non-fertility clinic TTC advice and tips sought

[Anonymous]

Okay, I got very lucky and after visiting 3 clinics, being told we'd never get pg, due to AMA and DH poor sperm, got pg on our own. Truly blessed w/ our LO. For #1, we charted, cut out alcohol, caffine, ate better, exercised more gently and I gained 5 pounds. Serious about TCOYF and use the software religiously. Now trying to TTC again. What else can I do? I've heard about DHEA, herbs. I tried accupuncture, but was already pg when I did, and didn't know it, and now feel that's not the route for me. If at all possible, I want to avoid the fertility clinic.

[Anonymous]

Try this book: http://www.amazon.com/What-Doctor-About-Getting-Pregnant/dp/0446694967

You can also pay $350 to go up to NYC and have a consult with the doctor who wrote it. His clinic also sells pre-conception vitamins with some stuff in it that is supposed to improve blood flow to the uterus (or something like that) along with stuff like Folic Acid. I bought the pills when I was up at the clinic, but they might mail them to you.

[Anonymous]

It is often easier to get pregnant after having a successful one so keep that in mind and all doubts of secondary fertility out. We had lots of trouble all the way through - did plenty of fertility treatments but got pregnant lots on our own as well. I would definitely continue/restart what you did that worked for number one. Eat well. Gain that weight back again. Take a good prenatal vitamin. Make sure to get lots of EFAs - eat salmon etc, flax or chia.

Also, I didn't know this but after several miscarriages quickly followed by another pregnancy - should you have one and not need a D&C, you can/should consider, despite your grief, to try again right away - forget charting that first month or two after the m/c, just have plenty of s&x. Your body is primed with pregnancy hormones and it can be easier to get pregnant again. However, don't do this if you've had a D&C b/c your lining will not be thick enough to carry a new pregnancy that next month (this is unfortunately how I found out about this).

Best of luck! Keep your thoughts positive and visualize as much as you can.

[Anonymous]

I am a religious charter and am not big on self-medicating or supplementing with lots of herbs or vitamins. I would not self-medicate with DHEA for that reason - I believe it can have negative effects if you don't "need" it, so I would not take it unless prescribed by a doctor. However, the one supplement that does seem to have some promising research behind it is CoQ10. I started taking it and got pregnant the same month (I'm also AMA and had been TTC over a year at that point). It probably didn't help me since it I've read it takes a few months to improve egg quality, but I do think it's worth trying based on what I've read about it.

The other thing I did the month I got pregnant was to take Robitussin to improve my cervical mucous. My CM is fine to begin with, but again, there are no negatives to taking Robitussin, so I figured even a tiny improvement might help.

I drink decaffeinated green tea daily also. Not for TTC, it's just been my habit for a long time, but it is also very rich in antioxidants and some claim it has fertility benefits (improving cervical mucous and general cell health).

And obviously you should be taking a good prenatal along with eating a healthy diet.

You said you don't want to do acupuncture again, but that was also on my list of things to try next as it seems to have lots of success stories. Never got to it, though.

Good luck - hope your journey is short and successful!!

[Anonymous]

how old is #1? Is #1 sleeping through the night all the time? Nursing?

For me to conceive #2 (and #3) I needed to cut out night feedings AND sleep through the night.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here: great! thanks for the advice. LO is 8 months, I stopped BF at 3 months and he still likes a feeding around 5 AM which DH does. Sleep is a problem as I don't get much w/ our schedule but I do take my temperature every day. I am hitting the peak day per my own calculation and the TCOYF software. I did order the book and will look into the CoQ10. Good luck to everyone!

[Anonymous]

Preseed? If you have some sperm issues that may help (and certainly doesn't hurt).

Riservatrol is another supplement that may work for some AMA women (it helps with cellular issues) and won't hurt you to take.