Today I wanted to talk about the wonderful drug that we used to get pregnant with little miss Miriam. It was clomid. Clomid is used to stimulate ovulation and produce better eggs in order to get pregnant. Clomid can be taken either CD 3-7 or CD 5-9. It comes in 50mg, 100 mg, and 150mg doses. Days 3-7 produce more, but less mature eggs and days 5-9 produce less eggs but they are more mature. So doctors will try a few cycles one way, and if that doesn't work, they will switch to other days. The downside of clomid is that it thins the lining of the uterus (after multiple uses) and drys up cervical fluid, which is essential for conception. The other side effect of clomid is emotional instability, also sometimes affectionately referred to as the "clomid crazies." This side effect is usually seen in higher doses and prolonged use. I've heard it's like PMS on crack.
Although I would not trade Miriam for world, I wish we had a Naprotechnology doctor sooner, because then we would have figured out the underlining infertility issue (which we are still working on) instead of getting pregnant right away with clomid and having to deal with the underlining issue now that we are trying to have another child.
Femara is a cancer drug that is off labeled to be used like clomid for ovulation stimulation. It is also taken days 3-7 or 5-9 of your cycle. The doses are 2.5mg, 5mg, and 7.5mg. It has none of crazy side effects of uterus thinning, cervical dry up, or emotional instability. The usual side effects are headaches and hot flashes. It is not as widely used as clomid because it is still off labeled as a fertility drug and not enough testing has been done. The process that a drug needs to go through to be approved by the FDA is quite extensive, and right now I don't believe femara being approved as an infertility drug is top priority. There is also a chance of birth defects and miscarriage (as is the case for most non-FDA approved drugs in the fertility realm) If clomid has not worked for you, please do some research and ask your doctor about prescribing femara.
Last but not least is licorice root. I don't have any real science to back up my claims here except for one study. But with all the fertility forums and sites on the internet, I do think there is something to licorice root stimulating ovulation. Here is the one study I was talking about, http://medherb.com/Materia_Medica/Glycyrrhiza_-_Licorice_root_and_testosterone.htm The one real side effect to licorice root is that prolonged use can raise a persons blood pressure. I think if you are only taking it 5 days during a cycle, it shouldn't do much harm, but always ask your doctor if you have questions or concerns. Licorice root should also be taken cycle days 3-7 or 5-9 to stimulate ovulation. The dosing is a little tricky. Since there is no hard science, I've had to experiment. I started out with one pill (420mg) 3 times a day for one cycle, taken days 3-7. I saw no change with ovulating earlier or stronger. The next cycle I upped it to two pills (420mg) 3 times a day with no change. I finally settled at three pills (420mg) 3 times a day, taken days 3-7. I have stayed at this dose for 5 cycles now, have had ovulation pains and ovulate between CD 13-15, right where I should.
These remedies are all in line with Catholic teaching, so if you have been trying for some time to get pregnant with no luck please ask your doctor about these options. The licorice root is something I did on my own, but it is best to run it by your doctor first.
I hope this sheds some light on a few options to try, and if there are any others out there, please feel free to share! I always love doing more research on ways to help and improve fertility.
Blessing.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Why I love NFP
I really have to be more consistent regarding updating this blog. Here I go, trying once again. Before I get into the topic I want to discuss today, I thought an update on myself would be proper. We are on 9 cycles of trying without a positive pregnancy test, and believe me, I test often!
I went to the doctor on August 9th, and we decided to try a few new things. First, even though my thyroid tested fine, what it breaks down into (T3 and T4) were on the low end of normal, and my doctor said that in and of itself can be causing infertility. So if you are experiencing infertility please ask your doctor to test your T3 and T4 not just your thyroid, because that could be causing the problem. So, I started on thyroid medication last week. The second medication we are also trying is called Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). Endorphin deficiency can also cause infertility and LDN enables your body to produce more natural endorphins which helps infertility. LDN has been used by Naprotechnology doctors for years to help infertile couples get pregnant. Here is a link with more information: www.fertilitycare.net/documents/LDNInfo_000.pdf
So even though we are still not pregnant, I feel confident that we are on the right track to fix all the crazy hormones in my body, and that we will be pregnant soon.
Now on to the topic I wanted to discuss. Natural Family Planning (NFP.) I have read too many articles in the past month bashing NFP and saying if you use NFP you will get pregnant. I believe there are way too many myths floating around out there that need to be addressed. The NFP of today is NOT the Rhythm method! NFP today is scientific and 98% effective if a couple chooses to use it as birth control. I have heard a lot of people saying that because a couple has a big family and they use NFP, then NFP must not work. Has anyone ever considered that the couple wanted a big family and that each child was planned? I know 4 different NFP methods off the top of my head, and there might be more.
My husband and I currently are using the Sympto-thermic method. This method requires me to take my temperature at the same time each morning and chart my cervical fluid. You can even choose to go more in depth and chart your cervix height and feel. And since we are trying to get pregnant, I also back up my observations by using an ovulation predictor kit to pin point ovulation. Doctors used to believe that every woman had a 28 day cycle and they ovulated on cycle day 14. A lot of secular doctors still believe this, but most doctors now know better. While 28 day cycles are ideal, most women do not fall into this category. In my six years of charting, my shortest cycle was 21 days and my longest was 34. I can ovulate anywhere from cycle day 12 to cycle day 21.
Once a woman starts charting, they can detect their own pattern, and what their body is telling them, without the craziness of artificial birth control. It is so sad to me to read of the women that were told that the pill was the only way to make their cycles regular. So these woman have been taking the pill since they were teenagers, now 10-15 years later are ready to start a family and are struggling with infertility due to prolonged use of the pill.
As a Catholic, I don't believe NFP should be used as birth control, but in spacing children (for grave and serious reasons) NFP is just as affective as the pill.
And guess what? Not only is NFP good "birth control" it is also great in helping achieve a pregnancy for couples that are struggling. Naprotechnology and NFP have helped many "infertile" couples get pregnant. By knowing your body and when you ovulate (or even if you ovulate) helps couples target the right time to try and eventually get pregnant. The actual percentage of true infertility is very low, most of the time it is a simple hormone imbalance or sluggish ovulation. These things can be fixed without the need of spending thousands of dollars and dealing with the moral implications of InVitro Fertilization (IVF).
This post was meant to shed some positive light on the greatness of NFP. It is a wonder that more people don't embrace NFP. NFP gives you a control and authority over your life that the pill could never give. You know EXACTLY what is happening in your body on a given day and with some practice, lets you know if there is a problem you should bring to your doctor.
I would think people would be jumping at this chance to learn more. In case you are, let me refer you to a great NFP book. It's called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. They practice the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), which is NFP for the secular world. There are chapters in there that speak of birth control and barriers and avoiding. These are NOT in line with Catholic teaching! So just skip these chapters when reading. I can't condone these chapters, but the author presents the rest of the book in a clear straight forward manner.
Natural Family Planning empowers women and does more good for families and infertility then today's society wants you to believe. So give it a chance, it might change your life.
And wouldn't you want someone as cute as this someday?!
I went to the doctor on August 9th, and we decided to try a few new things. First, even though my thyroid tested fine, what it breaks down into (T3 and T4) were on the low end of normal, and my doctor said that in and of itself can be causing infertility. So if you are experiencing infertility please ask your doctor to test your T3 and T4 not just your thyroid, because that could be causing the problem. So, I started on thyroid medication last week. The second medication we are also trying is called Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). Endorphin deficiency can also cause infertility and LDN enables your body to produce more natural endorphins which helps infertility. LDN has been used by Naprotechnology doctors for years to help infertile couples get pregnant. Here is a link with more information: www.fertilitycare.net/documents/LDNInfo_000.pdf
So even though we are still not pregnant, I feel confident that we are on the right track to fix all the crazy hormones in my body, and that we will be pregnant soon.
Now on to the topic I wanted to discuss. Natural Family Planning (NFP.) I have read too many articles in the past month bashing NFP and saying if you use NFP you will get pregnant. I believe there are way too many myths floating around out there that need to be addressed. The NFP of today is NOT the Rhythm method! NFP today is scientific and 98% effective if a couple chooses to use it as birth control. I have heard a lot of people saying that because a couple has a big family and they use NFP, then NFP must not work. Has anyone ever considered that the couple wanted a big family and that each child was planned? I know 4 different NFP methods off the top of my head, and there might be more.
My husband and I currently are using the Sympto-thermic method. This method requires me to take my temperature at the same time each morning and chart my cervical fluid. You can even choose to go more in depth and chart your cervix height and feel. And since we are trying to get pregnant, I also back up my observations by using an ovulation predictor kit to pin point ovulation. Doctors used to believe that every woman had a 28 day cycle and they ovulated on cycle day 14. A lot of secular doctors still believe this, but most doctors now know better. While 28 day cycles are ideal, most women do not fall into this category. In my six years of charting, my shortest cycle was 21 days and my longest was 34. I can ovulate anywhere from cycle day 12 to cycle day 21.
Once a woman starts charting, they can detect their own pattern, and what their body is telling them, without the craziness of artificial birth control. It is so sad to me to read of the women that were told that the pill was the only way to make their cycles regular. So these woman have been taking the pill since they were teenagers, now 10-15 years later are ready to start a family and are struggling with infertility due to prolonged use of the pill.
As a Catholic, I don't believe NFP should be used as birth control, but in spacing children (for grave and serious reasons) NFP is just as affective as the pill.
And guess what? Not only is NFP good "birth control" it is also great in helping achieve a pregnancy for couples that are struggling. Naprotechnology and NFP have helped many "infertile" couples get pregnant. By knowing your body and when you ovulate (or even if you ovulate) helps couples target the right time to try and eventually get pregnant. The actual percentage of true infertility is very low, most of the time it is a simple hormone imbalance or sluggish ovulation. These things can be fixed without the need of spending thousands of dollars and dealing with the moral implications of InVitro Fertilization (IVF).
This post was meant to shed some positive light on the greatness of NFP. It is a wonder that more people don't embrace NFP. NFP gives you a control and authority over your life that the pill could never give. You know EXACTLY what is happening in your body on a given day and with some practice, lets you know if there is a problem you should bring to your doctor.
I would think people would be jumping at this chance to learn more. In case you are, let me refer you to a great NFP book. It's called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. They practice the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), which is NFP for the secular world. There are chapters in there that speak of birth control and barriers and avoiding. These are NOT in line with Catholic teaching! So just skip these chapters when reading. I can't condone these chapters, but the author presents the rest of the book in a clear straight forward manner.
Natural Family Planning empowers women and does more good for families and infertility then today's society wants you to believe. So give it a chance, it might change your life.
And wouldn't you want someone as cute as this someday?!
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