Hello FM, and thanks for your advice. I have spoken to my clinic before about this and they seem quite phlegmatic about it, but surely this level of blood can't be right? I KNOW it's down to the acu-do I go for another acu treatment to loosen the blood?? Or do I leave it to the traditional drs?? The latter I suspect.
I would leave it to the traditional drs at this point. You're starting treatment very soon, and they will be checking the thickness of your endometrium (lining) every time they check your ovaries with an ultrasound, and if it's not thick enough they'll give you estrogen to correct that.
As for complementary medicine in general, personally, I don't put much stock in any of it. Over-the-counter drugs and herbs and such are not regulated by any industry at all (at least in the US - I don't know how drugs get approved elsewhere). Anyone can put any item on the shelf and make any claim about what it will and won't do, and they don't have to prove any of that to be true. Some have studies and data backing up their claims, but those studies are conducted by the manufacturer and are not subject to further/peer review, and the manufacturer clearly has a vested interest in making sure you'll buy their product, so of course their study is going to say it's effective. It's a huge conflict of interest. They don't even have to prove that the pill contains what they say it does - recent studies in the US have shown that most alternative remedies on the shelves in stores contain much less of the primary ingredient than the label says they do. (The exception to that was big-name brands, such as GNC - they were the only ones to consistently meet their stated standards.)
Prescription drugs, however, are subject to rigorous testing and standardization by the FDA (in the US). Before they are approved for sale, multiple studies have to be conducted and repeated and reviewed by someone other than the manufacturer, showing that the results have been repeated time and time again. No, it's not a perfect process and sometimes drugs are found to be unsafe several years after their release and they have to be pulled from the market. But even those are subject to more safety and efficacy studies than any OTC herbs etc.
The same goes for standard medical treatments - they become standard after years and years of peer-reviewed studies showing they work. That's why there's a difference between, say, standard chemotherapy protocols for certain cancers and experimental therapies - those that haven't yet been proven safe or effective - they're in the process of being tested.
There's certainly plenty of anecdotal evidence showing some work. Just remember that anecdotal evidence is not scientific proof - just because something worked for one woman and she swears that's why she got pregnant does not mean that it actually works - it's just as likely that the month she used X product she would have gotten pregnant without it anyway just because it was her lucky month when the 9 billion things that have to go right to make a baby went right.
I don't mean to knock all alternative/complementary treatments. God knows I love my yoga and my chiropractor! But I go to my chiropractor when I throw my back out - I don't expect him to cure my lousy vision. Likewise I go to yoga because it's relaxing and helps keep me from throwing my back out! But I don't expect yoga to help me get pregnant or carry to term.
As for acupuncture for fertility, the peer-reviewed studies that I've seen on the matter are pretty ambiguous - it might work, it might not, and there's been no hard evidence one way or the other. No one seems to know for sure. My RE says there's no harm in trying it. It's one of those gray areas in the field where I think each dr has to decide for him/herself as to whether or not they want their patients trying it.
But that is the most important point of all - if you're going to use ANYTHING in addition to what your dr has prescribed - any herb, any acupuncture, anything - tell your dr EVERYTHING you're using. There are well-documented instances of dangerous interactions between certain OTC products and some prescription drugs. Chances are any RE has heard of all the things we hear of on here - epo, etc - and he/she will want to know what you're using to make sure you're not inadvertently doing something harmful. He/she will not judge you (they see all kinds of sh*t crazier than what we do!), he just wants to make sure you're safe and healthy.
(Stepping off my soapbox again. I need to stop getting on it in the first place, or you all are going to start calling me Hermione Granger!
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Hi all,
Was just being nosey on the boards (quiet moment at work) & this thread looked interesting. I'm 38 & TTC #1. Gave up cerazette 9 weeks ago today & still no AF but I've been advised that this is normal so I'm stressing too much about it. I'm not sure how I'll get on but fingers crossed everthing will take its natural course.
Much love & support to everyone.
xx
Welcome Boo!
Glad you found us, and I hope AF shows up soon! The main thing you need to know as you start ttc is that if you're not pregnant after 6 months of well-timed sex, go see a fertility specialist/reproductive endocrinologist. Women under 35 need to see a specialist if they're not pregnant after 1 year, but those of us more "mature" ladies don't have as much time to address any problems IF any are found, so they like to get us in after 6 months. Good luck to you, and hope you don't have to see a specialist at all!
I'm home!!!!
Hello everyone, welcome Brunette, Lava - that's SO exciting!!!
Ok so the FS was impressed with my weightloss despite not taking the Orlistat. He's making an appt for M to have another SA & I've got to have an HSG - so advice please ladies?????
woooooooooo-hoooooooo!!!!!!!
you are a ROCK STAR!!!!!!!!!
What sort of advice are you looking for, about the HSG? Take 2 or 3 ibuprofen about 45 minutes before the procedure - I did at my RE's suggestion and had virtually no pain at all. I had some pinching-type pain right when he inserted the catheter thru my cervix but it lasted only seconds. Then I had some minor cramping as my uterus filled up, but it stopped as soon as he stopped injecting the dye. Each woman is different though. The whole thing takes less than 5 minutes, and the best advice I can give you is not to google it or read too many horror stories about it.
FX'd the SA is good and you're one of the majority who have no trouble with the HSG!
s girls!! We can ALL do it! 
and big loves. I am still hoping that August is OUR month!!
which totally pisses me off, don't they know how anxious I already am? I called them back this morning and left another message for the ivf nurse so hopefully I will hear back from them today! This isn't helping my confidence level.
