[TarrahLovesLondon]

Hi Ladies! I too have PCOS and had a terrible time TTC my first.

I just wanted to pop in and share something with you. You may already know this, but for those of you that don't...perhaps this will be the best thing you ever learned!

I TTC my first with the help of doctors. Finally after almost 2yrs on Metformin I finally conceived my gorgeous little girl London. She will be 1 year old in a few weeks and I just found out I have a BFP!!!! I did NOT have regular periods after having my daughter. There really is no rhyme or reason to when they show up. My sister introduced me to an all natural pill called VITEX. It's chaste tree berry. It says on the label that it is to lessen menstrual cramps, but it helps with progestrone and bringing periods and ovulation! I took the 400mg capsules, 1 in the morning and 1 at night. (obviously read the label b/c you should only take 2 capsules a day for about 8 weeks).....

Anyhow....I was only talking it for about a month and a it worked! My doctor can't believe it, and neither can I.

I hope I haven't just garbled on about something you already knew, but I just thought that it would be too heinous to assume you all knew about it. I'm off to join the July 2010 Due Date Club!!!

Much love, and much luck!
Tarrah

[ChicaChels]

tarrah, were you breastfeeding when you took this? I have heard of it, but know no one who has actually used it

[Bammers]

While chasteberry is a great herb to use against PCOS, there should be some warnings noted...

If you are on contraceptives for anything, chasteberry will decrease it's effectiveness.

If you are at risk for uterine, breast, or other hormone-dependent diseases and cancers, you should avoid chasteberry as it can exacerbate growth.

If you are on anti-psychotics (Seroquel, Abilify, Thorazine, Compazine, etc.) chasteberry will decrease it's effectiveness and can cause serious chemical interactions.

If you are on dopamine-like drugs (Mirapex, Requip, etc) chasteberry will decrease it's effectiveness and possibly cause serious chemical interactions.

If you are on Reglan chasteberry can cause a decrease in effectiveness and carry negative interaction.

As with all herbs, you should talk to your medical care provider before undergoing any herbal treatment to discuss possible drug interactions. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's safe. I wanted to try vitex but couldn't because I was on Seroquel and Reglan... I would've ended up dropping to below safe levels on the Seroquel and would have ended up hurting myself or someone else. Just worth noting.

[Dirtroads]

Thank you for the information, I had asked my doc about this in the past and she told me that she would rather I not use it because she was afraid I would develop more cyst because of it. I no longer use that doctor because I really lost faith in her (unrelated event, involved a friend of mine and that doctor). Has anyone else been told this?

BTW your daughter is too cute!

[Bammers]

Considering ovarian cysts are directly linked to hormone problems and chasteberry has a tendency to make things worse in certain cases (hence the warnings against using it if you are prone to female cancers), I can see where your doctor would advise against using it.

[mandyt]

I know Vitex does work wonders for some ladies, I have considered trying it myself! Only reason I haven't it you can't take it with Clomid or Femara and I will be taking those to induce ovulation. But for those not ready to take the Clomid/Femara leap, it is definitely something to look into! Thanks for the warnings Bammers, I think for reasons like that it is always good to consult a naturalist before starting natural supplements. Many are as powerful as prescription drugs!

Congrats on your BFP Tarrah, and your daughter IS gorgeous!! I'm sure we all hope we're so lucky someday.

[angel3y35]

Thanks for the info!! I looked into taking it in the past but it's one of those things that might be good for helping ovulation but makes endometriosis worse

[TarrahLovesLondon]

Yes, there are certainly always risks with everything...even herbal. You should not take while breastfeeding. (My daughter has a cows milk protein allergy so I couldn't BF). I hope I haven't created false hope for anyone, but I know that some people might be interested in looking for other answers. I did my research and spoke with my doctor. I should have mentioned that in my post, sorry.
I just want everyone to be able to conceive and if I can help with any experiene of my own then I just wanted to share that.

Best of luck ladies! I'll be sending all my baby dust here for you!! xxox

[mandyt]

No worries Tarah, I'm glad you shared your experience and hopefully some other ladies will look in to taking the Vitex who didn't know about it before! I think for most people who aren't taking other things that it may clash with it's a really great option! I am still entertaining the idea of giving it a try myself before I go in again for the ovulation drugs. I hope you'll post your success stories (both of them!) in the success stories sub-forum... a lot of our new ladies go there looking for hope and encouragement, and it seems you've certainly got some to spread around!

[*Stephanie*]

I bought some of this a while back before we were going to start TTC. I wanted it on hand when we started. Haha, I forgot I even had the stuff. It's gotta be in a container in the basement (cuz we moved) but we never needed it, I got preggo on just Metformin alone and very fast. I've heard really good things about it tho.