Infertility and Swaying Girl

[Mavindi]

Anyone have any tips for swaying when already struggling to conceive? I have luteal defect likely from egg quality issues so I'm sure I need to be on some supplements to help that and I dont think I will be helped by being on the LE diet. Basically what would people say are the most important factors I could include? I will be on clomid and eat reasonably LE style already but think it might be part of why I cant conceive. My bmi is around 19. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[atomic sagebrush]

We have a different version of LE Diet that is better for fertility. It's here, 5 from the top, called "atomic fertility diet". (even though the first few posts are for PCOSers the diet you should follow is in this thread, just scroll down a bit.)

Can you please explain what you mean by "luteal phase defect from egg quality issues"? These two things are not directly linked so if you've been given bad information I want to help explain that. Some people have both of these issues, and others have one or the other.

The atomic fertility diet will be better for egg quality and your luteal phase. I strongly urge you not to be following a very high carb, low fat low protein diet and thinking "this is like LE so it must be good" because for many people, the standard LE Diet will be worse for egg quality and if your short LP is caused by PCOS it might even sway blue for you. For people with PCOS eating a lot of carbs can raise blood sugar and testosterone.

Before we go any further any more info you can give me will really help. I have some supplements I can suggest, but I need to know more about your short LP and possible egg quality issues before I do that (so I don't make the wrong recommendation)

[atomic sagebrush]

We have a different version of LE Diet that is better for fertility. It's here, 5 from the top, called "atomic fertility diet". (even though the first few posts are for PCOSers the diet you should follow is in this thread, just scroll down a bit.)

Can you please explain what you mean by "luteal phase defect from egg quality issues"? These two things are not directly linked so if you've been given bad information I want to help explain that. Some people have both of these issues, and others have one or the other.

The atomic fertility diet will be better for egg quality and your luteal phase. I strongly urge you not to be following a very high carb, low fat low protein diet and thinking "this is like LE so it must be good" because for many people, the standard LE Diet will be worse for egg quality and if your short LP is caused by PCOS it might even sway blue for you. For people with PCOS eating a lot of carbs can raise blood sugar and testosterone.

Before we go any further any more info you can give me will really help. I have some supplements I can suggest, but I need to know more about your short LP and possible egg quality issues before I do that (so I don't make the wrong recommendation)

[Mavindi]

Thank you Atomic, I did see the PCOS diet and wonder if that may be better.
I dont have PCOS i have had years of investigations etc that resulted in my 2013 Clomid son and 2016 ICSI daughter. It was during IVF they said I had egg quality issues but at that time I was on LE diet and had taken it way too far and was underweight so that may have impacted it also. I've always had the luteal defect issue, my lp is 8 days. On 7dpo progesterome is ok just a little on lower end then next day it plummets and my af arrives. I've tried biodentical cream and managed to lengthen it a little but it causes horrific periods and weight gain so I'm cautious to try again.
Any thing you can recommend would be really great :)

[atomic sagebrush]

oh no I forgot to post the link!! Sorry it's here: https://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/9052-swaying-under-special-circumstances-part-3-pcos.html I don't want you on the PCOS Diet, I want you on the AFD five posts from the top. https://www.genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/9052-swaying-under-special-circumstances-part-3-pcos.html For now I think we should have you follow the variation of LE Diet for people who may go high tech as that's a good solid fertility friendly diet.

This diet will be wayyy better for your egg quality and hopefully we may even see your LP lengthen a little.

If you don't mind, can you tell me your BMI?? (fine to message me if you prefer) my recommendations will vary on that basis.

I actually don't think progesterone is your problem. At about 7 DPO the corpus luteum starts to break down and you're meant to release a surge of estrogen that keeps it, and your lining, going a bit longer. So the way you describe everything getting to 7 DPO and seeming fine only to fall apart the next day makes me think this is low estrogen, probably due to a very low fat diet, but sometimes it's more complicated than that.

Are you taking any supplements already??

Regardless I'd def. have you add in 400 mg coq10 in the ubiquinol form.

[Mavindi]

Ah that makes sense about the estrogen, interesting! Although my response to clomid last month was an even shorter lp and I thought clomid worked on estrogen? Thanks for that link, that makes more sense than what I was reading!
My bmi is 19.5, I have been this weight for quite a few years now and Im not currently on any supplements at all but have been thinking of at least starting coq10.
Thank you!

[atomic sagebrush]

A lot of people (particularly those with low estrogen to start with) get even lower estrogen on Clomid and have freakishly short LP. Exactly what I would expect if your estrogen is low. Clomid, because it blocks estrogen, then "encourages" the body to make a whole lot of estrogen. But if you don't have the raw materials to do that (which it is sounding to me like you don't) you'll not be able to make that estrogen rapidly, and the Clomid will then either fail to make you ovulate, or you'll ovulate but then have a short LP.

I actually suspect that your problem is not eating enough calories/fat and being too low in weight. Can you give me an estimate about the amount of fat and calories you're eating?

The coq10 will lower blood sugar. While this is good for swaying pink, I am worried that your blood sugar is already plenty low and lowering it more will make matters worse.

DO NOT take anything like cinnamon, fiber, or myoinositol. These are not appropriate for you.

[Mavindi]

Thank you so much for that info Atomic, first time anyone has actually made sense, I'm usually put in the too hard basket.

Calories I'd say I eat around 13/1400 on a usual day. I'm not tracking because last time i became obsessed and restricted too much so I'm just trying to reduce this time around. A usual day is 3 meals, 1piece toast for first meal, lunch is usually something like a vegetable fritter with some cheese, salad and piece of bread or 2 eggs with rice cakes or left over veggie stir fry. Dinner is mostly vegetarian, a curry or stirfry with rice or a risotto/pasta. I am still snacking sometimes which can be fruit or rice crackers and cant kick my chocolate addiction so usually some of that too.
I had my estrogen tested about a year ago but that was mid cycle and it was reasonably high but I'm guessing that may not have anything to do with the luteal phase level? Would it be worth ordering my own test say 7dpo to see what's up?
Thanks again :)

[atomic sagebrush]

Ok. Well straight off that's not the amount of cals I like to see 98% of people at. I prefer 1500-1800 cals for most people.
And I can't even be sure that's how many calories you're actually eating, because we do not count low carb vegetables at all, and we don't count protein and fat in fruits and vegetables. So my fear is that you're eating less than you realize.

The reason I have you guys count is actually to prevent you from getting too restrictive. I find that many times people who are not counting "just cutting back" are actually over the course of time cutting back more and more. So while I am ok with you not counting over the course of time, you may want to do a tally to see how much you're really eating, not counting the protein and fat in fruit and veg, and NOTHING in low carb veg (not even calories)

I want you to add in a serving of full fat dairy every day (which if you're eating 1400 cals now, this will put you up in a better range for cals as well) to hopefully ensure you're getting adequate fat and aim at having 6 eggs a week.

[Mavindi]

Ok thanks Atomic, I think I'll start tracking and see where I'm actually at. So would you recommend any other supplements other than ubiquinol? I'm worried about becoming too boy friendly if I add in the wrong things!

[atomic sagebrush]

Do you have reason to believe you're low in any nutrients??

[Mavindi]

I honestly have no idea. I know my iron is ok as I had an infusion 6 months ago and was just retested but other than that its guess work.

[atomic sagebrush]

how long have you been eating 1300-1400 cals?

[Mavindi]

It's basically my normal diet, just with a lot of "cheat" days thrown in.

[atomic sagebrush]

I doubt you're going to be low in anything, but if you're concerned you can always add in the lowest dose B12 you can find 1x a week, 400 IU Vit D 2x a week, 8-15 mg zinc 3x a week, 18-60 mg iron 3x a week, Iodine 150 IU (only if you don't have thyroid issues) daily

[ElizaB]

Mavandi, Have you ever had detailed DNA testing done? Beyond what they do at the RE?

I had typical testing done at the RE (twice actually) and never was it mentioned I had an MTHFR mutation. Then I had my psychiatrist do in depth DNA testing because numerous antidepressants had not worked for me. Turns out, I had an MTHFR mutation that makes it where my body only methylates Folate at about 30 percent of normal. This is a VERY big deal for depression. I was put on Deplin (already methylated folate that is a medical food) and my depression has improved dramatically. Additionally, my cycles have gotten much more regular. I have gone from having a 3-9 day LP to consistently having a 13-14 day LP. My O day has also moved up from day 18-30 to almost always being on day 13 or 14. This leads me to believe there was something directly related to the lack of folate/folic acid that was affecting my cycle. No clue if that is your situation, but could be.

I also know that some women just implant earlier. I got both of my BFPs on DPO 9 which means they implanted around day 6-7 post O which is very early. In one study, the average was closer to 8-11. Perhaps you also are simply an early implanter.

I do not think having quality problems in IVF necessarily means you have them through natural conception. Sometimes this can be the result of a high dose of meds.

Also, I had an RE with the theory that if you had a strong O, it would fix any LP problems. Don't know if that is true or not.

I take CoQ10 and Baby Aspirin for egg quality. I was taking Vitamin D, too, but now reading that may sway blue. My RE has every patient take those three things. The BA also helps prevent pree and I had pre-e and iugr with my first. Took it with my second and went off at 35 weeks (because it thins blood so you don't want thin blood at delivery) and my BP started rising and I started having pree type symptoms. Fortunately, my water broke and I had the baby at 38.5 before it became an issue again. Remarkably, my first OB knew NOTHING about the BA/pree issue until I showed her the research. My second OB (changed to have a vbac) was aware of the issue. BA has been studied in something akin to 35,000 women and is safe in pregnancy so long as you go off of it before delivery.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[atomic sagebrush]

This is great info and I don't mean to quibble, but some evidence has shown that baby aspirin for many women may actually cause more harm than good (causing some people's blood to become too thin and triggering subchorionic hemorrhage and it also may interfere with prostaglandins and prevent implantation for some people). I don't want anyone just taking baby aspirin without a medical history that indicates it would be beneficial for them. (Preeclampsia and MTHFR mutations are definitely valid reasons to be taking baby aspirin) Please everyone consult with your doctor before taking baby aspirin, as it may not be safe for you.

[Mavindi]

Thanks for the reply ElizaB. I haven't actually had alot of testing done but it's funny you mention mthfr as when I was seeing a naturopath she said alot of symptoms I was having she would relate to a mthfr defect. I'm on a methyl B complex supp at the Moment, it has 400mcg levomedolic acid in it which I think is what you are taking or similar? I feel like theres something big I'm obviously missing but noone has ever been keen to look into it! I've also started taking ubiquinol to see if that nay help quality. I think mine all comes down to Hashimotos and low progesterone but as to why its low I do not know!

[atomic sagebrush]

As long as you're taking the methylfolate then it should be ok, but some people do have more severe clotting disorders and may actually need injections to achieve pregnancy.

If you have a clotting disorder ubiquinol may be worse than nothing because it can make some people's blood clot more easily.

I would suggest getting tested before continuing the ubiquinol.

[Mavindi]

Thanks Atomic, I'm pretty sure I would be ok as I've had 2 pregnancies with no mention of any issues about clotting so hopefully in the clear :)