Red raspberry leaf tea

HealthyHappy

Hello,

I have been drinking red raspberry leaf tea and red clover tea as i have heard it helps with TTC. I have done my own research and it can go both ways-some are for it and some not.

Has anyone tried drinking these two teas? Have you heard anything about them? I am a big tea drinker-anyone know of any other tea that has been know to support TTC?

Thank you!!

HealthyHappy

Not really any specific reason. I heard that it helps strengthen your uterus which helps with implantation. But i asked my doctor and she did not have any immediate information about it to share. I have pretty normal cycles but i just have friends who have used it and rave about it so i gave it a try but i am not sure if it really helps or if i am just willing to try anything that might be helpful

RayRay007

I drank RRL tea at the end of my last pregnancy to "tone" my uterus. It can be helpful when not TTC to help with cramps etc. If you are TTC though it is estrogenic so drinking too much and at the wrong times in your cycle could conceivably screw it up. I don't know though when you could/should drink it and how much. 

HealthyHappy

This is our fourth cycle TTC. I have been drinking the tea heavily pretty much since we started trying.

HealthyHappy

Oh yes i have been lurking, commenting, and posted an intro under my previous user name (jls956). I also posted an update when i changed my user name.

I totally understand it can take a healthy couple a year and not to mention i am over 30. I just like to make sure i am doing everything i can to help the process! Which it sounds like maybe i should stop drinking the tea.

augusta17

I feel like many of these things are fads. Like a fad diet. My doc even said fish oil is a TTC fad. I dunno. I don't take/drink anything special. A healthy lifestyle is key.

HawkeyeTTGP

HealthyHappy said:

 i should stop drinking the tea.

DING DING DING DING DING

SmileyJay

I love herbal teas and did a lot of research before ttc to figure out what I could and couldn't drink. There are certain teas that stimulate the uterus and they can cause early miscarriage and other issues if taken in the first or second trimester. As with anything, some people have issues and many do not. Red raspberry, chamomile, and a few others are uterus stimulants. I would not drink them at all. Red raspberry is recommended by many midwives to drink after around 34 weeks to tone the uterus and aid in a speedy delivery. Some women swear by it. 

Based on everything I know, you should not be drinking it in early pregnancy. It will do more harm than good.

The best tea to drink during pregnancy is rooibos. It is antioxidant rich, has a hold aroma like black tea or a mild coffee, is caffeine free, and technically is not a tea at all. It is a bush not a tea. I drink green rooibos with honey and heavy cream daily. It is so delicious! I use loose tea leaves and steep in purified water to get the best flavor, I do not use prepackaged tea bags as they have been bleached and release dioxins into the tea. You can buy loose teas and infusers online pretty cheap. 

Other safe teas are home made lemon tea - just hot water, juice of a lemon (1/2 small lemon per cup), and honey. This is excellent for cleansing or if you have been sick. Another great one to have on hand is ginger tea. It can help a lot with morning sickness so it's great to just have it on hand for when you do conceive. I also grow organic mint and lemon balm which make great teas and are super easy to grow (like weeds really). I hope this helps! 

HealthyHappy

Haha! Thank you to everyone this has been an eye-opener. Any additional feedback is welcome

SmileyJay

Oh another tip - if your thing is fruit teas you may try celestial seasonings raspberry zinger tea. It has raspberry in it but is not at all the same as red raspberry leaf tea. Do not drink anything with parsley or sage, I remember reading specifically that these are dangerous in early pregnancy. In food it is fine, but teas are so much more concentrated than food spices.

The thing to remember is that too much of anything is never a good idea. I would limit to 3 cups of tea a day max. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, too. I don't think any amount of tea will make the different between you getting pregnant or not getting pregnant, but if you miscarried you don't want to have the "what ifs" if you are drinking teas deemed unsafe. Just a thought.  

tortuga47

I drank it my first time TTC and am now up until O. I only drank one cup a day. I also drank it my last few weeks of pregnancy to help tune things up

HealthyHappy

tortuga47-did you find it helped anything when ttc? Did you start drinking it from doctor recommendation or from your own research?

tortuga47

@healthyhappy I did my own research and then mentioned it to my doctor. She was fine with it. I'm not sure if it helped or not. I came off BCP after 13 years and on my third cycle I got BFP. But, like I said, I didn't drink it in excess and just in case because I know it can cause slight uterine contractions, I stopped after O.

PrimRoseMama

My only experience with RRLT was to tone the uterus while pregnant before labor. My midwife strongly advised against it while TTC. I'm not sure why, but her caution was enough for me. I can ask at my next appointment if you would like me to.

I don't have experience with The Clover tea.

PrimRoseMama

@ally1986 : I took Rainbow Lite while TTC & pregnant. The extract is just trace amounts. Far different from the intense tincture solution that you would brew for RRLT for medicinal use at the end of pregnancy.

HealthyHappy

@primrosemama-thank you for the offer to check with your midwife but no worries.

I did check with my doctor and she said it was fine but also mentioned she did not have a lot of information on it. I did my own research and recently started researching it again and thought i would post here for some feedback. I actually think my doctors hate me because i either call or see them all of the time-definitely not afraid of them but they might be afriad of me!! My friends midwide advised her to use it. It sounds like everyone has different opinions on it when ttc but i think i will stop using. Thank you to all of the helpful feedback - i am very glad i asked!!