg) AND get my butt in gear and start temping so I can better see if I'm Oing.

How's everyone else doing today? JSMa, I'm sorry -- it sounds like you're a bit sick. However, an illness can throw off your temps without hurting your TTC chances (at least, if you're already past O, which I assume you are -- when is AF due to show up?), so don't despair just yet!

Guin

[reina28]

Ok...so I saw a little blurb on this and it got me thinking. Do you suppose if the Maca made you O earlier that the egg released could not be quite "ripe" (or ready) yet? I really like the Maca, I love the energy it gives me and am starting to see increased libido but this possibility bothers me slightly. I have also noticed that some women have had miscarriages while on maca but they don't believe there is a relationship there and I am not sure if I do either, I just tend to overanalyze everything. Anyway, any thoughts on this?

[Phoenix~Mama]

Guinevere, I'd get the work done you need so you can be in your best shape for when you conceive.

And... But I don't feel sick... It was totally a random fever. CM is like a watery/creamy mix today, too... weird.


Reina... I don't think there is a such thing as an egg needing to ripen. They are all just there, it's not like they are growing.

[doodledoo]

Can I officially be added please?

Doodledoo / Kez & DH 1 tbsp gelatinised/day

Well the maca and the gelatinised Maca arrived Monday but I've had strep throat and haven't been feeling too great so held off and started today. The gelatinised was def easier got down, the ordinary one made me gag even at the smell. I really thought that DH wasn't going to even try it, but after being doubled in two laughing at me taking it, he rose to the challenge and tried it! Half way through taking his, he asked 'why am I taking this again?' and I was just like 'oh, it'll help you libido'. About 30 seconds after finishing he just winked and said 'that wasn't so bad and it's working now, so come on'. He's not delighted but seems like he's going to keep taking it - for now! We only attempted one tbsp, but hope to increase it soon to 2.

We took it in store bought orange & banana juice and as long as I didn't smell it, it went down not too bad. We're going to try pineapple tomorrow as DH reckons it may be better - we'll see!

Reina28 - really glad to hear you're noticing it's effects already - am I right in thinking you only started last week?

[reina28]

Thanks JSMa - I wasn't sure about that but I kind of thought that - that's why I was so surprised when the little blurb I did read about came from a dr. I guess we all know they don't know everything though (and you can't believe everything you read).

doodledoo - yes I did only start on Saturday. I have been consistently taking two large TBSP in the am and do notice an increased energy already. I also have a thyroid disorder though and I read somewhere that people with abnormal hormone levels might notice the effects more than someone that already has normal hormone / pituitary / thyroid function. Of course, my thyroid medicine was also started recently - my newfound energy could actually be a result of that and not the maca but I found it funny that starting to take the maca and my energy level increase occurred at about the same time.

I am curious about this though - it doesn't seem to me that it should have to build up in your body like a supplement because it is a food. We usually feel the effects of food (on blood sugar, digestion, etc.) very soon after eating it; food does not have to build up in our system before we start to notice any effects. I understand though that prolonged use or ingestion (because of the high amount of vitamins) will cause greater effects but I would think that any small effects could be felt immediately for that very reason. Or it could be a really expensive placebo in which case I will take either.

[Olerica]

Originally Posted by JSMa

s Thanks guys... story of the morning... I doubt it's implantation dip.


I was running a fever last night, and it broke in the middle of the night, then my temp went way low this morning. *sighs* Fertility friend has now made my beautiful solid lines dashed...

So much for a "normal" looking chart.


Would implantation cause fever by any chance? Though I would think the temp would stay some what high then... not stupid 97.15.

Meh...

When I posted the other day about your chart I was going to add this, but then realized that you mentioned that you 'faked' an AF to make it easier for you to track. Anyway, what I was going to add is: I thought that it sort of looks like you are on your way to a pre-O temp dip. I guess I think that now too... or... (and I'm so sorry that I'm writing this) or you will get AF here quickly after your anovulatory cycle.

Originally Posted by Guinevere

Hi again, everyone, just checking in...

I'm now somewhere around 11 DPO (if, in fact, I O'd this month -- OPK gave me a +, but I'm not temping, so there's a possibility I didn't). I've been feeling increasingly yucky since the weekend -- really tired (have taken a nap everyday now for the past 4 days,) acne, very irritable, crampy, cravings. You know, where you either feel extremely PMS'y or pg, and only time will tell you which, lol. Don't you hate that? A cruel joke, that is, that the symptoms of both are basically identical. : In any case, if, as I suspect, it's PMS, the dosage of maca I've taken thus far (the 1000 mg/day) hasn't helped one bit with that, unfortunately.

I took a Dollar Tree test yesterday (9-10 DPO) -- BFN. I was going to take a FRER this morning and let that be my final shot, but tired me forgot to poke around for it in the cupboards last night, so this morning when I went to pee, I couldn't find the darn thing in time and just said, "Oh, well, I'll find it for tomorrow." Clearly, I'm not very organized about this TTC thing this month!

I do need to make sure I'm NOT either pg/not pg by this Saturday b/c I have a kidney CT scheduled (for the kidney stones that I'm sure are contributing to how yucky I've been feeling -- I'm almost positive that I have another attack coming on soon, great, right?) and I would never do an x-ray if I were pg. Well, it seems like a greater power must want to me finally get a good look of what's going on in there, at least that's what I'm going to cheer myself up with, since I really, really wanted us to end the family line-up with a little Sag baby.

Next cycle, I intend to double the maca (2000 mg) AND get my butt in gear and start temping so I can better see if I'm Oing.

How's everyone else doing today? JSMa, I'm sorry -- it sounds like you're a bit sick. However, an illness can throw off your temps without hurting your TTC chances (at least, if you're already past O, which I assume you are -- when is AF due to show up?), so don't despair just yet!

Guin

OT:
Was just going to ask if you've ever done a flush (gall bladder, liver, kidney flush)? I did a gall bladder flush a few years ago and got a bunch of gall stones but some of them could have been kidney stones.

I don't know how much you are into that sort of stuff. You can google Hulda Clark Kidney Cleanse and get some info. It might be helpful.

[A Mothers Love]

Ok....I am so tired! Even w/ the maca. At first I was running around like crazy. now i keep :yawning & want naps. Granted....this morning I lost about 1/2 my maca. it spilled all over the counter & down the face of the cabinets & onto the floor I guess I could make more. I'm just not my usual chipper self.
Anyone else? getting tired? maybe i just do NEED a nap. My schedule is quite different this week. I hope that's all it is. being tired Bites!!!

[LibraryMo]

A Mother's Love - I am with you about the fatigue...but in my case it's due to insomnia. I have been waking up at about 2am for the last 6-8 weeks and the it takes me hours to fall back to sleep. I'm almost hoping for either the first-trimester exhaustion (which will help me sleep, hopefully?!) or AF so I can just take some melatonin and sleep through the night. Maybe I'll sleep through tonight and tomorrow I'll feel great! It could happen...

[Phoenix~Mama]

Don't feel bad for posting that, Olerica! Even AF would be appreciated right now. lol Beleive me! I want to know my system is getting back on track.


OMG! Running a fever AGAIN tonight! Again... I don't feel sick. I have a tiny cough, but I'm BARELY coughing... I think it's more from allergies/change of season than anything. But no runny nose, nothing like that. No sore throat. It's pretty low grade, but high for me, and I feel the soreness I get when I get a fever. 99.5

So what in the world is going on??? lol

[reina28]

Has anyone been having bad dreams? I have for the last three nights in a row and I usually never get bad dreams so I am wondering what to attribute it too. Three nights ago was ghosts and haunted hotels, two nights ago was a nuclear explosion and last night I was being told by policemen that I had to marry my ds's father because I had a baby with him (which was by far the scariest of the three)

If they continue, I might do an experiment with stopping the maca and seeing if they stop. I dunno...

JSMa, I hope you are feeling better.

[Guinevere]

Well, I'm theoretically 12DPO and FRER gave me a BFN this morning, so I'm considering myself out for this cycle. The good news is that I can go ahead with that kidney CT on Sat. and maybe get a better picture of how many stones I'm dealing with. The bad news is that I'm now questioning whether I'm even ovulating, which has never been an issue for me before.

Can you be too fat to ovulate? I've become increasingly fluffy with the birth of each baby, but it was Sophie's birth that really sent me over the edge, and why I am so convinced I must have some sort of hormone imbalance, b/c I've gained over 40 lbs. in the past year alone, most of that weight during a period of time when I was regularly exercising, controlling portions, and TANDEM nursing. And I not only didn't lose any weight, I gained. And gained. And gained some more. : So far all my thyroid stuff has come back normal. And all negative for signs of PCOS, too.

I'd love nothing more right now than to drop some of this weight, especially if it's interfering with my fertility, but I'm just not confident that diet and exercise are going to do the trick -- they didn't before. I'm no longer nursing, and my metabolism seems to have slowed to a standstill. It's discouraging.

Thanks for the tip on kidney cleansing, btw! I did try this about a year ago with a commercial herbal product and it kicked off an incredibly painful 3-month period where I was in agony passing stone after stone. Ouch! So it worked, but at a pretty high cost to me. I think perhaps a slower, steadier approach would be a good idea, so I'm going to buy the rest of the ingredients for an herbal tisane and start that slowly next week, along with further increasing my water intake. I admit that I hate drinking water -- my least favorite beverage ever, unfortunately -- but it really helps with the back pain and other symptoms.

I sympathize on the fatigue -- I've been really exhausted, too. I certainly hope some of your (the collective you) exhaustion is due to pg and not PMS, as I'm pretty sure mine is. Maca is supposed to be an energy-booster, right? Well, I'm just not seeing that in the second half of my cycle, although I felt great for the first half.

So where are the rest of you in your cycles? Can we look forward to anyone testing over the next couple of weeks? I'd love to read some success stories this month!

Guin