Hormonal Imblance and Trying to Get Pregnant

I would suggest a homeopath, because taking drugs/hormones, as you say, could drastically affect the entire situation.

My progesterone was low, so I'm supposed to use a hormonal creme twice daily. there's no way I'll do hormone replacement stuff.

Hi D.,
I had the same problem. I went to my ob and went on a low dose of progesterone to balance out the hormonal imbalance and after about 2 mos o fthat My doc told me that if I hadnt gotten pregnant in 2 more mos he would also put me on a low dose of clomid which is a pill that makes you ovulate. I too had already had one child and I ended up getting pregnant the next month so no clomid for me. The only risk with clomid is that it gives you a greater chance of twins because sometimes the body will ovulate 2 eggs instead of one. Anyways good luck and I hope this helps you.
E.

Hi D. -

I think your course of action will depend on what you feel comfortable doing and which road you feel is more appropriate. I say that because I know conventional doctors think much differently than homeopathic doctors in diagnosing pretty much every ailment. I see both types of doctors, but I lean more toward the homeopaths.

If it were me, personally, I would have your OB test your hormones and see what the results say. Get their opinion and then take the test results to a homeopath and get their thoughts on whether or not there is an issue and how to treat it.

Good luck, I know it can be tough!!!

Google the Creighton Model, it's an amazing formm of Natural Family Planning that works with your body. You can get pregnant even with an irregular cycle, and if you can't the doctors who are trained in this method can help you regulate your hormones using as minimal intervention as possible. If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me, but I'm telling you this method changed my life and I have 2 beautiful children I would not have otherwise!

Blessings,
R. K.

One thing you could try before going through all the tests ($$$) is Vitex (chasteberry). It is a natural herb the helps to regulate cycles. You could google it and find some more info on it. I tried because I'm very irregular as well, and it worked for me.

Hi D.---From my experience, I would recommend going to a doctor that practices integrative medicine. I know of one here in Clarkston. You might do a search of one in your area, or I could ask Dr. Kovalcik if she knows one. Dr. K is a board certified internist but uses homeopathic medicine first, and prescriptions as a last resort, depending on what you decide is best for you.

A traditional ob will likely order bloodwork which doesn't show a true picture of your hormones, as I understand it after going through testing for hormone replacement. I'm told that a saliva test is much more accurate. Unfortunately, your ob is probably not familiar with this method, and therefore will not know to order it. I also believe that the pill and any other hormone they put you on is not good for the human body. Did you know that they use estrogens collected from horse urine for hormone replacement?

Another point I'd like to share, one learned from my wellness class taken from a naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition, has to do with your diet. We really don't think about it, but to me it make sense that the food that we eat has a great influence on our hormones. Be sure that your diet consists primarily of fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes, using high-quality animal protein sparingly (like a condiment or flavoring for soups or stews) and that includes milk. See www.strongbones.org and read the China Study by T Colin Campbell if you would like to learn more.

I've learned that many of the disease processes we suffer from today are a result of too much estrogen in the body. Eating enough fiber, AT LEAST 36-48 grams per day, will help to absorb and remove excess estrogen from the bloodstream, as well as removing excess cholesterol as well. Additionally, there are also many compounds that we are exposed to every day, particularly plastics, that mimic estrogen when it gets into our body. It is highly recommended that you do not microwave any plastics, and those will leach into food when heated.

If you have any questions about any of the topics I've raised, please feel free to contact me. I am taking this series of wellness classes to become a certified educator, and I am very passionate about helping others to learn how to optimize their health.

Hope this helps, and I applaud your efforts to make sure you are making the best informed decision possible. In health, D. ###-###-####

Hi D., I commend you for not wanting to use drugs...with the hormone imbalance you are already dealing with it would only get worse. Getting hormone levels tested makes sense...but has anyone told you that hormone fluctuate several times thru the day? Have you heard that we want hormone tests that work off of samples taken throughout the day...not just once or twice?

Band-aiding the problem now puts you in a good position to deal with more severe hormone issues later. I have some information for balancing the hormones and preparing our bodies for pregnancy. Would you like me to send you that information?

warmly, M.

It is called Polly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. 15 years ago I was told I would never have children unless I went on fertility drugs...Well it broke up my marriage by the problems it caused, went on Birth Control because I just wanted to be sure and because I wanted to be regular. Um, yeah Jarred was born 9-10 montns later. So about a year and a half later I started getting sick again after I had just gone back on BC pills. Along comes my daughter. 4 years later got rid of their dad, seeing someone else and now taking DOUBLE birth control pills I finally lost weight found the extra hormones make it possible to live with me, but was only a short term fix and trial....Went down to a single dose and um...well yeah..then needless to say I had to stop taking them and I lost the baby.

I am now seeing a Endocrinologist, which I had to fight for a year with both my doctors because my thyroid levels were not low enough. I walked into the Edno's office he took one look at me and said, "You have PCOS!" Now I've finally been diagnosed Insulin Resistant and dealing with the other problems that go with it. Do some research and talk to your doctor.

Good Luck
Chelle E

It sounds like you might have PCOS -polycystic ovary syndrome. This does involve a hormonal imbalance as you've mentioned. Do a google search of Lisa Marasco PCOS. She does mainly research on PCOS and it's affect on breastfeeding. It will still give you info you're looking for. You might want to be tested for Insulin Resistance. This plays a major role in it as well as the thyroid. Have all of that checked. A good OB/GYN will know exactly what I'm talking about. Best of luck, S.

I've had good success with Arbonne's Natural Progesterone Cream. You rub it on twice a day to your wrist or neck-soft areas. I think you can use it while trying to get pregnant because it's natural, but I'd double check with you. The progesterone in it is derived from a plant, it's not chemically created or animal created, so it's pretty safe. If you want to read about it, go to www.arbonne.com and go to "company" then to "balance" or "testimonials". I don't sell it, but I have a friend who does so if you are interested, I can pass along her information. I've had endometriosis for many years, had medically induced menopause at age 29 (I went back to having periods after that so I'll get to have menopause twice-lucky me!), and never got pregnant (I'm 42 now) which is okay because I adopted 3 kids and never really wanted to be pregnant anyways. But, the periods are awful and I got relief from the balancing cream.

Good luck,

L.

You should definitely get some bloodwork done by your OB or an Endocronologist. I wouldn't self diagnose or take any herbs that could make your situation worse.

What if you were to try those ovulation kits? That might give you an idea of where you are currently with your cycle? Unless you want to give yourself a few months on the pill just to get some regularity and then come off and hope for the same outcome as before? I always had trouble with the pill and now that I am married and have 2 kids...I'll do anything but that again! However, it might help. Give it a few months and then once you come off of it, it might be a right away thing! Good luck!

If you have higher levels of testosterone, you may have lower levels of progesterone or estrogen, which are necessary to conceive and to maintain a pregnancy. These hormones are found in birth control pills. If you did end up having to take hormones it would only be with the pregnancy and then you should be okay afterwards unless there is a major deficit. Don't worry about the hair thing, I think we mothers all have hair growing where it shouldn't be and losing it where we should have it!! Oh yeah, go to your OB.

An Endocrinologist will be able to check your hormone levels. You may have to see your primary doctor first and they can run tests, if they dont find anything ask for a referral to an Endocrinologist.

I would second the vitex suggestion - it's great at regulating testosterone. If you are nervous about using herbs I would find a holistic health consultant or naturopath doctor to help you.

I say see your OB and figure out what you're working with, is ita hormone imballance or something else. After that you can research other options, but if you don't know what the problem is how are you going to fix it? My aunt had good luck getting pregnant using acupuncture although I'm not sure what the issue was.

go to your ob. I dont think there is any permanent solution to balancing hormones... everyday your body makes different levels of hormones depending on where you are in your menstral cycle.

All you really need is a band aid solution to get things working until you get pregnant..

I would suggest trying a combination of practitioners. I've had some success with a naturopath (who uses some homeopathic remedies) and an accupunturist. It is a natural way to gently address your hormonal issues. Good for you for not going the band-aid route! Also, Vitex (chasteberry) is a good herb that helps rebalance your hormones. If you want the name of the naturopath, contact me. Also, a good book on the subject is The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis. I found it helpful and also affirming of my choice to not take artificial hormones.
It does sound like you may have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I know that it is treatable. A friend of mine has had two children since she was diagnosed.

Good luck!

M. M.

I also say "see your OB"...they can do the blood work to check out your hormones and even do a referral to an endocrinologist if there's something amuck with your glands (thyroid, pituitary, etc) which can/do regulate hormones that may be impacting your ability to get pregnant. My OB detected in me an imbalance when I started missing my period (I too was off the pill for some time)... it just seemed to stop. That blood work led to me seeing other specialists, which ultimately led to a removal of a tumor on my pituitary gland. Happy to say... i got pregnant shortly thereafter. Best of luck!

D.,

Hi, I had a similar problem and didn't know it. After 9 months of seeing a fertility specialist, I was still unable to conceive. I gave up on them and started seeing an acupuncturist that specializes in fertility. He was able to see that I was hormonally unbalanced. Through herbal supplements (including progestrone and thryroid) and of course acupuncture, I was able to get pregnant!!!! YEAH!!! Contact me if you have further questions. Good luck to you.

Renee