Saw Palmetto help

[Another princess]

Hi, ive been taking saw palmetto 320 the last two months and have noticed that my pre o temps are slightly higher so am hopeful that it is doing the trick. However i am not ttc til the summer so am just experimenting with it and also thought that by starting to take it early it would have a better effect at reducing my testosterone in preparation for my girl sway. I have also been taking it althrough the month and not AF-OV as i thought as im using protection frm becoming pregnant it should be safe to use and will be more effective at lowering my testosterone if i take in daily. What are others doing? Atomic sagebrush what are your thoughts? thanks

[atomic sagebrush]

JMO, but I ~personally~ would want to take it for as short a time as possible. We are treading in uncharted waters here and I would just hate it for anyone to make themselves sick or screw up their fertility in the long term. What you say makes sense, but at the same time I just don't want you to go overboard either. More isn't always necessarily better.

One of my good friends from another website took Vitex all month long for several months in advance of swaying, trying to get the best sway she could and she actually made herself temporarily infertile - once she stopped the vitex she got pg with a little girl almost immediately.

That having been said, my FIL takes saw palmetto for his prostate and has for 10 years and has never suffered any ill effects.

[chachamama]

I'm not an expert, so I would trust what AS said above.

I just wanted to say though, that I've been taking SP (standardized 320mg) every day for the past 2 months and haven't noticed any negative side effects.. Still getting AF regularly and still having *signs* of ovulation (I'm not temping or using OPK though..). I'd assume that it's not messing with my fertility thus far.

[Another princess]

Now im undecided what to do! ha ha. Chachamama sounds like you using Saw palmetto identically to himself. Was that your aim to use Saw palmetto early to try and reduce testosterone prior to ttc? When are you planning on ttc? Thanks Atomic sagebrush for your opinion once again. Saw palmetto is one of those supplements that i have been scared to use so am grateful for your opinion on it. I researched it a little before taking it and found that people take it to help treat acne. I have a problem with my skin frm time to time so thought it would help with that at the same time. Although it hasnt made any difference to my skin - its still v oily (possibly due to increased testosterone) so maybe it hasnt reduced my testosterone level just yet. Maybe i should stop it for now! I didnt take it when i conceived my DD1 and had oily skin then. Decisions, decisions!

[chachamama]

I'm actually taking it now to reduce other signs of high testosterone.. we will probably be swaying in the future, around June or so.
I have noticed that the SP seems to be working - I have much less EWCM, facial hair is growing NOTICEABLY slower, and I did have some minor pimples around my hairline that have disappeared. i also noticed that I am feeling a bit different too... not in a bad way, just emotionally different.

[Another princess]

I'm actually taking it now to reduce other signs of high testosterone.. we will probably be swaying in the future, around June or so.
I have noticed that the SP seems to be working - I have much less EWCM, facial hair is growing NOTICEABLY slower, and I did have some minor pimples around my hairline that have disappeared. i also noticed that I am feeling a bit different too... not in a bad way, just emotionally different.
Wow glad that sp is working for you. Bet you are pleased with the results. Will you stay on it till you ttc now? I have actually stopped taking it now. Ha ha. I will probably start it again 6-8 b4 ttc frm A-F to ov but truthfully i dont think it will really have that much affect taking it that way. We will probably be starting to ttc at similar time. I wanted to plan everything early so that when the time comes i can just get on with it, will minimal stressing. kwim.

[atomic sagebrush]

That's great you guys, I"m SO glad you're seeing results and the SP seems to be working for you. And if you feel good about it, by all means carry on, take it throughout your cycle and keep us updated on how it works. I don't mean to scare anyone away from something that seems to be working for them, especially since I have NO evidence that SP is dangerous to take in the long term, it's just an unknown.

I think you can understand I have to err on the side of safety at all times, so my advice will always tend to be on the conservative side.

[Another princess]

That's great you guys, I"m SO glad you're seeing results and the SP seems to be working for you. And if you feel good about it, by all means carry on, take it throughout your cycle and keep us updated on how it works. I don't mean to scare anyone away from something that seems to be working for them, especially since I have NO evidence that SP is dangerous to take in the long term, it's just an unknown.

I think you can understand I have to err on the side of safety at all times, so my advice will always tend to be on the conservative side.

Of course Atomic sagebrush understand completely! Am just so grateful for your help.

[jd03pd]

I was under the impression that you're only supposed to take SP from AF to O...not straight through. That being said, I have experimented with it (not TTC yet), and it seems to make my AF shorter and lighter...not sure if this is a good sign or not!

[Another princess]

I was under the impression that you're only supposed to take SP from AF to O...not straight through. That being said, I have experimented with it (not TTC yet), and it seems to make my AF shorter and lighter...not sure if this is a good sign or not!

jd03pd, yes when you are actually ttc u are only supposed to take it frm AF-O incase you become pregnant. However as im not ttc for a few months i just thought by taking it every day it maybe more effective in lowing testosterone in preparation for when i start to ttc. However i got scared and stopped taking it!ha ha. Did you notice if your pre o temps increased when taking it? I to noticed my cycles were shorter (one cycle was 24 days) and i did notice a rise in my pre o temps which is a good sign. I think my cm was less all though a dont have tons of it normally. Because i havent been taking it this month i have noticed my pre o temps are a lot lower, and i am only on cycle day 6 and have already noticed i am getting cm and i never normally notice it this early in the cycle. Maybe since stopping it my estrogen levels have shot up and progesterone lowered?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes exactly, it's not safe to use during pregnancy!!

[Another princess]

Just wanted to share my experience since stopping saw palmetto - had been taking it daily for the last 2-3 mths as not ttc for a few months and wanted to give it time to really lower my testosterone and estrogen, but then decided to give it a break. Have been doing BBT for last year and when using saw palmetto my pre ov temps definitely increased and i did notice i had even less EWCM around ovulation (dont normally have tons), it was mostly creamy and there wasnt much to test. However this is the first month after stopping it and my pre ov tests have been so so low, lower than they ever were prior to using SP and i have had tons of EWCM. My cm ph has remained between 4 -4.5 but ive had tons of it, more than ive ever had since i can remember. Now this month may just be a 'boy' month for me, or maybe because ive stopped the SP its made my estrogen levels increase dramatically and progesterone levels reduce. What ive learnt is that Saw palmetto is effective, however its not a good idea to stop a supplement such as this a couple of weeks before ttc pink as it can mess with your hormones. I suggest you give it at least a whole cycle to allow hormones to settle back down.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you so much for sharing! I do think some of these things can cause rebound effects, may be why some people who take vitex every day and then stop and TTC seem to have success!!

Keep in mind that your body actually NEEDS EWCM to get pregnant with a boy or a girl. CM is not necessarily the enemy.

Is there any way you can try popping some antihistamine this month to dry it up somewhat? I don't know if you're TTC yet or not but I hate for you to have to skip a month if you don't have to.