Some of the messages I got were public, but most were private and I would never divulge people's secrets. With these messages, though came lots of success stories and tips on things that were successful for others. I wanted to share those tips below. I know I can't try ALL of these and who really can? But anyone struggling with fertility is very in tune with their body and often times have an idea of what might be going on. Maybe one of these tips will resonate with a hunch you've had in the past or will connect with a past, unrelated diagnosis. I'll start out with a tip that I would suggest, to try to illustrate my point.
Tip 1: I have a distinct feeling that my problem is not in getting pregnant, but rather in sustaining the pregnancy in the very early stages (i.e. conception to implantation). After my second month on clomid, my period was very heavy and I looked at myself in the mirror one morning and was pale as a ghost. I was also feeling dizzy when I'd go from sitting up to standing. Everything sort of connected back to a chronic issue I've had with low iron. Iron makes hemoglobin which carries oxygen in the blood stream to all of your essential organs. If my iron was too low, then maybe I couldn't get enough oxygen rich blood to my uterus to help complete implantation.
The big issue I have is iron is so hard to take. It has a lot of GI side effects, mainly constipation and stomach upset. A standard dose gives you 27mg of pure iron, but only 2mg on average is absorbed, leaving 25mg in your GI tract to give you these lovely side effects. I browsed through the OTC iron section at Walgreens where I work and came across a liquid supplement called PurAbsorb. The basis behind this is that because the iron is already liquid, more will be absorbed at a lower dose. Each dose contains 5mg of iron and 2mg on average is still absorbed, leaving only 3mg left in your GI tract. Brilliant! I have been taking this daily since purchasing and have experienced only very mild side effects that have gone away after a couple of weeks. Note: liquid iron tastes like, well liquid iron. If you think about trying this, mix with orange juice. It helps with absorption and masks the taste.
Here is a link to their website:
http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-us/us/our-brands/pur-absorb/
Tip 2: Low thyroid function is a common problem in women and has a direct link to infertility. If you haven't already, have a thyroid function test done (simple blood test). The medications to treat hypothyroid are inexpensive and one woman got pregnant the month after correcting this.
Tip 3:A certain type of blood pressure medicine called calcium-channel blockers have also had a link to infertility. These include popular drugs such as norvasc (amlodipine), diltiazem and verapamil. A couple had been trying a number of therapies to have a baby, when one doc told them that her husband's BP medicine was the culprit. Two months after stopping, the couple had twins!
Tip 4: Stay away or limit gluten intake. Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are linked to infertility. A lot of times people don't even realize that they have gluten issues, so maybe try a gluten free or low-gluten diet for a couple of weeks to start. If you feel better, you may have a gluten sensitivity. Plus, with gluten-free being such a fad now, it isn't as hard to find foods and drinks as it was before. Also, wine is gluten free soooo...you've always got that!
Tip 5: Get a second opinion or go to a fertility specialist. About all ob-gyn's should be able to provide you with the basic tests to rule out major causes of infertility (i.e. low sperm, not ovulating, etc.) but specialists have more training and the most advanced technology. One friend that I spoke to had tried a battery of tests and it was not until she went to a fertility specialist and had exploratory laprascopic surgery that she found two cysts on her ovaries. They were removed and next month she was pregnant!
The list I'm sure can go on and on but these were words of advice from women just like me!
Tip 5: Get a second opinion or go to a fertility specialist. About all ob-gyn's should be able to provide you with the basic tests to rule out major causes of infertility (i.e. low sperm, not ovulating, etc.) but specialists have more training and the most advanced technology. One friend that I spoke to had tried a battery of tests and it was not until she went to a fertility specialist and had exploratory laprascopic surgery that she found two cysts on her ovaries. They were removed and next month she was pregnant!
The list I'm sure can go on and on but these were words of advice from women just like me!
One doctor had suggested to my husband and I that stress was the reason for my infertility. The stress was not due to work, but was from all the pressure and importance that was placed upon having a baby. His suggestion was to post pictures of babies everywhere (and he did mean EVERYWHERE!), because then it became less important. Since I saw babies all over my house, it wasn't a big deal - it was a common thing. Once the stress levels were lowered, I conceived and delivered a healthy baby boy. Worth a try (unless, of course, you are the type of person that might get more stressed out if you see babies all over but you aren't having one).
ReplyDeleteI like this idea, I'm sure everyone suffering from infertility has the "stress complex." I like that it's an outside the box idea and doesn't require any more medicines or procedures! Thanks for sharing.
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