melatonin and TTC

[1nceUponATime]

Has anyone had melatonin affect their menstrual cycles. I have always had problems with my menstrual cycle (absent, read my journal for more info)...but I was reading online that melatonin might cause some problems like that, and I take 5 mg every single night since prior to being off BCP....

I'm just wondering if it could possibly be that causing some issues that seems like no matter what I do, it doesn't work!

 

[MyFavSurprise]

I was going to start taking melatonin because I work until 1am and have trouble getting to sleep once I'm home, and I looked into it and found conflicting info, but mostly negative.

Pulled from wisegeekhealth.com:
"The supplement can interfere with ovulation, which has an adverse affect on conception efforts. It could also affect the levels of a range of hormones that are important to a woman's ability to conceive and carry a child, including luteinizing hormone and progesterone.

The potential adverse connection between melatonin and fertility doesn't only affect women — it can prove a problem for men as well. For instance, some studies have shown that use of this substance can cause low sperm motility, which means it can reduce the number of sperm capable of swimming in the correct direction and at the right speed toward a waiting egg. It may even interfere with sex drive in some men.

The news regarding melatonin and fertility isn't all negative, however. Some studies show that it may help improve egg quality. This can prove to be an important consideration for women who have difficulty conceiving because of low-quality eggs."

 

[Sbmason34]

Melatonin is known to improve egg quality. It can be taken at different doses ranging from 0.3 mg to 3 mg, but it seems that a smaller dose often works better than a larger one. However, when you get large amounts of Melatonin (more than 3 mg) way above what your body would make, that can stop ovulation. That can keep women from ovulating. This can change the timing of their menstrual cycles and this can cause infertility, especially if you continue to take it for longer time (more than 3 month or so). I think you should avoid anything, when you are not so sure about its benefit, because it may cause you more harm than good.

 

[1nceUponATime]

Thanks for the input guys. I have been taking 5 mg every night for the longest time (so long I can't even remember) and at times I was even using 10mg! I don't know why I didnt think until now about this having an affect on my cycles. I just thought since it was a natural supplement it couldnt be doing any harm! I stopped them a couple days ago, and we will see how these things go. I am CD 2 (not from stopping the melatonin, I took BCP to induce a period) after an over 90 day cycle. I hope that stopping them will help me to ovulate!