Anything that you think "worked" for you?

amyfelice

So I wonder about all these things, like Green tea, dietary changes, etc for fertility and acupuncture. Did anyone do something that they SWEAR made the difference? I drink Green Tea but probably not enough. Even to the idea of frequent "trying" at the time of month vs "keeping the gun loaded" for that special Peak fertility day, tell me if you think anything really helped you get pregnant, even if you think we won't believe it. Drinking more water? herbal remedies? Other than IF treatments of course, which we will be trying as soon as I switch to Kaiser in January (not covered right now)

Mrs.K23

I'm a usual lurker here, but I wanted to jump in and say I swear by acupunture for fertility.  I've got a woman here in Mill Valley who I would happily refer you to.  If you are interested let me know and I will give you her info.

tri_bride05

I think the combination of acupuncture and IF treatment was what did it for me. Nothing else made a difference.

EmmieB

invasive sonograms followed by reluctant morning sex :-)

 

I actually have heard and read that morning sex is better because the body is cooler and the sperm are more fiesty...but the last time I had morning sex was when we conceived Baz, so...good luck with a toddler! 

abvernon

I have tried pretty much everything. Acupuncture, green tea, eating pineapple core, POM juice, taking baby aspirin and unfortunately it has not work for me. I did have to say while acupuncture did not help us conceive, it did help regulate my cycles.

Right now I am taking quite a bit of vitamin supplements (as directed by my RE). I am not sure if it will help but it is worth a try

For me, I am willing to try something. Even if I was not successful, I can say I tried.

GL!

green*eyes

I used to work for an ob/gyn and she had a theory, which she had only anecdotal evidence for but she thought it had some reasonable science behind it.  The idea is  that the body begins to develop antibodies (maybe not antibodies, but some kind of defense mechanism) to a partner's sperm when it's been exposed to them over time, i.e. over the course of your relationship.  So she sometimes suggested couples use condoms for a month or two to give the body a chance to let the level of those antibodies decrease, so when you try again, the body won't have its defenses up against them.  I have no idea if there's any real evidence for it but it sounded interesting!  Of course, the downside is you'd have to sacrifice some potential conception days.

 

ETA: So I know this is the opposite of what you were asking for (tried and true methods), but I thought you might at least find it interesting from a medical standpoint ;-)

MeggyO

Not stressing about it. Not helpful for those who are using IF, but the two easiest times happened when we weren't even trying. The last time, I wasn't only not trying, I was barely charting. I lost my thermometer behind the bed, so I wasn't doing that. And I don't even REMEMBER having sex.

StefandTodd

When Emmie mentioned morning sex the other day, I found that totally interesting. Cli was conceived during what my goof-ball husband likes to call a "Monday morning bump n' run"...*blush*...but yeah, Monday morning before heading back to work after the long Thanksgiving Holiday weekend...so now I'm totally like - oooh, mooooorning sex!  Like Emmie said, good luck with that

MsPurple24

I'm positive that Pre-Seed worked for us.  But I had a definite CM deficiency, so that's why I'm so sure.

 

RevJG

Green tea made a HUGE difference in CM for me and we used pre-seed as well.  I absolutely think it helped. 

love22

I have to say that I think the combination of acupuncture, chinese herbs, and red raspberry tea was what it took to make it work for us - that and clomid.

jsugrin

Honestly what worked for us was OPK kits.  I was incredibly fortunate that even having had IV radio labeled radiation treatments twice ( Indium I-II) along with a variety of other treatments that my fertility was particularly strong for mid 30's but it turns out I ovulate very, very early, I'm talking like day 7-8 and no way would I have ever figured that one out without the OPK's.  I would have been timing sex around days 11-16 and thought I was totally in a "good" window and been totally missing it had I not used the OPK's.  Probably not the answer you're looking for because I *think* you've used them already but in case not thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck and I hope however it happens you get there soon.

Mrs.Wubbin

I ate a green leafy salad every day of the cycles I got pg with both girls to make my lining thick. I also drank green tea pre-o and baby carrots for cm, sweet potatoes can trigger a strong ovulation. I also swear by the smiley face OPKs- they are expensive but they totally removed the stress of reading the OPK's right. Lots of luck!

Lesley423

Acupuncture seemed to help us conceive both cycles.  Also I followed some dietary changes recommended by my acupuncturist.  I'm happy to give you her info if you'd like.  She's in Walnut Creek.

My DH also took Fertility Blend and that seemed to help him (low sperm count and motility).

TheMutleys

MsPurple24:

I'm positive that Pre-Seed worked for us.  But I had a definite CM deficiency, so that's why I'm so sure.

 

I was going to say Pre-Seed as well.  The 1st cycle I used it was when DS was conceived.  Ironically, I grabbed it when we conceived this time as well, even though it wasn't on purpose.  It was just in the night stand.

I also used FertilAid and used Instead cups with DS.

Mama_v2.0

For us it has always been "not trying" and a healthy well balanced diet (by that I mean no boxed, processed, or fast food type foods but some fat and sugar...like occasional cookies). Our theory was we are going to just have lots of married people type fun with each other and if I get pregnant cool, who cares cause we are having fun.

Celyn

Acupuncture and the "fertility diet" made a huge difference for a friend of mine who'd been TTC for 4 years (she was someone who has a very high metabolism and has a hard time keeping her weight up, so the diet made a big change for her).  I don't think she did aromatherapy, but that can influence and restore hormonal imbalances as well. 

futrkingsley

Over the course of several years, we tried everything but IVF in our pursuit of having a baby.  My BBT charts were gorgeous, my OPK results were clear as day, we had tons of sex, we used pre-seed a few times, we sought treatment, did tests, I did drugs, we had IUIs (7 cycles worth).  None of that "fixed" whatever was keeping us from getting pregnant (which no one ever pinpointed as we both had perfectly working parts).  We obviously eventually had success despite all that. 

When we got pregnant with C, we were on vacation after a crushing miscarriage. It was a long planned vacation so the two things aren't really linked.  We barely had sex on the trip so I have no idea how it happened.  Actually we had barely had sex when we got pregnant just before that too. 

We had spent that whole year trying to get our lives together.  I lost weight. I took baby asparin and b complex on the advice of an IVF doc I liked.  We took a couples meditation class and practiced it every day.  But all that had gone out the window with our loss and I wasn't taking anything or doing anything that could be replicated when C came along.

I wish there were some magic bullet to use.

 

amyfelice

Mrs.K23:

I'm a usual lurker here, but I wanted to jump in and say I swear by acupunture for fertility.  I've got a woman here in Mill Valley who I would happily refer you to.  If you are interested let me know and I will give you her info.

Im interested, please give me the info at bump name at gmail dot com. Thanks!!!

 

amyfelice

green*eyes:

I used to work for an ob/gyn and she had a theory, which she had only anecdotal evidence for but she thought it had some reasonable science behind it.  The idea is  that the body begins to develop antibodies (maybe not antibodies, but some kind of defense mechanism) to a partner's sperm when it's been exposed to them over time, i.e. over the course of your relationship.  So she sometimes suggested couples use condoms for a month or two to give the body a chance to let the level of those antibodies decrease, so when you try again, the body won't have its defenses up against them.  I have no idea if there's any real evidence for it but it sounded interesting!  Of course, the downside is you'd have to sacrifice some potential conception days.

 

ETA: So I know this is the opposite of what you were asking for (tried and true methods), but I thought you might at least find it interesting from a medical standpoint ;-)

I was not at all asking for tried and true methods, I was asking for the crazy and the weird, this fits right in! Love it.  

amyfelice

StefandTodd:

When Emmie mentioned morning sex the other day, I found that totally interesting. Cli was conceived during what my goof-ball husband likes to call a "Monday morning bump n' run"...*blush*...but yeah, Monday morning before heading back to work after the long Thanksgiving Holiday weekend...so now I'm totally like - oooh, mooooorning sex!  Like Emmie said, good luck with that

LMAO!!!!  

amyfelice

jsugrin:

Honestly what worked for us was OPK kits.  I was incredibly fortunate that even having had IV radio labeled radiation treatments twice ( Indium I-II) along with a variety of other treatments that my fertility was particularly strong for mid 30's but it turns out I ovulate very, very early, I'm talking like day 7-8 and no way would I have ever figured that one out without the OPK's.  I would have been timing sex around days 11-16 and thought I was totally in a "good" window and been totally missing it had I not used the OPK's.  Probably not the answer you're looking for because I *think* you've used them already but in case not thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck and I hope however it happens you get there soon.

Oh yes, I use the CBEFM now so I agree, it can be way off from what you thought!  

amyfelice

Lesley423:

Acupuncture seemed to help us conceive both cycles.  Also I followed some dietary changes recommended by my acupuncturist.  I'm happy to give you her info if you'd like.  She's in Walnut Creek.

My DH also took Fertility Blend and that seemed to help him (low sperm count and motility).

.OH yes please, I would like the recommendation, bumpname at gmail dot come, thanks so much.

amyfelice

thanks everyone, i think I am going to go with acupuncture, diet changes (although mine is pretty healthy) and green tea, I think for now. Morning sex is probably not on the menu at this point since E gets up before anyone in their right mind would want to get frisky but you never know! Today she slept until 7:40!! 

I actually don't feel stressed about it, I would love to have another baby but it's not the same for me as if I had none. I do think it would be awesome to give her a sibling and I am getting a little jealous when I see families with two kids, but it's not an obsession or anything.  

this was really meant to be a fun post and I think it totally was!  

ladipale

I also think acupuncture worked for us.