Spotting week before AF every month - anyone else?

[_Nell]

MrsPTTC - I've been using conceive plus since january (4 cycles) as I have virtually no CM since the BCP (even when I check internally). I didn't really like the conceive plus tbh, I find it too watery and it gots everywhere but where I wanted it! I'm trying pre-seed this cycle which seems better as I pre-apply it with applicators beforehand, but then the leaflet says to apply no more than 15minutes before intercourse, which feels like a bit of a foreplay deadline .
I'm still a bit worried these things aren't better than using nothing and I don't need them as vaginal lubricants....something on the pre-seed leaflet says the testing was sperm in 10% lubricant and it retained 80% motility, I didn't understand it completely but it made me think that some sperm are still affected negatively

Morticia - welcome Great news about the no spotting this cycle for you fx this is your cycle for a BFP.

Soili - wow I hadn't realised it was was one cycle that likely sent you 'off' hormone wise - I hope the provera does the trick. I've been reading about prgoesterone shutdown therapy (is that the right term?) and it really seems to be a great fix.

baddream - that's great that you've found your fix and lost weight too. I'm not into dieting as such but i've made some changes, no sugar (i'm otherwise pretty carb free tbh) and i've gone organic, otherwise I already did eat pretty darn healthy. Already this cycle looks better though (i'm pre O) just from going organic and adding omega 3 supplements. I'm slim and never had swollen breasts but reducing oestrogenic foods is recommended generally for TTC and particularly for fibroids, which I have.

mrsHy -a 'beautiful uterus' My gynae also mentioned LPD which was a relief too as i'd read a lot about UK doctors not 'believing' it existed as an issue. Hopefully with the clomid they'll just scan you on your first cycle to see your response follicle wise - it's possible they might ask you to abstain beforehand on cycle 1 until they can confirm what sort of response you're having to the dosage. It's good that you're on the IVF list, although hopefully you won't need it. With PCOS you won't have to wait 3yrs in any case which is good.

AFM - I'm pre O, got my peak on my persona box today so O should be tomorrow, CD13. This is the latest i've O'd since TTC and i'm pretty pleased. I'm slightly horrified at the difference going organic (veggies, meat, milk and I don't really eat processed food anyway) has made to my temps, they are typically between 97.2 and 97.9 pre O and spike up and down quite a bit. This cycle pre O temps have all been 97.3 with the odd 97.5 (but then I have been sleeping better too), no spiking AND that later O. Hmm, i'd never have though a few diet changes could make so much difference.

for all!

 

[_Nell]

Me again! My feel good factor about this cycle I just shared only hours ago has offically left the building.

My gynaes office just called, I have low ovarian reserve. My AMH bloods from last week came back as 8 (1 on the US scale), the ref range for low fertility is 3 - 21 at my lab so i'm even on the low end of low fertility
I really was prepared for it to be not-so-great, but not really this. Suddenly my biological clock is ticking and ticking hard and coupled with my fibroids it all just seem bleak right now. Getting pg with my fibroids was going to take time and time I now appear not to have. We will re-test in 6months to see if it is going down (gone?!) fast or slowly.
I wonder if with my short cycles and no cm i'm actually peri-menopausal even.

I'm not sure what to think right now, i'm not going to see the gynae again until the end of may and suddenly my fear of 'wasting' this cycle for my hysteroscopy was clearly way off as I now realise i'm really wasting then next 3 cycles before getting meds or a procedure to try speed up me getting pg.

I'm not even sure what this means really, am I suddenly in the realms of considering freezing eggs? I suppose given that I hoped for more than one child I maybe am.

I know it only takes one egg and many people get their BFP still etc....please don't anyone say that right now

DH tried to pick me up with talks of ivf, adoption or blowing our savings in vegas and a 3rd doggy. He is booking his SA for next week to make sure we don't have double issues (or would that be quadruple even with LPD, fibroid and low ovarian reserve )
He gave me a pat on the back for moving forward quickly and not waiting forever on the NHS route, saving us time but really I know that's not the truth, we *could* have found this out at least 2 or 3 years ago and there would have been no reason to not start trying then.

BTW I realise i've shared this on the spotting thread, but that's because it's like my Babyandbump home. I should point out that the spotting is not linked to low ovarian reserve, wouldn't want to worry anyone else un-necessarily.

 

[MrsPTTC]

MrsPTTC - I've been using conceive plus since january (4 cycles) as I have virtually no CM since the BCP (even when I check internally). I didn't really like the conceive plus tbh, I find it too watery and it gots everywhere but where I wanted it! I'm trying pre-seed this cycle which seems better as I pre-apply it with applicators beforehand, but then the leaflet says to apply no more than 15minutes before intercourse, which feels like a bit of a foreplay deadline .
I'm still a bit worried these things aren't better than using nothing and I don't need them as vaginal lubricants....something on the pre-seed leaflet says the testing was sperm in 10% lubricant and it retained 80% motility, I didn't understand it completely but it made me think that some sperm are still affected negatively

Have you tried EPO or grapefruit juice? I'm positive it's helped my CM and definitely more egg white than it was before . I was put off Conceive Plus as it didn't have applicators and that's why I used Pre-seed but they do pre-filled applicators now of Conceive which have just arrived today, again it's 15 mins before hand and I know what you mean about the foreplay And yes I worry about it affecting it negatively too but I HAVE to use lubricant so this is better than non fertility friendly lube. GL hun x

 

[happyshopper]

Im so sorry Nell I wish you the very best of luck xxx

 

[MrsHY]

Me again! My feel good factor about this cycle I just shared only hours ago has offically left the building.

My gynaes office just called, I have low ovarian reserve. My AMH bloods from last week came back as 8 (1 on the US scale), the ref range for low fertility is 3 - 21 at my lab so i'm even on the low end of low fertility
I really was prepared for it to be not-so-great, but not really this. Suddenly my biological clock is ticking and ticking hard and coupled with my fibroids it all just seem bleak right now. Getting pg with my fibroids was going to take time and time I now appear not to have. We will re-test in 6months to see if it is going down (gone?!) fast or slowly.
I wonder if with my short cycles and no cm i'm actually peri-menopausal even.

I'm not sure what to think right now, i'm not going to see the gynae again until the end of may and suddenly my fear of 'wasting' this cycle for my hysteroscopy was clearly way off as I now realise i'm really wasting then next 3 cycles before getting meds or a procedure to try speed up me getting pg.

I'm not even sure what this means really, am I suddenly in the realms of considering freezing eggs? I suppose given that I hoped for more than one child I maybe am.

I know it only takes one egg and many people get their BFP still etc....please don't anyone say that right now

DH tried to pick me up with talks of ivf, adoption or blowing our savings in vegas and a 3rd doggy. He is booking his SA for next week to make sure we don't have double issues (or would that be quadruple even with LPD, fibroid and low ovarian reserve )
He gave me a pat on the back for moving forward quickly and not waiting forever on the NHS route, saving us time but really I know that's not the truth, we *could* have found this out at least 2 or 3 years ago and there would have been no reason to not start trying then.

BTW I realise i've shared this on the spotting thread, but that's because it's like my Babyandbump home. I should point out that the spotting is not linked to low ovarian reserve, wouldn't want to worry anyone else un-necessarily.

Hello love

Thanks for sharing this with us - and don't worry - I'm not going to give you any flannel about it only taking one egg. I know you really don't want any guff like that at the moment.

Is there no way you can see the gynae sooner to talk about your options? Or was it your decision to wait a bit?

I'm no expert (not a scooby) on low ovarian reserve but there must be options. I'm sure you're googling like mad and scaring yourself silly though. I know I would be.

By the way - don't beat yourself up with a 'coulda woulda shoulda' debate about things you could have done 2-3 years ago. You could have got yourself knocked up at 15 but that probably wouldn't have been wise either.

It WILL happen for you. It may not be as easy as you thought and may require a bit more planning, but you'll get there.

 

[baddream13]

Hi again,

11 DPO and still no spotting! This is the first time this has happened in probably almost 7 years. And it was even happening WHILE I was on BCP (I've been off them for 3 years now, and nothing changed)

To Soili and Yum, with regards to the diet, I know it seems hard, I thought there was no way I could give up sourdough toast and cereal, but I have to tell you, now that I've been doing it for almost a month, I can't see going back.

2 years ago, I was having severe digestive issues, and I had all kinds of tests: a colonoscopy, a barium enema x-ray, blood work, the whole nine. I was 32 at the time. They couldn't find anything wrong, everything looked in working order. My digestive issues were chronic constipation, accompanied by abdominal cramps that were debilitating. So they told me to eat a lot of fiber, really stock up on the whole grains.

Around this time I also started gaining a lot of weight, and I couldn't take it off! I had a personal trainer for 6 months, during which time I was putting in at least 10 grueling hours a week, and I barely lost a pound.

I tell you, this is the first time in 2 years that I've been able to lose ANY weight, and it's been effortless. Not only that, but my digestive issues? Gone! It makes sense that I've just developed a sensitivity to some common grain, or probably gluten.

And the cool thing about eating this way is that by omitting carbs (except the kinds you get from fruits and vegetables, of course!), you're balancing your insulin levels so that your body uses fat as fuel instead of sugar, so you don't crave sugar any more! Seriously, my appetite is not the same. I'm in the middle of that fateful "week before AF" where normally I would be daydreaming of cinnamon rolls and Cheeze-its, and those cravings are gone!

And it's not TOTALLY a lifestyle change, because there's an 80/20 rule. As long as you're sticking to the diet 80% of the time, your body will be able to cope with anything outside of the diet that you choose to give it the other 20% of the time, and you won't ruin your results. I'm doing more of a 95/5, but that's just because I'm ecstatic with the results, so it's easy for me.

Anyway, I think that fixing any kind of hormonal imbalance with making some big changes to your diet is WAY worth it. I much rather omit things from my diet than use creams and suppositories and have doctors shrug their shoulders as they throw different meds at you.

The only reason that I'm strongly pushing it is that I can NOT believe this awesome side effect I'm experiencing! I thought I would just lose weight and build some muscle (both of which are happening), but I NEVER expected that it would literally CURE my PMS, AND get rid of the stupid, annoying spotting issue!

My husband and I had put TTC on hold, as I was getting very disheartened with nothing happening. Now, I think I'm ready to give it another try next month, since the heartbreaking spotting is now under control!

Seriously, I know it seems hard, ladies, but it's SOOOOO worth it! 11 DPO and I'm not wearing a dumb panty liner, I am ECSTATIC!

 

[yum]

Me again! My feel good factor about this cycle I just shared only hours ago has offically left the building.

My gynaes office just called, I have low ovarian reserve. My AMH bloods from last week came back as 8 (1 on the US scale), the ref range for low fertility is 3 - 21 at my lab so i'm even on the low end of low fertility
I really was prepared for it to be not-so-great, but not really this. Suddenly my biological clock is ticking and ticking hard and coupled with my fibroids it all just seem bleak right now. Getting pg with my fibroids was going to take time and time I now appear not to have. We will re-test in 6months to see if it is going down (gone?!) fast or slowly.
I wonder if with my short cycles and no cm i'm actually peri-menopausal even.

I'm not sure what to think right now, i'm not going to see the gynae again until the end of may and suddenly my fear of 'wasting' this cycle for my hysteroscopy was clearly way off as I now realise i'm really wasting then next 3 cycles before getting meds or a procedure to try speed up me getting pg.

I'm not even sure what this means really, am I suddenly in the realms of considering freezing eggs? I suppose given that I hoped for more than one child I maybe am.

I know it only takes one egg and many people get their BFP still etc....please don't anyone say that right now

DH tried to pick me up with talks of ivf, adoption or blowing our savings in vegas and a 3rd doggy. He is booking his SA for next week to make sure we don't have double issues (or would that be quadruple even with LPD, fibroid and low ovarian reserve )
He gave me a pat on the back for moving forward quickly and not waiting forever on the NHS route, saving us time but really I know that's not the truth, we *could* have found this out at least 2 or 3 years ago and there would have been no reason to not start trying then.

BTW I realise i've shared this on the spotting thread, but that's because it's like my Babyandbump home. I should point out that the spotting is not linked to low ovarian reserve, wouldn't want to worry anyone else un-necessarily.

Hello love

Thanks for sharing this with us - and don't worry - I'm not going to give you any flannel about it only taking one egg. I know you really don't want any guff like that at the moment.

Is there no way you can see the gynae sooner to talk about your options? Or was it your decision to wait a bit?

I'm no expert (not a scooby) on low ovarian reserve but there must be options. I'm sure you're googling like mad and scaring yourself silly though. I know I would be.

By the way - don't beat yourself up with a 'coulda woulda shoulda' debate about things you could have done 2-3 years ago. You could have got yourself knocked up at 15 but that probably wouldn't have been wise either.

It WILL happen for you. It may not be as easy as you thought and may require a bit more planning, but you'll get there.

nell, so sorry to hear this dear ! i totally agree with everythin mrshy said ! takecare hun !

 

[cantwaitforu]

Hi Nell,

I just read your last post. I am so sorry for your news and praying for you. I hope that you can start working with some specialists that can at least give you a plan.

It's hard to come to terms that your "plan a" may not work out, but there is always a "plan b" waiting for you when you are ready to make that decision.

Big hugs for you.

xoxo

 

[cantwaitforu]

Hi Ladies,

I miss chatting with you! It's weird being somewhere else - like Nell said - it feels like her BnB home. This was the only thread I really ever visited on BnB - it's hard to give up! Hope you don't mind me popping in once in a while.

xoxo

 

[MrsHY]

Hello
Cantwaitforu you must pop back! It reminds us of your lovely story
How's it all going??
x

 

[cantwaitforu]

It's going well! DH and I are still in shock and it hasn't fully sunk in.

I'm so scared and nervous. There are just so many horrible things that can go wrong - I'm really trying to not focus on those. There is no point because what happens, happens! It's still very scary because it took so long to get here, and the thought of it being taken away is unbearable.

I have zero symptoms, except a little crampiness, pinching feeling, very bloated and my appetite has increased.

I got my first blood test done and my hcg levels were on the high end of the range, and I got another done last night to see how well they're increasing.

AND you wouldn't believe what happened to me. I had a small spot on Saturday (day after my bfp) and freaked! Apparently, this is SO normal, but I couldn't help but get annoyed and worried. It was light pink - and nothing like my usual pre-af spotting.

Also, yesterday, I was notified of my MRI appointment. It's four days before my estimated due date. Imagine having to wait 8 months to find out what's wrong???

 

[Soili]

Cheering for my "Spotting a week before AF" girls

Awww!! That's so sweet, hun!! Please, do stick around!

It's great that your HCG levels are nice and high!! Try not to worry too much! I know it's impossible to just be all bubbly and positive all the time, but do try.

December baby, huh?? I think it's pretty awesome!!

 

[Soili]

Hi again,

11 DPO and still no spotting! This is the first time this has happened in probably almost 7 years. And it was even happening WHILE I was on BCP (I've been off them for 3 years now, and nothing changed)

To Soili and Yum, with regards to the diet, I know it seems hard, I thought there was no way I could give up sourdough toast and cereal, but I have to tell you, now that I've been doing it for almost a month, I can't see going back.

Hi!! How is it going?? I hope still no spotting for you!

Well, what do you know, I decided to try this no-easy-carbs thingy. What the hell! LOL I've just cut off everything with sugar, flour and also rice, pasta and potatoes. I didn't read through the whole site, I don't wanna get too precise with details, in case I can't even follow the basics of it. I can't give up chocolate though, so I won't even try that, but I'm trying to limit it at least.

 

[MrsPTTC]

Me again! My feel good factor about this cycle I just shared only hours ago has offically left the building.

My gynaes office just called, I have low ovarian reserve. My AMH bloods from last week came back as 8 (1 on the US scale), the ref range for low fertility is 3 - 21 at my lab so i'm even on the low end of low fertility
I really was prepared for it to be not-so-great, but not really this. Suddenly my biological clock is ticking and ticking hard and coupled with my fibroids it all just seem bleak right now. Getting pg with my fibroids was going to take time and time I now appear not to have. We will re-test in 6months to see if it is going down (gone?!) fast or slowly.
I wonder if with my short cycles and no cm i'm actually peri-menopausal even.

I'm not sure what to think right now, i'm not going to see the gynae again until the end of may and suddenly my fear of 'wasting' this cycle for my hysteroscopy was clearly way off as I now realise i'm really wasting then next 3 cycles before getting meds or a procedure to try speed up me getting pg.

I'm not even sure what this means really, am I suddenly in the realms of considering freezing eggs? I suppose given that I hoped for more than one child I maybe am.

I know it only takes one egg and many people get their BFP still etc....please don't anyone say that right now

DH tried to pick me up with talks of ivf, adoption or blowing our savings in vegas and a 3rd doggy. He is booking his SA for next week to make sure we don't have double issues (or would that be quadruple even with LPD, fibroid and low ovarian reserve )
He gave me a pat on the back for moving forward quickly and not waiting forever on the NHS route, saving us time but really I know that's not the truth, we *could* have found this out at least 2 or 3 years ago and there would have been no reason to not start trying then.

BTW I realise i've shared this on the spotting thread, but that's because it's like my Babyandbump home. I should point out that the spotting is not linked to low ovarian reserve, wouldn't want to worry anyone else un-necessarily.

I've just noticed this post sorry, big Nell, hope you get the help you need for your xx

 

[MrsPTTC]

Cheering for my "Spotting a week before AF" girls

Awww!! That's so sweet, hun!! Please, do stick around!

It's great that your HCG levels are nice and high!! Try not to worry too much! I know it's impossible to just be all bubbly and positive all the time, but do try.

December baby, huh?? I think it's pretty awesome!!

I agree, how sweet cantwaitforu, putting that in your signature xx

 

[baddream13]

Hi Soili!

I'm so glad you're going to give it a shot! I did spot for the first time today , but today is 12 DPO, which is inSANE! Normally I start spotting 7 DPO until AF (I have a 28 day cycle), so this is a vast improvement. What I can't get over are my boobs. (ha ha, that sentence sounds funny reading it back!) Normally they would be spilling out of my bra and throbbing in pain right now, but I have absolutely NO swelling or pain whatsoever!

As for the diet, it's really incredible. I actually got all of the information from the book that guy (Mark Sisson) wrote, called The Primal Blueprint. It was an easy read, and everything he talks about in it makes so much sense. He doesn't just talk about diet, but exercise and lifestyle as well. What's awesome is that he says the hours spent at the gym are actually detrimental to your fitness and health, and he gives guidelines as to how much exercise we should be doing, and it's pretty minimal. I've been doing it for a month now, and I've lost 9 lbs, and I'm getting toned! All I've been doing is walking for 30 minutes a day (which is what I was doing before), and twice a week I practice at roller derby (which is GREAT exercise, AND fun to boot!)

Anyway, you don't have to give up all those things entirely, just cut down considerably. I cut down moreso than most, because I realized that grains were what makes me feel bloated and kind of sick after every meal, so it's not worth it to me to eat that stuff. I splurge on corn, as in corn tortillas for tacos, and popcorn, only on the weekends though.

AND a very popular dessert item in this diet is dark chocolate. Just make sure you get one with low sugar (I buy the 73% cacao super dark chocolate bars from Trader Joes, with almonds, and they're delicious! Very low in sugar, and they really curb the sweet craving with just a small amount.) So you don't have to give up chocolate, chocolate is good stuff!

Good luck! I'm so excited that you're going to try it! You MUST post your spotting results!

 

[cantwaitforu]

Cheering for my "Spotting a week before AF" girls

Awww!! That's so sweet, hun!! Please, do stick around!

It's great that your HCG levels are nice and high!! Try not to worry too much! I know it's impossible to just be all bubbly and positive all the time, but do try.

December baby, huh?? I think it's pretty awesome!!

I agree, how sweet cantwaitforu, putting that in your signature xx

The ladies on this thread supported me through one of the hardest things I have ever gone through and with a problem that no one seems to really be able to pinpoint the cause of.

I wear that tagline in my signature with pride

 

[Soili]

Hi baddream13! 12DPO spotting is not bad at all!! Considering implantation usually happens a lot before that, I don't see how it could affect it!

Well, I can't believe this Primal Blueprint stuff is actually working! I've lost 1.5kg or 3 pounds in the 2 days I've been trying it! And I've been working hard on loosing that in almost 2 weeks before that with ZERO success. And I'm on progesterone right now, that's supposed to make you retain water, so yeah....

And OMG, did I eat in those 2 days! I had turkey barbecue for lunch yesterday and it was with thin slices of pure fat in between the pieces of meat and for the first time in my life since being a child I ATE it and enjoyed it. And then I went out to do some shopping and wanted to pick up some black chocolate and I forgot! Me?? Forget the chocolate??

The bit about working out is interesting! I came across it briefly when I was checking the site too, gotta look into it more!

Well, color me all shades of impressed, I'm planning to stick to it!

 

[Morticia]

Hi girlies

So much positivity and support in here - it's amazing
Just wanted to say Nell, thinking of you, and hoping that, even though you're feeling sad and the news hasn't been great, you get an amazing surprise, just like Cantwait4u. Stranger things do happen, and I'm holding out that your next stage of the TTC journey is much less stressful than you anticipate and gets you the BFP you deserve

Cantwait4u - WOW, am sooo happy for you. It's absolutely amazing. you've given us all loads of hope! congrats and enjoy the next 9 months!!! understand it's scary and you don't feel you can celebrate yet, but you've already done the hardest part. FX'd you have a stress-free, happy pregnancy.

As for me...sadly, the dreaded spotting has returned, so it's no BFP for me this month. It started later than ever which is annoying, those first, few, telltale spots on CD34 (think I O'd late too - on CD27). Now CD36 and it hasn't progressed yet to full on AF, but hasn't lessened either. Just hate the constant 'could it be IB?!' thoughts which run through my head every month at the same time when this happens...only for AF to eventually turn up and make me feel so disappointed! I know that LP is counted from the first day of your actual period, not including spotting, but still worry it's much too short (about 9 days). Agh. And my doc won't do anything for me - even basic tests - until it's been a year! Worrying. Though know I'm not facing any real bad news, unlike some of you girls, so feel selfish for even saying all of this. But nobody else understands how it feels to spot - and worry constantly about what that means. So thanks for being there xxx

In terms of actual spotting - how does everyone's develop? mine starts with the smallest trace of brown, smaller than a fingernail, mixed in with some creamy/jelly CM. Then it turns into the faintest hint of pink when I wipe after going to the toilet. That faint pink gets a little browner, then I start getting tiny trace amounts of brown, almost dried CM on a tissue (sorry if this is TMI!). The spots get a little bigger on a pantyliner by day two - and then I use a tampon, which overnight comes out almost black (that's why I always fall for the 'could it be IB' trick - it looks exactly like old blood!). Then another day or two of scant, old, dark brown, dry CM....then sometimes a day's break...then full on bright red AF for two short days. Then nothing. The look of it all makes me wonder if perhaps I *could* be fertilising an egg, only for it to fail to implant. and that brings on AF...which leads me to conclude I *must* have too low progesterone levels for successful implantation. but this is all self-diagnosis!! perhaps I should see a gyno - does anyone recommend it? or is it too early? (TTC cycle 4 this time round).

Also, was all geared up to dive into Agnus Castus to try and stop the spotting and increase my progesterone...until I read some bad reports from some girls who said it makes them O even later than before. I definitely don't need that, so am going to stick to folic acid and B6 and just hope for the best...oh yes, I'm also on a minimal carbs diet, it's just a basic low GI diet that reduces grains etc anyway, so don't know if that would work for me unfortunately! great news for you girls who are finding it useful, though! xx

 

[baddream13]

Soili! That's great, I'm so glad that you're seeing results! I had sort of a hard time with the first few days of the diet, and I had to look it up and it seems I experienced something they call the "low-carb flu". My muscles were SO weak and weary, and I was on the brink of falling asleep all the time. It only lasted for 3 days though, then I started feeling great. Apparently, your body goes through an adjustment period, because with grains your body converts into sugars, your body has been using sugar as it's energy source, so when you deprive your body of all sugars, it takes it a little bit to figure out that fat is an alternative fuel source. Once it figured that out, I started melting.
Be prepared to plateau too. I plateaued after 7 pounds, and I stayed the same weight for almost 2 weeks. I just started dropping more this week, so I've lost a total of 10 pounds in a month. (I know that sounds unhealthy, but I'm 5'2", and I gained an atrocious amount of weight over the last 4 years...I weighed 152 lbs, and I've had not ONE, not TWO, but THREE women ask me if I was pregnant! That's when I knew I had to do something.) I'll be happy losing another 10 lbs, my goal was to lose 20 altogether.
I'm just excited to see how many other positive side effects I get from this diet! I won't be surprised if I stop spotting altogether. They say then when you control your insulin levels, which is what the diet does, because you're not giving your body any sugar, then your hormone levels naturally get regulated.

And isn't it AWESOME that you can eat fat??!! On the weekends I make bacon and avocado omelets, and when I make chicken, I ALWAYS eat the skin. My favorite dinner I've made was steak AND salmon, with steamed kale and steamed broccoli. Oh, and this diet recommends cooking with butter. WHAT??? Awesome, right?

Oh, on a side note, my husband was skeptical about my diet, but he eats what I cook at home, so he's been inadvertently doing my diet. He had hypertension, and he had 3 months to bring his blood pressure down before they put him on medication (he's only 30!). He had a follow-up check-up last week, and his blood pressure was almost normal! (it was 130/76! His previous checkup was 190/92!!!) So that leads me to believe that if any of our fertility issues were from HIS end, that may just get fixed too!

Another thing to note about the diet, he really promotes eating only organic, so I try to do that, but sometimes it's not always possible. One thing I DEFINITELY try to avoid though is I always check sauce and dressing labels to make sure they don't have corn syrup in them. Your body will get a hint of that and it'll throw the fat it's been eating aside and say "oooh, processed sugar, MY FAVORITE!!!"

Anyway, YAY SOILI! I can't wait to hear about your results! Keep posting please!