TTC#1 for 1year. First month on Agnus Castus AF late 17dpo

[Kazio]

Hello there
Me & hubby been ttc for 1 year, with no luck, read good things about Agnus Castus so started taking Holland & Barrets 2x 400mg twice a day after AF finished. Had 21 (22 as the Docs were fully booked on day 21) day bloods done, which came back 'normal', so i guess i ovulated on day 14. Just waiting on hubby's sperm analysis tests to come back.
We BD on days 7,10 & 14.
I am now 17dpo, temp 36.3, no sign of AF, since ovulation I've had really tender boobs every day & mild cramping here, there and everywhere below belly button and at the sides, pinching and cramping, which has died down now. BFN at 15dpo, no more tests in the house so will try 19dpo on Saturday when I've bought some (and if AF hasn't arrived).
AF Cycle history: August 28 days, September 31 days, October 25 days, November 26 days.

Question 1: Are my cycles classed as irregular?
Question 2: The last 2 months I had 25/26 day cycles, could this have meant I had low progesterone so couldn't have sustained a pregnancy?
Question 3: Should I be taking Agnus Castus if my bloods came back 'normal?'
Question 4: Could the sore boobs/cramping and 6 days late (so far) have been due to the Agnus Castus???

Any help with any of the questions above is very much appreciated, thanks in advance...

 

[tashaandkerry]

Just want to say Angus castus screwed up my AF I was a28-32day cycle. the month I took AC it gave me a 60+ day cycle. Luckily im bk to a normal cycle niw after ditching that crap x

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Greetings Kazio! Agnus Castus is an incredible herb and I thank my lucky stars it exists. It isn't for everyone however and not everyone can take everything. Definitely do your research on any medicine or herb you take before you begin. I know a lot of women start taking AC thinking it will get them preggers faster (not saying this is what you did but I have seen women start taking it for this purpose) but that's not what it's for (even though this may occur since if our hormones are balancing out, our cycles run smoother and this enhances our fertility). AC is a hormone balancer. If you don't have cycle issues it's likely not a great idea to start taking it. AC also should be taken for a minimum of 3-6 months to really start making some headway with your cycle issues so yes, you may end up with a longer/shorter cycle than what you're used to at first. Now, that being said:

Question 1: Are my cycles classed as irregular?- There are all kinds of reasons that a woman's cycle may be irregular so not necessarily. Because we may not always O the same day each cycle, your cycle may be +/- a couple of days sometimes; nature of the beast.
Question 2: The last 2 months I had 25/26 day cycles, could this have meant I had low progesterone so couldn't have sustained a pregnancy?-Once again, not necessarily. Many women get preggo with shorter cycles and this has nothing to do with your progesterone levels. In fact, b/c I O'd CD11 this month I'm going to end up with about a 25 day cycle if AF comes for me when they've been hovering around 27/28/29 days for a while now since I stopped nursing my DS2 earlier this year year; a 25 day cycle isn't unheard of for me. In fact, when we conceived our DS2 I had just stopped nursing our DS1 and was having on average 25-26 day cycles at that time.
Question 3: Should I be taking Agnus Castus if my bloods came back 'normal?'-I would look more into what AC is for if it were me in this situation to see how I thought I should proceed.
Question 4: Could the sore boobs/cramping and 6 days late (so far) have been due to the Agnus Castus??? -It's possible. AC is a slow acting yet powerful herb. Often times women see some cycle variations at first that freak them out so they stop taking it too soon so the herb isn't allowed to do its work.

So really, the choice is yours. I would definitely look more into the herb and what it's supposed to do. TTC is exhausting and crazy-making and I'm sorry you haven't fallen yet. I like this link. Get the book too if you can, maybe check it out from the library. It's a fun, straightforward, informative read if you want to try and find it. TCOYF is also a must have just in general if you don't own it already. GL and I hope you get your BFP soon!

 

[Kazio]

Thank you for your posts,
I'm feeling silly for starting taking Agnus Castus now, after trying for so long and reading people's success stories of using it for 1 cycle and getting a BFP, I got a bit over excited & bought 4 months worth! I have bad PMT so thought this would help with that and ttc also so I thought it'd give it a go, I thought it may be better to try this herbal option before the doctors may recommend a chemical option like Clomid... Once I start something I do like to see it through, so I might carry on and see how I go, I've been feeling much happier but maybe it's a placebo?! The last week I've had small blob of cream/lotion cm, every 2 days upon waking up, praying for a bfp & that it's not screwed up my cycles... I wish I knew the right thing to do! Any more help or advice is greatly appreciated! X

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

If you're feeling good on it I'd say keep going Kazio! AC is awesome for helping PMT. Since you've only been on it a month, you've got four month's worth, and you're feeling good, I'd say you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by continuing .

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Oh, and PMS isn't something we should just expect to live with even though it's made out to be that way . Being hormonally out of whack could definitely be the culprit. And don't feel silly for wanting to be proactive in your health doll, it's a good thing!

 

[Kazio]

Hello again
Well today AF came, cycle day 32! So I'm being optimistic and thinking that the prodding and poking & sore boobs must have been agnus castus righting me? I was quite worried I must say, after people saying that it lengthened there's for so long, I couldn't bear the wondering of a possible pregnancy for another month, or if I'd messed my cycles up, I wonder what it has done / will do for me and I wonder if it will make me have an exact 32 day cycle, which could be good to pinpoint Ov...
I had a dream before I started taking it, that it worked for me, I'm not sure what worked, but I'm going to stick it out and see !

Could I ask how it's helped you, sweetpotatopi?

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Sure Kazio, happy to share! After my first m/c last year, November 2012, I started battling some major hormonal imbalance and at first I couldn't figure out what was wrong. My cycles went insane as far as AF flow and pain and I developed pretty severe menorrhagia and dysmennorhea. I was bleeding sooooooo much during AF and losing huge clots (our periods aren't supposed to be excessively heavy, painful or clotty), having debilitating menstrual cramps, so bad I could hardly move. I started getting huge knots that would show up in my breasts and other places (think fibrocystic breast knots) during approaching O at first then it was all the time! Sooooo damn painful, omg . And after having no issues getting pregnant before (we have two sons) I couldn't get pregnant. Eventually I caught again, then had a second m/c in July of this year, and my hormones completely flipped out. I was getting hot flashes, shooting pains in my boobs, constantly nauseous, emotional, and so on. I little by little began to piece things together earlier this year when a friend of mine pointed out I shouldn't be bleeding as heavily as I was (anything more than 80mL of fluid loss during AF is excessive and I was bleeding 700+mL per cycle ) . I've always had a heavy AF (which I now know was one of the signs my hormones have been screwy for years) but nothing, and I mean nothing like this. I was bleeding like a lite period during O at a certain point during my cycles and even had a 17 day cycle! I was a mess and started researching, researching, researching.

It took me a few tries to figure out how much Vitex I need and which brand works best for me but I'm so, so, sooooooo glad I did! This is my fourth cycle on it and I haven't had any irregular bleeding, no phantom pregnancy symptoms; had a couple of knots during my LP but I think that's b/c I used progesterone during my LP the previous cycle and it threw my body even more off. This is the best cycle I've had in such a long time and I'm so grateful for Vitex. I've also been taking a lot of epsom salt baths and I'm thinking that helped bring my menstrual cramping down to almost none this cycle . Anyway, that's the short, disjointed version . Definitely stick with it if it's doing good things for you!

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Here's a post I did that may possibly have a few helpful links also:

Anybody Ready but WTT?

 

[Kazio]

Woah that's crazy! Thanks for sharing!
I am sad to hear you had m/c, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I'm glad to see that the vitex is working well for you !

I'll tell you a bit more about myself,
I spent years on the depo provera contraceptive injection from a young age, and then went on the pill here and there, leading up to the time we got married which is when I came off the pill towards end of 2012. Tmi alert; after I came off birth control (starting from after the depo), my periods have never looked the same, they turned very light & bright red colour and only last 3 days, this is where vitex might come in for me and it might help to get them looking like they used to be as this could be a problem...?
And this year I went to the docs as the time that led up to my AF I was not myself it was horrible, the doctor said he wasn't sure wether it was depression or PMT, but given the timing i'd say it was PMT, and actually PMDD matched my symptoms much more! I was prescribed Prozac but only took for 3 months, they gave me vivid dreams that wore me out and I felt a bit better so stopped them.
Since then I have moved house, changed career path, (left my job and enrolled at college to study childcare and doing 3 days a week in a preschool). I have felt much happier since these changes and get pmt on a much lesser level than before and just lasting a few days before AF. So to completely eradicate this with vitex would be perfect! As working in a preschool you need to feel well and have a lot of patience.

Thanks for the links also, I shall read them soon!

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Thank you . I definitely wouldn't wish pregnancy/birth/child loss on anyone . The depo shot is progesterone bc yes? So I can see one's cycles being lighter after coming off of it. After birthing my sons my cycles lightened up for about a year and I had less cramps. I think it was all the progesterone I was producing during pregnancy that contributed to this. If you're bleeding about 30-80mL per cycle you're doing a-ok methinks .

And yeah gal, PMDD is the worst isn't it?! Vitex has absolutely helped mine . I think a lot of people probably get prescribed antidepressants that are actually hormonally imbalanced. And what if we're hormonally imbalanced in addition to actually needing antidepressants?!

Congrats on your new house and so glad that you've found a path that makes you happy . Keep me posted on how things continue to work with the Vitex!

 

[Kazio]

Haha, love all the little emotes you got going on there ;-)
Oh dear, PMDD and depression! Eek that would be bad!
Yes I shall keep you posted on my vitex/ttc journey, its lovely to have someone to talk to about it! ..just waiting for the docs to reopen to get hubby's test results, are you ttc again in January did your profile say? If so lets hope next year will be a lucky, special one for us, hope you have a merry Christmas, I'm off to eat lots of food with the family and have a few well deserved drinks hehehe x

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

I do love my smilies . We NTNP last cycle then went on with TTC again this cycle after taking a couple months break 'cause I was really burned out. 10 DPO right now and feeling pretty meh lol . Hope your hubby's test results are good! Enjoy your Christmas with your family! Definitely getting on with some drinks and eats myself today .

 

[Delphine11]

Thank you for that interesting read, ladies

I'm taking Vitex too and have done on and off (mostly on) over the past 15 months approx. I started taking it for spotting and short cycles and it did seem to help. My cycles were much better for a few months, but then I missed a cycle which freaked me out, so I stopped the Vitex.

Then after a month or two my AF came back with a vengeance! Horribly heavy and very long! Awful! I ddin't know what to do, so I read and read online and I noticed another lady saying she'd had a similar problem and that she'd taken Vitex and it'd had helped. "Hmmm", I thought because I was scared of the Vitex now, it having stopped my cycles, but I was pretty desperate so I took it and it worked really well and stopped the horrible bleeding.

Things were great for 5 months or so, but now the Vitex seems to be delaying my cycle again *sigh* I've had two BFNs. So I'm gradually reducing it and seeing what happens.

Some things I've learnt about Vitex:

1) It has different effects for different people - you need to know how it'll affect YOU

2) It can build up over months and then have more effect

3) You may need a lower dose than what the bottle says

4) You may need to stop and start it if your hormones/problems change

5) If you're going to stop it, do it gradually


As an aside, for PMT/PMD, I find Magnesium OK to be good. Also, reducing caffeine helps as does eating more healthily. I've also found EPO good in the past, but caution's needed if you're TTC so I now only take up to ovulation.

Finally! I think hormonal imbalances are FAR commoner than we realise, and I wish Doctors would test more for them and get better strategies to sort them out. My doctor seemed pretty sceptical and not that interested, which was very frustrating.

 

[Kazio]

Thanks for replies , what is EPO Delphine11?

I bring good news, hubby's test results showed 39million sperm, 32 million being progressive motile yay so that's good news, my blood test were normal and showed I'm ovulating and his tests are good so I wonder what the problems been?! Maybe BD on the wrong day or maybe had to get moving house & jobs out of the way first, maybe it wasn't meant to happen yet, the doctor said to give it another year, if it doesn't happen, then we will be referred to the fertility clinic? ...
So fingers crossed for 2014 I so hope it happens, all my friends are announcing their second at the mo!
Aaaargh! Lol

 

[superfrizbee]

AC screwed up my cycle too. I used maca which is a supplement that nourishes the pituary (hormone) glands. it has a positive effect on fertility in both men and women, but doesnt simulate hormones in the body like AC and evening primrose do. I got pregnant the first cycle using it last time and have just started using it again on my first cycle trying this time. good luck, hope you get your sticky bean soon.

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

AC screwed up my cycle too. I used maca which is a supplement that nourishes the pituary (hormone) glands. it has a positive effect on fertility in both men and women, but doesnt simulate hormones in the body like AC and evening primrose do. I got pregnant the first cycle using it last time and have just started using it again on my first cycle trying this time. good luck, hope you get your sticky bean soon.

AC works by increasing LH and inhibiting FSH so progesterone levels are indirectly increased. Estrogen and progesterone come into balance. AC does not simulate hormones, neither does maca (which is actually a food and not an herb but it's sold as a fertility supplement in certain places), but many other herbs do like Dong Quai, Red Raspberry Leaf, and Evening Primrose Oil, just to name a few. Where did you read that AC mimics hormones? I've never seen that anywhere while digging up info on this herb. Not all herbs are right for everyone so getting the advice of an experienced herbalist can be worth its weight if we need to. GL TTC!

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Delphine makes some great points in her post, most of which I've found to be true for me. Haven't had to stop it at this point though (this is cycle five now). Magnesium is excellent (nothing like a hot epsom salt bath ) and most of us likely need more magnesium. But keep your balance or other issues will crop up.

Thanks for replies , what is EPO Delphine11?

I bring good news, hubby's test results showed 39million sperm, 32 million being progressive motile yay so that's good news, my blood test were normal and showed I'm ovulating and his tests are good so I wonder what the problems been?! Maybe BD on the wrong day or maybe had to get moving house & jobs out of the way first, maybe it wasn't meant to happen yet, the doctor said to give it another year, if it doesn't happen, then we will be referred to the fertility clinic? ...
So fingers crossed for 2014 I so hope it happens, all my friends are announcing their second at the mo!
Aaaargh! Lol

Great news Kazio! Are you going to try temping? Come on 2014 babies!!

 

[SweetPotatoPi]

Oh! And EPO = Evening Primrose Oil

 

[Kazio]

Yes I started temping again after a few months off, I started when ttc to begin with but when people say 'stop trying/you're thinking about it too much' I stopped for a while but started again, it doesn't stress me out though so I don't see the problem with it! My temps have always gone from 34./35 in follicular phase to 36+ in luteal phase, so I guess I have ovulated every month just not had sticky bean yet. I use an app called My Days rather than Fertility friend to record my findings