Melatonin and TTC

SpartanChick88

Finding conflicting information on taking melatonin and TTC. Thoughts?

We have both been taking about 3 ml every night - the recommendation on the bottle is 4. It's been less than a week. If we stop now will we have still done damage to our chances this month if that is the case? FW is theoretically just starting

Edit for proper punctuation

hydrangea1019

If be interested to know as well. We stopped taking it this month (by we, I mean me. I used to take it every night).

SpartanChick88

@CrazyCornball‌ Thanks for your input. Never had any side effects with it but I think I will cease and desist for now

theholmanherd

I take 2000mg a day because I have insane levels of insomnia (and it is still hard to sleep sometimes). I've never had side effects from it other than a light fatigue throughout the day. I hope it's not bad. I've never heard anything negative for TTC.

klburke88

According to the Mayo clinic... "Melatonin may decrease sex drive, increase the risk of developmental disorders, and reduce ovarian function." However, it also states that there is a lack of high quality scientific evidence to support this. I stopped about a month ago because it made me so groggy in the morning. 

SpartanChick88

That was one site I read; however, the 'may' part indicated to me that no one really knows. It also said may decrease sperm mobility.

Neither of have been sleeping well.. it sucks

theholmanherd

Thanks for posting this. I'm in the middle of an extra long cycle and it's the first cycle in which I've taken melatonin. I'm wondering if they are connected now, because I've never had a cycle this long before. I know wonky cycles can happen, but I'm up to 3 months already and considering provera to jump start. I guess I will try eliminating the melatonin and see what happens.

jennycam

It also causes your BBT temps to be significantly lower so not really smart when charting. I stopped halfway through this cycle...now I have lovely bags under my eyes!

4RingCircus

I've been having a horrible time sleeping lately, but decided against Melatonin because of what I read about it (pretty much what pp already said).

ngolimento

I dunno about fertility effects, but damn, I get some seriously screwy dreams when I take it. After waking up once in a panic after dreaming a guy I was having sex with turned into a tiger, I swore off of it.

Pintobean39

I actually read a few things about how melatonin has helped egg quality in IVF patients. So I started taking it a few week ago but I will quit when I start stimming. I figured it can't hurt.

SpartanChick88

So much conflicting information and no one actually knows anything!!! Not you all, the 'experts' - you would think they could figure something out.  Sigh

ETA: I'm happy to see that my new avatar finally loaded properly

Gizmo36

I take it every night.  I've never had any of the issues anyone has mentioned.  I stop taking it during the summer and on school vacations since a good night's sleep is less important, and I've never seen a difference in my temps, O date, etc.  

Like @pintobean39 , I've also read that it helps improve egg quality.  That's not why I take it, but my doctor never said anything about stopping until I actually get KU.

Pintobean39

nursesouder said:

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is considered safe during pregnancy from what I have read.  I sometimes take 50-75 mg once a week when I work three night shifts in a row.

I also take 12.5 mg of Benadryl a night. I have Ménière's and have been having bad spells. I take Valium with my spells but it's not safe during pregnancy. My ENT Neurologist told me to try this if my RE would allow it and he said it's fine.

Between the Benadryl and melatonin those first few hours of sleep and axe murderer could break in my house and I'd never know.

SpartanChick88

@Pintobean39 just to clarify, your RE said melatonin is ok?

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having but glad you're getting some sleep!

Pintobean39

Kredd88 said:

@Pintobean39 just to clarify, your RE said melatonin is ok?

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having but glad you're getting some sleep!

He said I can take it but I'm only taking it for the few weeks while I'm on birth control. He was ok with that but I'm not taking it while I'm cycling.

SpartanChick88

Pintobean39 said:

@Pintobean39 just to clarify, your RE said melatonin is ok?

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having but glad you're getting some sleep!

He said I can take it but I'm only taking it for the few weeks while I'm on birth control. He was ok with that but I'm not taking it while I'm cycling.

Got it!  Thanks.  I will take his advice over anything I find on the interwebz!

UnicornsAndGlitter

Pintobean39 said:

nursesouder said:

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is considered safe during pregnancy from what I have read.  I sometimes take 50-75 mg once a week when I work three night shifts in a row.

I also take 12.5 mg of Benadryl a night. I have Ménière's and have been having bad spells. I take Valium with my spells but it's not safe during pregnancy. My ENT Neurologist told me to try this if my RE would allow it and he said it's fine.

Between the Benadryl and melatonin those first few hours of sleep and axe murderer could break in my house and I'd never know.

My husband has Meniere's! He mostly controls his with diet and meclizine, but has Valium for the bad times, too. =(

Pintobean39

UnicornsAndGlitter said:

Pintobean39 said:

nursesouder said:

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is considered safe during pregnancy from what I have read.  I sometimes take 50-75 mg once a week when I work three night shifts in a row.

I also take 12.5 mg of Benadryl a night. I have Ménière's and have been having bad spells. I take Valium with my spells but it's not safe during pregnancy. My ENT Neurologist told me to try this if my RE would allow it and he said it's fine.

Between the Benadryl and melatonin those first few hours of sleep and axe murderer could break in my house and I'd never know.

My husband has Meniere's! He mostly controls his with diet and meclizine, but has Valium for the bad times, too. =(

I had endo lymphatic sac decompression surgery last year because my spells were lasting months and I was confined to my house for a long time. It worked but these damn hormones I keep injecting in my body have screwed up the surgery. I've been having the worst spells of my 20yrs of having it lately and I just cried when they said no more Valium. But, knock on wood I've been vigilant about my vestibular exercises daily and taking the Benadryl and I haven't had a spell this week.

I'm so ready to have a baby so they can kill my ear for good!!

Twinkie0612

My clinic gave the ok for me to take melatonin during IVF because Lupron gave me bad insomnia. CCRM (one of the top clinics in the country) recommend it as part of their "fertility cocktail" for women. I have read that melatonin is not recommended for long term use, so I try to only take it as needed.

Pintobean39

@twinkie0612 oh wise one. I read that melatonin increases the estrogen or something like that. I also read something about women that something about the better sleep during IVF causes some hormone to produce better quality eggs. What is your understanding? I know you research the hell out of everything.


My Dr doesn't have a "cocktail" per se but said melatonin and coq10 are ok to take and can't hurt but aren't a miracle. I also asked about the DHEA?? But he said it isn't not recommended for me because my levels were fine. I'd do anything for better egg quality.

SpartanChick88

Waiting for the answer on that one.

What about for men?  I hate to be the one popping melatonin and leaving DH sleepless because it affects his swimmers time.

Twinkie0612

@Pintobean39 you know I never found much about why melatonin might improve egg quality, just that it was recommended by CCRM for poor responders. I never took it for more than 3 weeks at a time. My RE is kind of "meh" about supplements, but DHEA was one that my clinic did not recommend taking because it can increase levels (androgen? Testosterone? I can't remember exactly) which can diminish egg quality. I did take a handful of supplements before IVF #3, but not sure if they really helped. What's interesting is that my second opinion with RMANJ (another top clinic) recommended DHEA. If you are interested, here is a link to the supplements recommended by CCRM. https://mybrokenoven.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/ccrm-info/

Pintobean39

@Twinkie0612‌ what is considered a poor responder?

Twinkie0612

@Pintobean39 I don't have an exact definition. My RE did comment that I don't respond as well as I should given my age, FSH, and AMH. With my first IVF he expected 8-10 mature eggs, we got 5.

KatzKiss

It gave me terrible nightmares so I never took it. Though, my OB suggested it as alternative to ambien.