23 days of spotting (then a 4 day af)

Well the cycle of taking licorice root has finally come to an end.  I honestly have no idea if I should try it again or what I should do.  On one hand I believe the 23 days of spotting followed by a very short af is caused by taking the licorice root however I have done this before when I had polyps.

I am using the law of attraction to thank myself for my healing, health and fertility.  I strongly began doing law of attraction again about 3 weeks ago.  I first started by thanking for my healing and then i slowly implemented the other 2 (health and fertility).  It's hard to say if I will have a normal cycle (even writing the truth of my worries then worries me it may come true).  It's a vicious cycle.

Either way I'm suspecting I'm on cd 5 of a brand new cycle, pending that the spotting doesn't return that is.

Ttc for over 5 years has taken its toll on me.  I have really good weeks/ days and of course bad ones.  I have moments where I'm relieved I can't have sex because there's no pressure to ovulate which brings the hope that I will concieve. Every cycle like many other women, I feel it in my "heart" that this is it and I will concieve.

I suppose it's only a matter of time before I figure out if I will/can but until I can see a FS, I feel like I have no choice but to stay hopeful.

So I'm still deciding if i should take the LR, in a few days if the spotting doesn't return I may try it, idk.

As always wishing all the ladies lots of baby dust and good luck.  May we all live our dreams soon enough.

Should spotting for 14 days be considered AF?

Well after 14 days of spotting/bleeding it's stopped.  As soon as I saw the spotting stop I questioned if i should consider all the spotting af?  The problem I have with this is i could have been experiencing breakthrough spotting/bleeding for 14 days because of lack of ovulation.

It's so hard to say exactly why I spotted for 2 weeks but if i consider it af it could through my bbt chart off and worse I could O any day.  When a cycle begins you can count in the fact that you will O around the same time you've been ovulating in the past.

So I've decided to not consider the spotting af and continue to bbt temp and take opks again.  The opk from last night was very light so i cant imagine it will be much darker today but we'll see.

I am beginning to feel broken again.  I can feel the stress rising in my system as i try to figure out what is going on with my body.  I'm stressed and over all I am feeling hopeless.  My goal until af comes is to try to not stress and worry.  I need to trust that my body will do what it's meant to do.

Update cd 44/ cd1....

Well I woke up to an actually flow of some kind.  I believe my af is finally here.  What an exhausting and terrible last cycle.  In fact 2 days ago ( cd 42 ) the spotting completely stopped.  I was hopeful I would have some fertile cm and O but that's not the case here.

I definitely need to see a dr again but the odds of this happening seem slim to none.  Onward to the next cycle i suppose.  Here's to hoping I O this cycle.

13 days of spotting, late af

Well this will be technically another update but still no af, after taking licorice root, although it will focus on odd mid cycle/pre af spotting.

It started on cd 24 like mentioned in another post.  I noticed some very light pink spotting.  I assumed it was due to ovulating but i hadn't had a pos opk yet and my temp had increased but not normally how high as it does go.  The light pink spotting susidded on cd 25.

On cd 29 it came back although more of a red color and only when I wipe not enough to use a tampon or pad.  When I reached cd 35 (which would normally be my last day in a cycle although it wasn't) i grew worried that maybe my polyps have returned.  To be honest I'm still worried about this.

Worrying isn't good for ttc or keeping a regular menstrual cycle so I put it in the back of my head.  I've taken hpt between cd 31-37 with "shadow" or faint second lines but to me they were evaps or bfns.  Today is cd 39.  I have had a long cycle once (47 days) where I spotted from cd 40-47.  I had assumed.maybe that's what my body was doing but after calculating my cycle length and days of spotting I have reached 13 days of brown-pink-red spotting.

I nearly thought my af had arrived this am as it seemed to pick up to a light flow but as the day went on and i went to change my tampon, it was brown blood and did not fill the tampon.  I've had cramping on and off for over a week now and I'm really thinking my af is coming but it doesn't come.

I've red articles of "break through bleeding" and have considered this is what it is.  I haven't checked my temperature in well over 3 days as I temp vaginally and keep thinking this is my flow, it's here but it subsides after a few hours.

I've read many articles about multiple days of spotting to light bleeding in early pregnancy but have yet to take another pregnancy test. Honestly I don't think I'm pregnant but there have been bigger surprises.  The spotting today is dark red and is constant.  I have had no other CM in the last 10 days and if the spotting stops for even a moment and I check my cervix, I'm "dry" and my cervix is high and med (not firm or soft).

I have had some sx (symptoms) but who can day if they're real or not...

1. Cramps
2. Lower back aches
3. Muffled hearing (swimmers ear) that lasted a week.
4. Odd taste in mouth
5. Nausea  (bad in late morning)
6. Loss of appetite  (which normally increases when on af).
7. Itchy breasts

I have no idea if these are due to pregnancy, af or in my head?

I'm truly frustrated and sad about my current cycle issue especially since the idea of bd with my dh seems like a distant memory.  I cant seem to find any other post that is similar to my current experience.  I'm praying for all the ladies out there ttc.

Update:

Well after 14 days of spotting it stopped.  I'm pondering if i want to consider the bleeding/spotting af or just wait for the real deal.  The more I read about break through bleeding the more I question if that's what happened and I never ovulated.  I plan to take an opk after a 2 hr urine hold.  I'm either on cd 15 of a new cycle (if considering the spotting af) or I'm on cd 40.

I will post my opk results below... I'm just concerned that I'm not ovulating and in fact I am experiencing breakthrough bleeding and I'm considering it af.  Another thing that really gets me is all this posts, articles and forums of women talking about their experiences but never leaving the end results.  I can say I will not do that.  I will continue this blog long after I get pregnant.

Licorice root, 1st cycle.

Well, my 1st cycle on licorice root is coming towards an end (i think).  It's been so hard for me to tell.  Every day I think my cycle  has started and the brown/red spotting leaves.

I'm currently on cd 34 and about 10 days ago I realized I was spotting.  I thought maybe a new cycle was starting due to an early ovulation but the spotting has come and gone over the last week.  I've also been having af like cramps on and off since cd 21 and they've become more intense as my cycle ends. One morning I thought my af was surely here and it seemed to be a light flow and the next morning it was gone.

I've looked into "breakthough" bleeding due to non ovulation and an increasing amount of estrogen in your body.  I wonder if that's what I've been experiencing these last few cycles.  I'm not sure and when/if my cycle ever starts again (as i could spot for a week so counting any of this spotting as af would be wrong) I will try the licorice root again.

I've also taken 3 pregnancy tests as like usual I wonder if the spotting/unusual bleeding is due to pregnancy.  I've received my first "evap" or false positive I believe from a hpt ever.  I will post those pictures in this blog.  2 of them were clinical guard and one was with an answer pregnancy test strip.  The answer test was the only  one I used fmu with.

The reason I believe they are evap or a false positive is i have since taken a frer with fmu and it was clearly negative. It's heart breaking when you think/know you see a line and it's so faint but it's there and with a trusted brand of frer it's negative (pictures will be below).

Typically I start my cycles on what would  be cd 36.  That's in 2 days.  I have bought the new "temp drop" device to better help determine ovulation especially since I've been forgetting to temp a lot this cycle.  The only issue is Tempdrop  won't ship till spring of 2015 and if I go off of the calender spring  doesn't start till March 2015.

I will update when the new cycle starts.  Wishing all the ladies ttc lots of baby dust as always.  They say when you really strive for something it's even sweeter when reached. 

Licorice root part 2

I am now on cd24 and BBT has yet to show I’ve ovulated.  This will be part 2 of a possible 3 part blog of my experience with licorice root.  If  you haven’t read part 1, please do so as this may confuse you.

As mentioned before, I am on cd 24 and I have had little rises in my BBT chart (pic will be posted below) however no definate sign of ovulation at this point.  I have been having “cramps” on my left side for the last 2 days.  It comes and goes and feels very unusal.  I keep questioning if I’ve ever felt these things in the past over the last few days.  My breast have hurt off and on for a little over a day now but no significant rise in BBT.  Other things I’ve been experiencing are: extreme tiredness, nausea, bloated feeling, cramps on left side, headaches, smelly urine and dark urine (not due to dehydration as I am drinking over 60 oz of water per day), achey feeling in lower back and arms.

I can’t tell if this is due to either: af, ovulation or in my head.  I know I haven’t ovulated yet due to my chart and I am confident I temp accurately.  No app or information on the internet has come close to helping me determine what is going on.  I’ve taken ovulations tests (opks) everyday aside from yesterday as I ran out.  15 days of taking opks 2-3 times a day is exhausting and expensive.  The last bundle of opks I purchased was on Amazon which is what I used this cycle from cd 8-22 (pic of cd 22 opk included).  They were clinical guard which came with 40 opks and 20 hpts.  I’ve used 2 of the hpts as I always test with one right when my af ends just to make sure I wasn’t one of those odd medical oddities where you get your af and yet are pregnant.

I took a hpt test this AM (2/6/2015) as I had no idea if my sx (symptoms) are due to af, ovulation, pregnancy or in my head?  After 5 years of TTC, I’ve become a bit parinoid that if I ever did concieve I would never know as I would be the odd one who still has their af like clockwork.  So I’ve made it a habit of testing every 2-3 weeks.  As you can imagine the resutls of my hpt were a bfn (pic will also be included) and I have yet to make it to a store to buy more opks.  This is exhausting.  Next cycle I will not be using opks.

Dh (dear husband) and I have been BD (baby dancing) the last 2 days and will continue through this weekend.  I’m disappointed there isn’t more to report.  I’m extremely sad that I haven’t ovulated yet but more importantly I’m worried that once I do (if I do) my spotting issue will return.  This was the entire reason I wanted to try the licorice root so I could somehow move my ovulation up (if I did ovulate) to possibly improve my LP.  Last cycle I ovulated on cd 26 but af came right on time at what would been cd 36 so I had a 9 day LP?  This is terrible.  I’m also spotting off an on throughout my entire LP.

Obviously all of this worries me and brings me extra stress I don’t need.  No app or article has been helpful to me.  I’ve tired several things to attempt to lengthen my LP but for unknown reasons they don’t work for me (b6, progesterone, Vitex, maca root, royal jelly, clomid etc).  I have seen my doctor about this issue as well and as I’m sure you’ve discovered by now, they weren’t willing/able (what’s the difference?) to help me or fix this issue.  After a mere 6 months of seening my OBGYN after my surgery in August of 2013, I was referred to a FS (this is elaborated on in past posts).

As usual, I will continue what I’ve been doing as far as temping, testing and praying.  Here’s to hoping sooner rather than later I get my BFP.  Gl to the ladies who are TTC.

Licorice root, my experience so far.

I had made a post about my supplement experiences and now I'm half way in my long cycle.  This will be an update on my experience with licorice root so far.

I took 2 pills 3x a day with meals from cd 2-9.  I had an average flow of 7 days.  Good to know the licorice root didn't affect my flow.  I had no sx while taking the supplement.  I also took my standard prenatal and vit d3 with the licorice root.

I began testing with opks on cd 8.  I received the darkest line early in my cycle ever.  Normally I don't see a second test line until cd 18 or more even when I took clomid.  On cd 9 (the last day of my licorice root regimen) I received an almost positive opk (pic included).  I thought for sure I'd be like some of the ladies and O the next day after my last day taking them.

I came home that evening late on cd 9 so I didn't test at my normal 5pm time.  I tested at 830pm and the line was lighter.  Confused, I continued to test twice sometimes 3 times a day.  The test line continued to get lighter...  Now I'm on cd 19 and have yet to receive a positive opk in fact the test line is gone.  I've also been bbt temping and FF gave me CH on cd 11.  But i didnt have a pos opk and now on cd 19 I am certain ewcm is back.

I had ewcm the earliest ever in my cycle.  I did the water test (putting your cm in the water to determine if it dissolves or sinks in a ball form) and each time I thought I had ewcm I did.  I had ewcm from cd 8-12 and then it turned sticky to creamy and now on cd 19 it's returned confirmed with the water test.

My temp has remained between 97.30-97.66 for the last 8 days.  Post O temps for me range from 97.80-98.60 so I am confident I didn't O yet.  Either way I bd just in case after my near pos and occasionally over the last 8 days. 

There's hardly any info out there of experiences or trials regarding licorice root so I'm unable to compare my experiences to any one else's.  I have decided to continue testing with opks and temping. 

The true test for me will be if my flow just comes as usually on cd 36 ( or what would be considered cd 1) or if i begin spotting at cd 29.  Here's to hoping the next 10 days go smoothly.  An update will again follow in the next 2 weeks.

As always ladies whom ever may read this, good luck to you.

Fertility supplements: my experience

I mentioned in a previous post that I would write about the supplements I have taken.  I just want to first say that I am not a doctor and you may want to consult with your doctor before using any supplements (it’s truly at your descretion).  If you do go down a supplement route please be sure to take them for at least 3 cycles to see the benefits and stop after 3-4 cycles as your body can adapt to them and they can do more harm than good at that point.

I first tried Vitex (Chaste berry) back in 2012 before I had surgery and of course it did nothing for me as I had underlying medical issues (uterine growth, polyps and a cyst).  I took it for 2 months with no change in my cycle so then I stopped.  I started it back up again when I was referred to a FS and took it again from Jan-Feb (2 months again) and it seemed to bring on the sporadic bleeding more often.  I stopped using it.  I didn’t find any use for it nor did it benefit my situation whatsoever (I took 3 pills 3 times a day).  All the research I did prior to using it said great and wonderful things about it!  But it’s hard to say if it would have worked had I taken it for 3 full cycles..  Vitex works by regulating the pituitary gland and can help regulate your ovulation.

I disocvered Symplex F, off of a baby bump post.  A woman stated she couldn’t concieve for years (I can’t remember the exact number but at the time I remember it was longer than I had been trying).  She started taking symplex F and concieved her son after only 3 months!  Seemed like a dream come true.  I couldn’t find much information regarding it on the web.  In fact I was amazed at the lack of information out there.  Symplex F is said to help balance your hormones, more specifically your estrogen to progesterone ratio.  I started it in March 3 pills a day and noticed a change in May.  It seemed to help with my mid cycle spotting/bleeding and I began to notice a regulation in my cycle from 26-45 days to 35-40 days.  5 days off but from previous cycles, that’s not too bad.  After 4 cycles my ovulation had been right at cd 29 but unfortunately I didn’t stop and the next cycle my hormones were so off balanced the mid cycle spotting/bleeding returned.  With symplex F I received my first ever cycle with ovulaton and have thought to go back to it.  I had no sx with this supplement either.  It is pricey and can only be found online.

I implemented Maca Root into my regimen in Aug of 2,000mg a day and saw a difference with my cycle immediately. Maca helps with balancing of hormones and I figured it couldn’t hurt taking it.  It seemed to help stablize my hormones enough to stablize my cycles but it was short lived after another 3 cycles they no longer seemed to make a difference.  I experienced little side effects from Maca which was only a higher labido and energy.

While taking maca root I began taking Royal Jelly.  It was said to help mature and improve the quality of the eggs.  I took 2,000 mg a day in dried freezed capsule forms and have no real proof if it helped me but I always thought my energy was increased due to this and the maca root.  I had no negative sx on this supplement and it seemed to overal be a no brainer taking the pills.  I stopped the supplement when I stopped all the supplements in Oct/Nov.

I tried B6 (200mg a day) between July-Sept and didn’t see a difference in my cycles.  It’s said to lengthen your luteal phase (LP) and help increase your progesterone production.  It didn’t seem to have an effect either way on my LP.  I stopped it in Oct/Nov and had no noticable sx while taking it.

I had tried Soy Iso Flavones in the past with no induced ovulation and tired it again in Nov when I had realized I am taking far too long in my cycle to ovulate.  It is said to work like Clomid by tricking your body to produce more estrogen to mature the follicle faster and bring on ovulation sooner.  In the past as mentioned I had taken it each time 160 mg from cd 5-9.  It’s said the strenght is half of the strength of Clomid so to reach 50mg equivalent to Clomid you woul need to take 100mg of Soy Iso.  I took a little over that each time equivalent to 90mg of Clomid and it did not bring on a sooner ovulation.  It could be I didn’t take enough of it or Clomid and Soy Iso doesn’t work for me… hard to say really.  I had daily headaches like Clomid from cd 9- expected af.

Through all the research I have read and personal experiences I have come across Vitamin D3.  This is much different than the vitamin you gain from milk, so increasing your milk consumption will not benefit your vitamin d3 level.  It’s best to have this tested by your Dr. to see if your levels are low.  I as usual didn’t ask and just began taking the supplement in 2014.  I have to say once I started taking this supplement I noticed my hair went from a brown color to a reddish color.  Vitamin D3 does effect your fertility and if your have a deficency it could prevent pregnancy by messing up your homrones and preventing ovulation.  I had no undesireable sx by this supplement and have recently begun taking it again.

I have literally within the last 4 days discovered licorice root.  It is said to help move up ovulation and improve low progesterone in your LP.  The bottle clearly warns you to avoid taking if you have high blood pressure, insuline issues or have been diagnoised with diabetes or have liver functioning issues.  I do not so I have begun taking this supplement as the bottle suggests (2 pills 3x a day with meals).  It could lower your potasium so it’s recommened to eat a banana a day when taking this supplement. The very, very little information I have found on the web has stated you take this supplement as you would Clomid (cd3-7 or cd5-9) but take the amount as the bottle suggests and no more than 7 days total.  As I started spotting very early in my last cycle when the flow turned “light” I started the licorice root the next day.  I plan to take the licorice root from cd 2-9 @ 900mg 3x a day.  I know this sounds like a lot but after the first day of taking it my af had picked up.  I’m hoping it helps with my uterine bleeding issues.

Supplements and vitamins I have taken with each other are as follows.

-Vitex, prenatal and vitamin d3.
-Symplex F, maca root, royal jelly, vitamin d3, b6, prenatal and folic acid.
-Clomid, symplex F, vitamind d3, b6, prenatal and folic acid.

So these are the supplements I have tired and what my experience with each have been.  Again, please consult with your dr if you have any medical conditions.  Each supplement will affect you differently than it has effected me; it may work for you or it could cause further damage.  Please do your research, I recommened naturalfertility.com.  Smaller dosages are more benefical than larger dosages so for example with Soy Iso you should always start with a lower dose of 40mg.  Make sure you are drinking plenty of water while on any supplements which is half your body weight in ounces.

A light exercise regimen could help increase your pituitary gland function and help balance hormones.  If you have never been to a doctor and have no idea if you’re ovulating or not, please consider doing BBT charting through fertilityfriend.com before taking anything more than a prenatal or folic acid.  If you already ovulate some of these supplements could hinder your ovulation ability so be weary when starting any new supplement.  Do your research and seriously consider the pros verses cons aspect.  Good luck to all the women in their TTC journey.  May the lines be ever in your favor.