Vitamin B6 - Lengthen luteal phase or increase progesterone

[Kylarsmom]

Thanks GillAwaiting, this is actually my second cycle taking it, and i went from o'ing on cd 19 before starting it, then after starting it, my next cycle i o'd 3 days sooner on cd 16, and now im on cd 13 and i have been cramping hard core and had a huge temp drop today, so i think im going to O even earlier than last month. i didnt know if this was the b complex or what...?

 

[angie79]

hi girls

I'm on cd26 now and i think i'm ovulating today as this is day 3 of poss opks - i must admit these are the darkest i have ever had but i seem to be oving a week later - sigh
Maybe next month it will go the opposite way fx'ed

xxx

 

[wantingababy7]

so how many total bfps with b6? This always gives me alot of confidence about taking it when reading this thread.

 

[sukisam]

Hi Ladies
I wonder if any of you guys can share your wisdom with me!
i've been ttc no 4 for 12 months with no luck, I had a chemical first month and nothing since. Hubby had vasectomy reversal and his sperm is okay. All my bloods were fine (I'm 39) except my progesterone 7dpo was 19 one month and 21 next month (should be 30 I'm in the UK). I know I ovulate I get lots of EWCM from the EPO I take and i get a smiley face on my opks every month. My cycles are 28-34 days and I ovulate CD15-20 pretty much always have 14day LP.
My gut feeling is I ovulate but my progesterone is too low to sustain pregnancy, I seem to get lots of sypmtoms and some months feel pregnant 9-11dpo (and sometimes get positive hpts), then i don't feel pregnant and have PMS symptoms really bad till AF comes.
This month I took soy from CD4-8 I ovulated on CD 14 and I'm due AF today which will give me a lovely 28 day cycle but i know AF is coming.
Do you think I should take vit B this month? Should i take B50 or B100 and do you take it the whole cycle?
Sorry for all the questions but i'm 39 and really would like to know i did everything I could to have another baby.
Thanks
Here's hoping we all get our soon

 

[minkysouth1]

Thanks GillAwaiting, this is actually my second cycle taking it, and i went from o'ing on cd 19 before starting it, then after starting it, my next cycle i o'd 3 days sooner on cd 16, and now im on cd 13 and i have been cramping hard core and had a huge temp drop today, so i think im going to O even earlier than last month. i didnt know if this was the b complex or what...?

Good luck with ttc this month, Kylarsmum.

The signs for early ovulation you're having are promising! You're in a similar situation to me (one DS of nearly 2 and TTC#2). Hope to be bump buddies with you soon!

 

[minkysouth1]

hi girls

I'm on cd26 now and i think i'm ovulating today as this is day 3 of poss opks - i must admit these are the darkest i have ever had but i seem to be oving a week later - sigh
Maybe next month it will go the opposite way fx'ed

xxx

Hi Angie,

The dark OPKs you're having are signs of a strong ovulation, so good luck! Although it's always a worry when our cycles change, all kinds of factors can mess with ovulation date. B-complex usually seems to bring ovulation forward a few days rather than set it back, but we're all different. I was very late ovulating the cycle after my chemical pregnancy.

Remember, changes to luteal phase length are more significant than the timing of ovulation when it comes to fertility.



Minky

 

[minkysouth1]

Hi Ladies
I wonder if any of you guys can share your wisdom with me!
i've been ttc no 4 for 12 months with no luck, I had a chemical first month and nothing since. Hubby had vasectomy reversal and his sperm is okay. All my bloods were fine (I'm 39) except my progesterone 7dpo was 19 one month and 21 next month (should be 30 I'm in the UK). I know I ovulate I get lots of EWCM from the EPO I take and i get a smiley face on my opks every month. My cycles are 28-34 days and I ovulate CD15-20 pretty much always have 14day LP.
My gut feeling is I ovulate but my progesterone is too low to sustain pregnancy, I seem to get lots of sypmtoms and some months feel pregnant 9-11dpo (and sometimes get positive hpts), then i don't feel pregnant and have PMS symptoms really bad till AF comes.
This month I took soy from CD4-8 I ovulated on CD 14 and I'm due AF today which will give me a lovely 28 day cycle but i know AF is coming.
Do you think I should take vit B this month? Should i take B50 or B100 and do you take it the whole cycle?
Sorry for all the questions but i'm 39 and really would like to know i did everything I could to have another baby.
Thanks
Here's hoping we all get our soon

Hi sukisam

I was just wondering why you felt that AF was definitely on its way. Is there no chance that you could have conceived this month?

Like you, I've been trying to conceive for nearly 12 months now and have had a chemical pregnancy, but I truly believe that most fertility problems are fixable, particularly when they relate mainly to hormonal fluctuations. I would certainly give the B-vits a go, as there is lots of evidence that they help produce hormonal balance. Most ladies take them to increase their luteal phase or regulate their cycle, but they can help raise progesterone levels too. After 1 and a half cycles using b100, I've already noticed changes in luteal phase length (poss 2 days) and in other related factors such as quantity of CM. Also, today I had the biggest fattest darkest positive OPK I have ever had - woohoo!!! It seems that my hormones have been given an extra big boost. I'm also using soya this month and I'm hoping that the two supplements in combination will make the difference for me. Here's hoping that you are lucky too when you take both together!

The decision to choose B50 or B100 is a personal one: if you prefer, you could have a trial cycle with a lower dose and see if it 'agrees' with you, or you might just want to plunge in at the deep end and take the B100s. I started with that dose and don't regret it, but everyone is different. You can take it for the whole cycle, although it is recommended that you take a week's break in every month if you are using B-complex over a long period.

I hope that's helpful,

Minky

 

[lisaf]

Hi Ladies
I wonder if any of you guys can share your wisdom with me!
i've been ttc no 4 for 12 months with no luck, I had a chemical first month and nothing since. Hubby had vasectomy reversal and his sperm is okay. All my bloods were fine (I'm 39) except my progesterone 7dpo was 19 one month and 21 next month (should be 30 I'm in the UK). I know I ovulate I get lots of EWCM from the EPO I take and i get a smiley face on my opks every month. My cycles are 28-34 days and I ovulate CD15-20 pretty much always have 14day LP.
My gut feeling is I ovulate but my progesterone is too low to sustain pregnancy, I seem to get lots of sypmtoms and some months feel pregnant 9-11dpo (and sometimes get positive hpts), then i don't feel pregnant and have PMS symptoms really bad till AF comes.
This month I took soy from CD4-8 I ovulated on CD 14 and I'm due AF today which will give me a lovely 28 day cycle but i know AF is coming.
Do you think I should take vit B this month? Should i take B50 or B100 and do you take it the whole cycle?
Sorry for all the questions but i'm 39 and really would like to know i did everything I could to have another baby.
Thanks
Here's hoping we all get our soon

You can definitely give the B vits a try.
If you wanted more medical help though some doctors will give you progesterone suppositories to take after ovulation to help sustain a pregnancy. Many won't.
You can also try to get a blood test around 11dpo to see if you are having very early chemical pregnancies.

I had borderline progesterone like you, had a few cycles with lines on tests around 11dpo but my LP was only 12 days so I'd get AF and start spotting before I could even really go in for a blood test. I know I had a technically ok LP length but my progesterone still wasn't adequate.
The magic key for me was actually clomid... it gives you higher progesterone after ovulation but since you're in the UK I don't know if they'd offer you that and blood tests to confirm your progesterone gets up to normal levels?

 

[sukisam]

Thanks Minky for your very informative response it's really helpful. The came about 30 mins ago, I knew she was coming so I'm not too gutted (tho I did cry all day on Wed!). This ttc is very tiring and emotional!
I'm going to carry on with the soy and try vit b as well this cycle.
Thanks again
here's hoping we all get up the duff soon!

 

[sukisam]

Thanks Lisa for your reply, we can't get any more bloods done at the GP's so it would be a private dr next which would be very expensive. I think we'll try the soy + vit b for 2-3 cycles and if that doesn't work get an appointment to see a private dr.
FX vit b and soy work for me!

 

[lisaf]

I don't know what your options are there with private clinics or what your financial situation is. I know I put off going to a specialist because I thought it would be too costly. It really wasn't going to be bad at all and the bloodwork was actually cheaper for me through a specialist than my regular doctor, lol (though I have insurance they woudln't pay for anything fertility related).
If I had just done the bloodwork, it was going to cost me $20 for the progesterone test. A clomid cycle with full monitoring (CD3 bloodwork, CD3 ultrasound, follicle scan, progesterone bloodwork) was $270 a cycle. There is another clinic in town that charges 2x as much, but clearly this guy knew what he was doing with me and he has a great success rate!

 

[ladybeautiful]

Hi LisaF, I've read a few posts on here and find your insights very helpful

Was wondering if you have any thoughts about my situation - TTC #1 on our 5th cycle currently. I ovulate fine, don't have much EWCM. My concern is my LP and prog. My LP is usually 12 days. My temps appear to peak around 8-9DPO and then start falling and AF very predictably arrives on morning of 13DPO.
I used a OTC prog cream (Emerita) last cycle and my prog level at 7DPO was 18 ng/ml (I'm in the US and the lab where I got it done says LP prog level range is 1.7 - 27). This month I tested prog again without using the cream and it was just 9.6!!!! It still falls within the 'normal' range acc to my doc, but it's got me worried!! I've clearly ovulated but do you think low progesterone might be related to poor follicular development so it might not be a very good egg I'm throwing out?

What prog level was your doc looking for to indicate that a pregnancy would be viable?

Thanks for the help Lisa and I hope you're having a comfortable pregnancy

 

[lisaf]

hey lady!
Happy to offer any insight/help I can for you.
The history of how they gathered progesterone levels and learned what they meant (according to my FS) was that they drew blood on cd21 and saw which women got pregnant and what their levels were. They found that they averaged 10 or higher (US figures here!). This is a strong indicator that of course ovulation happened and that a progesterone level of 10 adequate to prepare the lining well and once pregnant, that level usually goes up which sustains the pregnancy.

Once pregnant, a level of 10 does worry them since any drop could start some bleeding or lead to a miscarriage.

Levels vary from cycle to cycle, and they even vary throughout the day. This site/article has some good progesterone information and shows a chart of progesterone fluctuation throughout a day. https://www.ivf1.com/infertility-progesterone/

However, even if the levels vary throughout the day, when they obtained their original data, they had to deal with normal fluctuations also, you know? Thats how I saw it anyway.

If your 2nd blood test wasn't done exactly 7dpo, its possible that could explain the lower level. Truly, a 10 is normal and enough to sustain a pregnancy (and 9.6 is so close to 10 its probably fine, though I know its hard not to worry!)
For a reference, my progesterone levels were 6.5, 8.8 (suspected chemical preg), 6.9 (suspected chemical pg), and 4.2 (used progesterone supps after blood test at 5dpo) - first 2 numbers were on 50mg clomid... next 2 were natural cycles
I then did a 100mg clomid cycle and had a progesterone level of 15 and got my BFP.
I had suspected a progesterone issue because my LP was 12 days but I also had 2-3 days of spotting before AF.

I'm not sure progesterone is a huge part of your difficulty (assuming you've been trying for a while), but it sounds like the cream will help you enough to push you onto the safe side where you know your body is getting enough progesterone to prepare the lining.

And just so you know, my friend had a progesterone level of 15 naturally, she tried clomid because her cycles were long, had a progesterone level of 16 on the first cycle and a progesterone level of 13 on the 2nd cycle and got her BFP...

If you've been trying for a while though, it might be worth trying clomid if your doctors will put you on it. An HSG might also be worth trying since it both checks your tubes and boosts your fertility at the same time.
Hope you dont' mind my little novel here, hope it helped?

 

[ladybeautiful]

Wow ... thank you so much for the detailed info and suggestions, Lisa!! How nice of you!

We have been trying for 5 months now. I know it might not sound like very long but I can't help worry why it would take this long for a young & healthy couple to make a baby!

I have very regular cycles,although short (24 days). My LP is USUALLY 12 days, give or take a day. I'm 11DPO today and been cramping AWFULLY since this morning Anyway, my hubby hasn't got himself tested yet; will do so if we haven't conceived by the end of the year.

My doc doesn't seem to be paying much attention to prog, she says my level is normal. I had read somewhere that the prog blood test has to be done exactly midway through the LP so for anything other than the typical 14day LP that would look different. I got tested both times at 7DPO (going by OPK and BBT) but if temps correlate with prog levels I'd say I peak around 8 or 9DPO. Been taking B6 (50mg) too the last 2 cycles but it seems to have moved my O date from CD12 to CD15 and done little for prog or LP.

How long did it take for your doc to put you on Clomid? What I find difficult to do is to advocate for myself saying I'd like further tests, etc when my doc doesn't order them herself. I don't want to come across as one of those "But I read online, that..." and challenge my doc. How was it for you with your doctor?

I will keep those pointers in mind about Clomid and the HSG. I got a pelvic U/S done last week and awaiting results. Whatever it is, hopefully we will get our baby soon!

Looks like I managed a little novella myself Thanks again for taking the time to help, Lisa!

 

[lisaf]

ladybeautiful - First off, I didn't find that my temps were exact correlations to progesterone levels, lol.. I got low results on days when my temps were peaking, better results on cycles where I didn't peak as high or even when I had a slight dip in my temps. So I could never find a clear correlation.

I got put on clomid very fast. Though I had to switch doctors to get it. First I was seeing a PA after my Mirena removal. When I had a delayed period she said I might not be ovulating (which started me temping when my period did come on). Then I had a nightmare period and wasn't ovulating and the PA referred me to a GYN. He was totally dismissive tbh... I wasn't having cycles and he told me to wait a few cycles I was 29 and he told me I was young enough to have 10 kids (ummm if I have 1 a year and have no trouble concieving?!?!). When I started crying he was a little more supportive.
Anyway, the next GYN I saw suggested clomid right away after some blood tests etc.

But I got a little upset with him because he wouldn't up my clomid dose even though my progsesterone was low. So thats when I switched to an FS and feel like I finally got the right attention.
I was put on clomid in January, my Mirena had been removed in Sept (and Mirena is not supposed to have any lingering effect on your fertility ... as soon as its removed you're supposed to be fertile again).

I was also conscious of being one of those 'I read online' patients (in fact, I would LOVE to see what my charts say about me, lol!!!)... BUT, as I discussed with my FS, I trust his judgement and experience, but I need to understand why he wanted to do X, Y or Z instead of what I'd read etc.

I have read that the best way to get a picture of your progesterone is to do a 5,7, and 9 day test... most doctors won't bother with that though, lol! And most would think it was a little crazy. But it makes sense since BBT and OPKs get you CLOSE to detecting the exact day of ovulation, but its not always precise. I was worrying my progesterone might be 'fine' at 7dpo but drop too fast after that (my Feb cycle made me think this... temps plummeted too soon and just hung above my coverline).
There is a method where they can take a sample of your lining at 7dpo or so, but my FS said that its got risks and that they really don't learn anything more from that then other tests.

If you do the HSG, keep in mind its actually one of the few tests that BOOSTS your fertility for 3 months afterwards! (it can clear minor blockages and dilate your tubes)
Doing a sperm test early on also helps because you can tell in 1 test if the guy is ok. My husband's was super cheap too... like crazy cheap ($25 without insurance!!!).

5 months isn't too long in the grand scheme of things, but I remember what it felt like at that time and honestly its about the most intense time emotionally... like getting pregnant before 6 months felt SO important to me. The good news is that it didn't get worse in the following months... it was hard in different ways, but the anxiousness didn't get worse.

 

[ladybeautiful]

That's great that you could get to the FS (and a good one!) without much delay, LisaF. Do you need a referral from your family physician to a FS? I'm somewhat new to the US so still not sure of how it all works.

Yeah I am just the same, I just HAVE to get pregnant within 6 months!! 3 months was bad enough! There's a lot of pressure from family so that certainly isn't helping. The way I look at it, if like they say there's a 20% chance of a healthy couple conceiving in any one cycle, this is our 5th cycle so this should be our :BFP: cycle, shouldn't it!!

Testing prog over a number of days makes more sense, but yeah like you said I doubt my current doc will indulge me She ordered the 7DPO prog and the FSH (for next cycle) without a fuss because I told her I was getting anxious and wanted to get the simple non-invasive tests out of the way. Husband and I have decided that we'll give it till Dec-end and then look for a FS (if we can go directly or else try to get a referral).

I was reading about the HSG and the promise of increased fertility in the short run does sound great! You probably didn't have to get it done right cos you must've known from the beginning that your issue was related to ovulation and progesterone?

 

[ladybeautiful]

I don't understand the traditional "Need to wait a year until we start fertility testing and treatment"!!!

 

[lisaf]

I didn't need a referal to see the FS. But then again, my insurance won't cover any fertility testing/treatment and I have a PPO so it depends on your insurance if they will cover any of it and if they require a referral.

I know I would have been anxious by the 6 month mark, but if everything had been normal then I'm not sure I would have been so pushy with seeing a doctor. At first it was long cycles, no ovulation etc... the progesterone thing came up later.

I DID have an HSG done.. and on the cycle I got my BFP too, lol. My FS wanted to just rule blockage out before we spent too much money on other treatments etc.

 

[CowtownGirl]

Hi everyone! I've never commented on this thread before but I've been reading it with interest and just wanted to share my experience. I came off the mini-pill (cerazette - work of the devil IMHO) last December and my LP for most of the last year has hovered somewhere between 8-10 days every month. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism in June (which I've heard may have an effect on LP length as well). I waited until my thyroid was under control to see if that fixed my LP (it didn't - I got up to about 10 days).

So after reading this, I started a B-50 complex partway through my cycle (two cycles ago). That cycle my LP went up to 11 days.

This cycle that's just ended I was taking the B-50 complex (and a pregnacare conception multi-vit), I got a +OPK a couple of days earlier than I would have expected and had a LP of 13-14 days with a lot less spotting. So no BFP for me but really happy my LP has gotten longer!! Fingers crossed it's not just a one-off and just wanted to say thank you to all of you for sharing your experiences on here - I think it's really helped me a lot!! Thanks!!!! x

 

[elnmummy]

Hi everyone
It's been ages since I was on here - congrats on the BFP's and lots of for those still waiting!

Just wanted to post a quick update as I've had the weirdest cycle. Pre-miscarriage in May I was 25 days regularly and for the first 2 had 23 then 27 after/ Then 3 lots of 23 and then started taking the B50 complex.

That cycle, instead of ov around CD14 I ov'd around CD12 taking my LP from 9 days to 10 = AF was a day earlier that month so a 22 day cycle.

This month I am sure I ov'd around CD12/14 based on my skin outbreak, cramping etc but had no EWCM at all this cycle. Started temping and had a temp rise around that time but on the 3rd day it dipped slightly before a big rise around CD20. FF put in ov at CD21 but I am certain it was a week earlier...anyway I was convinced we'd done it when no sign of AF CD23 and no skin outbreak OR weight gain (always happens). Here we are on CD 28 and yet another followed an hour later by

So now I don't know. I was a bit lax about taking the B50s this month and definitely didn't take them every day so don't know if that contributed, or if FF is right in which case we had NO chance cos DH was ill all last week or if I was just unlucky or if we've had another chemical. I got a massive migraine last Weds which lingered for 3 days - normally I get these when pg or bf only but have had 2 in 3 weeks this cycle. Arrrrghhhhh it's a nightmare!

I am going to give the B50s another go but just not sure they are working in terms of helping my LP if I did ov on CD21 as that would make my LP only 7 days . Think I am going to give soy a go this month too. Or maybe I iwll just ditch the lot and chill till after xmas. It's so hard to know what to do and I feel like crap about it all

Anyway it's CD 1 so I am allowed to feel rubbish......hope the rest of you are doing better in terms of PMA!!!

Lots of
xxx