2ww

[Ohdeer]

Just thinking ahead and wondering about the 2ww. In the 2 week window should I

A) stop taking or keep taking Agnus castus?
b) stick to the diet

Thank you again :happy:

[ksmom]

Always stick to diet in 2ww. You can have cheat days of course but you don't want to go off diet in the TWW then be two weeks on, two weeks off diet.

Atomic really doesn't recommend vitex anymore but if you want to take it anyway, it's best to only do it from AF to positive OPK or CD 12-14 (whichever's first) since we don't know if it's safe during pregnancy and it can mess up ovulation. This is quoting Atomic in her Vitex Essay (http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-a-girl-best-practices/1094-vitex-faq-share-your-experiences-here.html?1094-Vitex!-FAQ-and-share-your-experiences-here=)

[atomic sagebrush]

a) you need to stop vitex (agnus castus) at CD 12-14 because it can and often does delay ovulation if you continue taking it.

b)Yes, you MUST stick to the diet and even though I think I posted this for you already, sorry for being repetitive, there is a long explanation as to why that is in this essay http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/62454-guide-cheating-blue-pink.html

[Ohdeer]

Thank you both again.

I’m unsure about the vitex - I’ve been using it to regulate my cycles and with or without it there’s no way I can pinipoint anything to any particular cycle day (everything is pretty irregular). Could I stop taking it once I get the positive OPK or should I just stop it at CD 14 anyway (even if it means I won’t ovulate until CD 23, say). Sorry if I’ve misunderstood! Thanks for reposting the essay :-)

[Ohdeer]

Ah, sorry that’s exactly what was said! Stop at first positive OPK. That’s what I’ll do. Great stuff in the essay on worrying about cheating and having irregular ovulation. I’ve done almost all of those “oh hecks” so far :oops:

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you both again.

I’m unsure about the vitex - I’ve been using it to regulate my cycles and with or without it there’s no way I can pinipoint anything to any particular cycle day (everything is pretty irregular). Could I stop taking it once I get the positive OPK or should I just stop it at CD 14 anyway (even if it means I won’t ovulate until CD 23, say). Sorry if I’ve misunderstood! Thanks for reposting the essay :-)

Yes, you need to stop it at CD 12-14 OR positive OPK whichever comes first. So if CD 12-14 comes first, stop the vitex. If positive OPK comes first, stop the vitex. It does not matter if you don't O right away, stop the vitex and stay off it even if you don't O for some time after that.

[Ohdeer]

Ok thank you for the clarification. I will do that

[MrsEnglish]

Hi!

I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, so sorry if this is out of place, but I'm just trying to be helpful. When I took vitex it didn't do anything for me at all, but I had an internet friend who took it because rarely had periods without it, and it made her bleed very regularly, but when she did bbt she found out that she still wasn't ovulating, the vitex would just induce a monthly bleed without ovulation. So if you aren't already, you should start doing bbt to make sure you are actually ovulating.

Good luck!

[Ohdeer]

Thanks for this, it’s good to know. I’m tracking my bbt too and was ovulating prior to taking vitex. It’s been recommended to me before by a nutritionist and I have been on and then off it at different times. I did go back on it because I thought it swayed pink and because I have pcos I was concerned about not being on any other meds to counteract pcos’s blue tendencies. I’m about to have an attempt so will stop at cd12 and then think about whether or not to stop altogether

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks for this, it’s good to know. I’m tracking my bbt too and was ovulating prior to taking vitex. It’s been recommended to me before by a nutritionist and I have been on and then off it at different times. I did go back on it because I thought it swayed pink and because I have pcos I was concerned about not being on any other meds to counteract pcos’s blue tendencies. I’m about to have an attempt so will stop at cd12 and then think about whether or not to stop altogether

Well, in our results vitex is really not getting r done in the pink sway department. I know the nutritionists love to give everyone vitex but sadly I have had at least 3 dozen people come to me after their nutritionist gave them vitex to "regulate their cycles" and it messed up their fertility so bad they went many months/years not getting pregnant till I convinced them to stop taking it. Now personally it never affected my ability to ovulate, I used it twice (got a boy and a girl) and as long as I stopped it before I expected O to come, I did ovulate. But other people are not having that happen, plus the nutritionists are having people take it all month for months on end (can't recommend that.) It's totally fine if you want to use it, just so you go in knowing that it can delay/stop O and make LP short because most people are unaware of that.

Can you do myoinositol? That is effective for PCOS and has gotten good results for swaying.

[Ohdeer]

I just looked this up and it looks amazing! I don’t know why this hasn’t been recommended to me before!

I want to try ttc in April so I have one period left to come in between. This makes me unsure what to do now. Shall I come straight off the Agnus castus cold turkey and switch to myo straight away? I’d like to do this unless you think it’ll be too much of a shock given how close the change will be to my first attempt.

I have so much hope for this stuff having had a look online - it sounds great. Thank you Atomic!

[atomic sagebrush]

It's somewhat newish still and the wheels of medicine move slowly LOL. :)

I am really, really underwhelmed by our Vitex experience. It just has not seemed to do anything for us in terms of sways, whereas the myo has seemed to (albeit with a smaller sample size) and additionally the myoinositol has been demonstrated to my satisfaction to actually be helping improve PCOS and egg quality whereas the vitex has seemed, if anything, to substantially lower chances of conception.

[Ohdeer]

Thank you for suggesting it. I am going to stop the vitex. I actually did have a crazily short luteal phase this month. I also had a lot of trouble with headaches like I haven’t had since I was on the pill years ago. Have ordered the powdered myo so will let you know how it goes. I hope I can add positively to your stats for a no-med PCOS sway :fingers: