Boy sway. Have we done enough to ttc this cycle

[farmgirl33]

Hi all. I have been reading a lot of information in here & I must say it has been so helpful. We have 3 girls & would love for our last baby to be a boy. I have been following HE diet for about 2 months now, but been more strict with it the last 4-6 weeks.

I have replaced my morning coffee with a warm glass of lemon water (1/2 fresh lemon) & now have my coffee later in the morning. Breakfast has been vita weats 9 grain with either banana or tomato & cheese. I have just this week started having special k & full fat milk instead for breakfast. Some mornings I snack on either a piece of fruit or some peanuts. Lunch is usually 3 fried eggs (fried in butter) & either 1 or 2 pieces of white toast. I normally have another coffee around 3.20pm & then sometimes have an afternoon snack of fruit or nuts about 30-60 mins later. Dinner always contains meat (either beef, chicken, lamb or pork) & normally vegies. I have also been having a glass of V8 with dinner as well. My snack before bed is usually full fat yoghurt or custard or nuts or chips. Sometimes I also have a protein shake as well thoughout the day, but it does contain some soy. I guess the more I have been reading in here the more I have been thinking that I haven't been eating enough snacks as there are days where I have realised I haven't stopped for morning or afternoon tea. Thinking I may need to try to up my fruit & vegie intake.
DH easts well & all of our dairy has always been full fat & he loves his meat. For lunch he normally has ham & salad sandwiches. His downfall though is he often doesn't have time for breakfast, just his morning coffee & sometimes will only stop once or twice to eat throughout the day, so not a big snacker. He always eats a big dinner though.

DH & I are seeing a naturopath so we are taking a few vitamins but included in these are fish oil, d3 & probiotics & I am on iron & folic acid as well. I am more regular at taking these than DH.

DH is a self employed tradesman & we have a farm so he is very active & physical & lifts heavy things regularly. I have in the last 5 weeks started doing at least 6kms on the elliptical trainer at least 4 times a week. Am thinking that I need to add some weight training in as well though. I have never been a big one for exercise & never did any before ttc our girls, so I guess any is better than none but I want to maximise our chances.

We were going to ttc this cycle, I am currently on cd7 atm & will most likely ovulate anywhere from cd15 -17. DH hasn't released since the night of cd1 as this week has been crazy busy & we got a wild storm 2 nights ago so had a late night & were up with the kids until they went to sleep. I know this isn't ideal for a boy sway either. Just after some advice to see if we have done enough to sway this cycle or if we would be best to wait until next cycle. We are planning on bd tonight (I think it will be protected in case we don't ttc this month). And if we wait until next cycle is there anything else we can do to sway. Thanks heaps, sorry it's long.

[atomic sagebrush]

Diet looking great!! Keep up the good work. Breakfast is important for YOU, not DH so no worries ther.

Please tell me what else the naturopath has you on. Some of the herbs they are giving out, we have found to sway pink so (if you want) I could go over them.

If you're already doing that much exercise I would prob not add in weights at this poitn (right before TTC) unless you DO wait a month to start. It's too late to start now for this month and I wouldn't want to risk shocking your body by suddenly starting up. IT takes at least a couple weeks to go from shock to actually building muscle.

It is always up to you guys if you go for it or wait. Obviously the long abstain is not ideal, but one night of lost sleep and some business won't do you in. I usually don't have people delay without a really good reason and if you are feeling positive about your sway I'd probably go for it, but would like to hear what supps you're on first just in case

[essnce629]

Maybe add in some more meat? I have 2 boys and always had meat twice a day-- usually lunch and dinner. So maybe adding some bacon/ham/sausage with breakfast and something like a salad with chicken for lunch. Or tuna/salmon salad sandwich for lunch. Salmon is great for fertility!

[farmgirl33]

Thanks so much for replying Atomic. All of the vitamins/herbs we are on are metagenics brand. The others I am on are collagenics x2 a day, Bio Q 150 Absorb x1 day, Energy X & vanilla shake it (1 scoop of each mixed together with water x1 day, but in the last 6 weeks I have probably only had this about 5 times, been a bit slack then was reading you don't really recommend protein shakes anyway). The folic acid & iron come from metagen b12 folate x2 day & hemagenics intensive care x2 day. There is a mix of herbs I am supposed to be on but have been really slack with these & haven't taken any in the last 5 weeks so it's probably not worth me listing all the herbs in here since I haven't been taking them anyway & was just going to stay off them for now.

Dh is also taking Male essentials multi-vit x1 day, E500 Tocopherols plus selenium x1 day, Bio Q 150 Absorb x3 day, Androlift(supposed to be 5 a day but I would guess he has probably been only taking about 2 a day),Tribulus Synergy T-Lift x2 day. As said above he is not as regular at taking his as I am so has skipped a few days here & there. If we feel the start of a cold/flu coming on we start taking Andro Nk (up to 4-6 a day), but this is not recommended for pregnancy so when we do ttc I would not take this during tww in case.
I am in Australia so our time zone is different, it is Sat morning here now. We didn't end up bd last night as dh has a sore back & was in a lot of pain, so I guess the biggest thing atm I am worried about if we ttc this cycle is the period of abstinence.

Thanks for the suggestion essnce629. Sometimes I will have some leftover meat with my eggs at lunch but it is not regularly. I love salami at the moment so the last couple of days have been snacking on some of that, but should probably look at something a bit more healthy like ham or chicken.

[atomic sagebrush]

Maybe add in some more meat? I have 2 boys and always had meat twice a day-- usually lunch and dinner. So maybe adding some bacon/ham/sausage with breakfast and something like a salad with chicken for lunch. Or tuna/salmon salad sandwich for lunch. Salmon is great for fertility!

:agree: do keep tuna/salmon intake to 2x a week though. :) I also often ate meat 2x a day when I got 2 of my 4 boys.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes just stay off the other herbs for now. :agree:

The bioq is fine for both of you, carry on with that.

My concern with the other things you are taking is that you are consuming a MASSIVE amount of supplements. Way beyond what I or medical doctors consider to be safe. A large dose of B6 has been shown definitively to cause nerve damage, B12 can also cause issues (seriously I cannot believe the amount of B12 you're on - it scares me) and additionally that level of some of the B vitamins has made people's cycles go berserk and made it difficult to conceive. I personally prefer everyone take no more than 100% of most nutrients. You are taking in the thousands of % of some things. I am also not seeing any Vit. D in your supplements, I may have just missed them though as that was a lot to go over - we get good results with 1000 IU Vit. D.

For DH, his multi is ok IMO, although has megadoses which I prefer you guys avoid (less dangerous for him though because at least he won't be pregnant soon) I do not like men taking that high a dose of Vit. E as it may actually harm cell division (sperm production) and I believe he is exceeding the amount of selenium by taking both of them together (dangerous). I am finding it very difficult to find the ingredients in Androlift so I can't comment on that. Tribulus, I am not a fan. It has caused men to have increased estrogen (so much so that some dudes actually grew boobies while on it) and this may sway pink. Additionally, some studies found it didn't even DO anything for testosterone levels so it is like the worst of both worlds, swaying pink by raising estrogen while possibly not raising T levels at all.

[atomic sagebrush]

oh sorry in first post you mention you are on D, probiotics, fish oil :agree: Dose??

[farmgirl33]

Thanks for looking at the sups for me atomic. Yes DH & I are both on Vitamin D3 1000iu 4x day & I am on 4x meta epa/dha a day & dh is on 3 ultra dha a day. Dh probiotics is 2x Ultra Flora LGG a day & mine are 2x ultra flora LGG & 2 ultra flora restore a day. My last daughter has allergies including being anaphylactic to egg so that is why my probiotics are high doses, we are trying to keep my gut as healthy as possible.

Our naturopaths are experienced & fully qualified & have helped me in so many ways, I was pretty sick when I first started seeing them. They have been in the industry for over 20 years & continue to go to many seminars & training both here in Australia & overseas. But in saying that I am always open to other people's knowledge & experience too which is why I came here & am so grateful for the advice you are giving me. I didn't realise that taking a lot of b vitamins could be harmful so I will definitely look into this. I was originally only on 2 hemagenics intensive care a day but then my naturopath added in the 2 b12 folate for extra folic acid. So by going over all my supps what would your recommendation be, how many would you recommend we drop? .

[atomic sagebrush]

:agree: with the D, DHA, and probiotics - probiotics are GREAT for TTC a boy.

I am not going to quibble with the naturopaths, I am neither pro/anti-doctor nor pro/anti-naturopath but it is absolutely possible to start taking these high doses of supplements and at first, feel better, if you were deficient. As time goes on and the levels increase, your body has a harder time getting rid of the stuff and it can be too much over time. I do strongly urge you look up the side effects of these megadose vitamins from neutral sites (ie - not the sites that are selling vitamins, sites that are NOT selling or promoting vitamins) because b6 in particular is 100% proven to cause irreversible nerve damage and has completey screwed up the menstrual cycles of dozens of people on this site. The amount of B12 you're on - while excess B12 is supposed to be excreted in the urine, they know about .001% of how this all works and just because they haven't demonstrated a risk yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I personally think no one needs that much unless they're proven to have trouble metabolizing it. No one in human history ever went thru their day getting 8000% B12 from a supplement, not food. YOur body understands food, it knows how to "do that". The naturopaths claim "well this comes from food so it's safe" but the amount of food you would need to eat to get the amount of b12 you are taking would be impossible to eat in one day. Most of these megadose supps come out in the urine or stool and they aren't doing you any good anyway.

I like people to eat right, get rest, exercise, avoid bad stuff (like drinking, smoking, too much caffeine), take 100% DRV of most supps, some type of DHA and extra Vit. D and folate. I know it's boring but that is the approach that is getting us 75-80% boys.

[farmgirl33]

I will look up the side effects later on today, thanks for all the info. I just wanted to clarify that I'm not wanting to offend or start a naturopath vs dr type thing either. I am not anti dr just because I go to naturopath either. I still go to dr when needed. I have been going to the naturopath for over 3 years now & for non fertility reasons. It is not something that I have just started doing. I am asthmatic & have been able to with consultation with my dr been able to come off my asthma meds, I was previously on the highest preventative & taking steroids every couple of months when my asthma would get bad. Like I said I don't want to offend but just wanted you to know that the naturopaths have helped in a lot of ways with my health. Now it is possible that they have me on too much b supplements & I am willing to look into this & cut it down. I have only been on the b12 for a couple of months. I don't always stay on the same vitamins, I have regular check ups were my levels are checked & dosages/vitamins are changed if needed. Oh & they also believe that yes you are better off getting nutrients from food but yes sometimes our bodies aren't good at processing it for various reasons which is why we have regular check ups as we may only need to be on a vitamin for a couple months then our body doesn't need it anymore.

So you would recommend that we cut out all other supplements apart from d, fish oil, bio q & probiotics & folic acid ( could I stay on the intensive care for this?) We are not smokers & drink occasionally but have both cut that down. The last month I have only had 1 beer a week, hubby a couple a week. I am planning on cutting this back to none. We both drink usually 2 coffees a day. Would you recommend that we cut the coffee back to only 1 a day or is 2 ok. We have decided not to try this cycle as we want to make sure our vitamin intake etc is ok, so it is about 5 weeks until I would ovulate next cycle. Thank you so much for your help

[atomic sagebrush]

:agree:

I would def want you on some form of prenatal, just not with the megadoses. D, folic/folate, coq10, and probiotics are all great.

Your caff is just dandy - a little is fine and has been shown in the best study on maternal diet ever done, not to sway at all either direction. 1 beer a week or a couple for DH is also fine. :agree: You guys are doing great! Sending tons of blue dust. :)

[farmgirl33]

Thanks so much for all of your advice atomic. We have dropped all other supps except those mentioned above & I have also added in 15 mins weight training, but still making sure I have a couple of rest days a week.

[atomic sagebrush]

Good luck and sending you tons of blue dust. :)

[farmgirl33]

Hi Atomic, just doing a bit of an update as I would love some advice from you. We have had 2 chemical pregnancies since ttc, one in the first cycle of ttc in December & another in April/May cycle. I am wondering if it's worth going to the dr to get my levels checked or if it's not really worth it as I have read mixed reviews on things like progesterone supps & baby asprin. I am 34 & DH is 36. We have decided to give it until the end of the year & if I'm not pregnant by then it's not meant to be. DH is not as keen as I am for another baby & I don't think he would be keen on doing a SA or anything. We are still on the same supps as above but my naturopath also has me on metagenics thyrobalance as he picked up that my thyroid was a bit low but nothing too dramatic & since then I have noticed my hair has stopped thinning out & my nails are stronger. He wanted to put me on metagenics p-lift for progesterone support but I noticed it has vitex in it & didn't want to compromise my sway so haven't taken that. I haven't been snacking as much as I don't want to put on anymore weight. I have been trying to still eat every couple of hours but just not eat the quantity of food I was. My weight in October was about 59kg & now it hovers around 63.5-64.5kg. I haven't had time to exercise either in the last couple of months so just feeling pretty crappy about everything I guess & not sure where to go from here. Thanks heaps

[atomic sagebrush]

I took a look at your last chart and your LP was fine and I do not think you have low prog.

most of the time chemicals are chromosomal abnormalities. aspirin and prog. supps do nothing to prevent them.

Can you give me a brief update about everything you're doing and taking and when you're BD???

[farmgirl33]

I'm not a vip member on ff anymore so it mustn't be showing all my charts in the link. DH still wants to try shettles although I have gotten him to bd sooner last month & the month before but prior to that it has mainly been bd at +opk then try next morning (this hasn't always happened which is why some cycles I have been trying to get DH to bd a bit earlier than +opk), then again that night. Prior to my fertile period DH has been releasing every on 2-4 days & after fertile period we try to keep bding every 4 days or so, some cycles though it has only been once a week.
I'm taking probiotics, dropped fish oil & vitd to one capsule per day, 1 x bioq150, 1 thyrobalance & 2 metagenics homagenics iron advanced with 5 mthf.

I start my day having a coffee then eating special k with full cream milk within an hour of having my coffee. Morning tea is usually fruit followed by a slice of cheese. Lunch is usually 2-3 eggs with 1 slice of whole meal toast. I have a coffee in the afternoon & usually have peanuts or tomato & cheese within an hour after the coffee. Dinner is always meat of some sort. Usually is just meat & vegies (potato, pumpkin, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, beans etc) or sometimes things like lasagne or pizza with ham & salami & cheese. Dessert is usually yoghurt. I am also having a glass of water with a lemon in it most days. It's winter here & I crave a hot drink around morning tea so have started having a cup of tea then before I eat morning tea as I didn't want to have more than 2 cups of coffee.

I would love to start exercising again but don't want to shock my body & sway girl.


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[atomic sagebrush]

We need to switch you to something better than Special K. That's really not the best cereal for ANYONE LOL. Anything that's more real food and less "diet" food is better. Everything else is looking great.

I do think you should be doing some weights. You don't have to go overboard with this and there are some great exercise programs for free on Youtube. Popsugar fitness has some really good beginner's exercise programs. I love, love, love Blogilates and if you go to her site she has a beginners calendar that's really not too intense and anyone can follow it (you'd take one extra day of rest, she has you do 6 days of exercise on that calendar so just spread out the one day's exercises over the other 5 days.

I'd have you take a regular multi or prenatal in addition to what you're taking.

[farmgirl33]

Thanks I'll check out those exercise programs tomorrow. So you don't think it would hurt my sway by starting them asap or should I wait until I'm in tww.

What do you suggest is a good breakfast cereal for me? I've always struggled with breakfast & have only started eating it the last couple of years.

Next time I'm shopping I will get a prenatal, the blackmores pregnancy & breastfeeding ones should be ok, I think I took them with my first 2 pregnancies.

[atomic sagebrush]

Just stick with the ones that are mostly toning and not so much bouncing. You can also modify them (I do this all the time since I don't like really violent jumps and stuff) during the exercises that seem like too much. I don't think they will hurt your sway at all!!

Anything that is more healthy and higher in protein than Special K. Granola, Weetabix - the problem with things like corn flakes, special K, Rice Krispies is that they burn fast and cause your blood sugar to drop rapidly even when you have them with some milk. Whole grains do not do this and "stick to your ribs" longer than the highly refined cereals do. :)

Agree adding prenatal!!