Natural boost for Ovulation

Hi Atomic
I'm 30 years old and have no history of fertility trouble. I usually have spot on regular 32 day cycles and clear pos opks.
Since June, when I started TTC my cycles are off. They are getting longer, ovulation was much delayed one time and ovulation was not picked up by opk the other time. Another symptom is very light period lasting barely 3 days.

I'm swaying pink very lightly at this point. Only thing I'm sticking to is 1600 cals a day, vegetarian, and more fruit and vegetable. Not exercising anymore. I also eat eggs and dairy a few times a week. At this point, I don't think the sway is causing this change. My doctor checked my thyroid and it's perfect!

Doctor also ordered some hormone tests to rule out any imbalances. They are pretty expensive and I thought I'd wait another cycle before getting them done. In the meantime, can you recommend any OTC products or natural supplements that will help my body improve egg quality or ovulate? Is vitex good?
I'm also going to switch to preseed next cycle to improve odds of pregnancy. I don't think KY is helpful especially when my cycle feels off.

I'm also switching to E4D as you suggested! Any other words of advice are also most welcome.
Thanks so much.

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1600 calories a day can ABSOLUTELY mess with your cycle. No doubt about it. The things they sell over the counter don't help and unless your problem is caused by PCOS (which this is not) will only make matters worse. DO NOT start taking vitex or any other herbal supplement now.

If your ovulation was not picked up by OPK but you got your period, you did ovulate. There is no harm in not getting a positive OPK (it's annoying but doesn't mean you did not ovulate or that your ovulation was "weak" or anything) There is nothing wrong with having a lighter than normal period - that is very common on LE Diet and many of us had that happen. Remember, your period does not tell you what will happen in future months, it tells you what happened last month, and doesn't give you any info about your lining for the next month or anything. I got my daughter following a period that lasted only about a day and was super light.

My suggestion is eating 1800 cals or even more like 2000 and see what happens. You dropped fiber, right?

:agree: yes switching to e4d would be my first order of business.

:agree: switching over to Preseed vs. KY which kills sperm. Use only the smallest amount of Preseed for comfy intercourse, don't use a large amount.

Thanks atomic. I will refrain from otc products.

In all honesty, I just can't eat 1800 cals or more a day unless I'm at a wedding feast. I'm now at 24 bmi. I had about 20 lbs of post pregnancy weight to loose and I lost it all gradually over the past 1.5 years by steady portion control and eating less. My body is now conditioned to functioning at an average of 1400-1600 cals a day, through mostly home made healthy food. This has been a gradual change and has not affected my cycle in the past year.

The cycle change is only since the last 2-3 months, and so frustrating bcoz that's just when I started ttc! I'm not stressed either!

My skin is breaking out a lot more than normal, I'm not able to lose weight any further, and now my cycles are long and light. Could it be signs of pcos?


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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

1600 calories a day can ABSOLUTELY mess with your cycle. No doubt about it. The things they sell over the counter don't help and unless your problem is caused by PCOS (which this is not) will only make matters worse. DO NOT start taking vitex or any other herbal supplement now.

If your ovulation was not picked up by OPK but you got your period, you did ovulate. There is no harm in not getting a positive OPK (it's annoying but doesn't mean you did not ovulate or that your ovulation was "weak" or anything) There is nothing wrong with having a lighter than normal period - that is very common on LE Diet and many of us had that happen. Remember, your period does not tell you what will happen in future months, it tells you what happened last month, and doesn't give you any info about your lining for the next month or anything. I got my daughter following a period that lasted only about a day and was super light.

My suggestion is eating 1800 cals or even more like 2000 and see what happens. You dropped fiber, right?

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Yes I didn't do fiber. It didn't agree with my body. And I felt bloated and uncomfortable.

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Oh and I added in a (rainbow light) prenatal, atomic. I figured if I'm low on vit D it could affect my menstrual cycle.

So this cycle I'm doing pressed, E4D mon, /Thurs, prenatal vit and folic acid.
I've been taking folic acid 800 for 3 months now. I just added in the prenatal which also has folic acid. Should I take both or drop the Folic?

For a feel good factor, I ordered myself the pink stork fertility tea on Amazon.

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Well, I really, really strongly suggest dropping the prenatal. I think you are letting a misguided concern for your fertility mess with your head and prenatals sway strongly blue. Again and again it's been the people who panic (not saying you are panicking, but it's those people who I am talking about here) and decide they can't get pregnant without swaying blue and then do all this stuff to boost fertility who end up getting boys. Please just make the changes we've discussed and then take a big dose of the most important vitamin of all...Vitamin P (patience). ;)

Rainbow Light prenatals are especially not good. They can actually make matters WORSE because they have massive doses of B Vitamins in them which can delay or even stop ovulation (and this has happened to hundreds if not thousands of people on here, both pink and blue swayers, so we KNOW it is the megadose B's and not any sway diet) Additionally, there are things in Rainbow Light that may actively sway blue like probiotics, red raspberry leaf, and gingerroot plus all those veg extracts, and there are things that may be highly risky - kelp, chlorella, and spirulina, which have been linked to possibly contributinig to motor neuron disease like ALS. My father in law died of ALS and I looked into this link extensively and it is legit. I don't like ANYONE to be taking supplement forms of seaweed products because I love you guys and want you to live long and healthy lives.

If you think you're low in Vitamin D (and virtually everyone who has come to me worried that they were low in this nutrient or that nutrient and that it had to be preventing conception, with the exception of iron, and went to the doctor and were tested for it, DID NOT have any nutrient deficiency whatsoever...Vit. D shortages are fairly common but rarely prevent conception or mess up ovulation) then please just either get some sunlight 10 minutes a day, or get the lowest dose of Vit. D and take that 2-3 days a week. Why add in a prenatal for Vit. D (if you even need some) when you can just add in Vit. D?

now let's talk about Pink Stork Fertility TEa. It has things that probably sway blue (red raspberry leaf tea, stevia, nettle, lady's mantle) and things in it that cut odds of conception considerably (chasteberry and peppermint tea) and also mess up your cycle hugely! DO NOT drink that stuff!! If you want something that is of a psychological benefit, by all means just get some RRLT and have that 1x a day. At least you're avoiding the stuff that will mess up your chances of conceiving and mess up your cycle even more!!

I'm sorry, I know it sucks when you think you have a plan and i come along, amirite?? But you are doing yourself no favors whatsoever taking these things. You're adding in things that are going to take a miniscule non-problem and turn it into a huge problem, that can delay or even stop ovulation, and undermining your sway at the same time.

I know it feels like you have to do something. But your body is a miraculous thing and it really is already working to fix the issue. You just need to stay out of its way while that happens. :)

Thank you atomic! At first I felt disappointed to read that my plan of action was rendered unproductive. But this is exactly what I needed and I appreciate your advise. I tend to make a non problem into a big deal, and end up making it worse sometimes. My DH would applaud your advise to me :-) I know you care for each and everyone's success and so you do what you do vs taking the easier path of simply agreeing.
I will take your advice. Dropping prenatal and returning pink stork.

Sticking to preseed, E4D, folic acid and huge doses of vitamin P:)

One question on E4d - if I BD on Mon/Thurs pattern and say I ovulate on Sunday, isn't that a slim chance of conception, from attempt 3 days before O?

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Originally Posted by Heart desires pink LP

Thanks atomic. I will refrain from otc products.

In all honesty, I just can't eat 1800 cals or more a day unless I'm at a wedding feast. I'm now at 24 bmi. I had about 20 lbs of post pregnancy weight to loose and I lost it all gradually over the past 1.5 years by steady portion control and eating less. My body is now conditioned to functioning at an average of 1400-1600 cals a day, through mostly home made healthy food. This has been a gradual change and has not affected my cycle in the past year.

The cycle change is only since the last 2-3 months, and so frustrating bcoz that's just when I started ttc! I'm not stressed either!

My skin is breaking out a lot more than normal, I'm not able to lose weight any further, and now my cycles are long and light. Could it be signs of pcos?


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OH sorry I think I missed this post...If you are doing ok on that cal intake then carry on. I obviously can't always know the complete backstory (even when I do know it, I can't always remember, sorry!!) and have to give the advice that applies to most cases but anyone who is already eating a lower cal intake is fine to continue onto that but be sure you're continuing to get adequate fat intake.

I don't know if this is related to PCOS (if it was, losing weight would only HELP, wouldn't likely cause it to kick in suddenly) but what we can do is have you switch from white flour to wheat and other whole grains, up protein and fat to 50-60 g (instead of the 40-50 and 30-60 g) and get those calories from mainly fruit, veg, and whole grains, drop skim dairy and go to full fat ONLY, eliminate sugar (including many fat-free products which are loaded with sugar). And keep doing the full fat dairy every day, 4-6 eggs a week, and salmon if u like it, red meat if u don't 1x a week. That way it may help you move past the plateau anyway and even if you don't have PCOS-tendencies, it's still very good for your sway and for fertility.

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Originally Posted by Heart desires pink LP

Thank you atomic! At first I felt disappointed to read that my plan of action was rendered unproductive. But this is exactly what I needed and I appreciate your advise. I tend to make a non problem into a big deal, and end up making it worse sometimes. My DH would applaud your advise to me :-) I know you care for each and everyone's success and so you do what you do vs taking the easier path of simply agreeing.
I will take your advice. Dropping prenatal and returning pink stork.

Sticking to preseed, E4D, folic acid and huge doses of vitamin P:)

One question on E4d - if I BD on Mon/Thurs pattern and say I ovulate on Sunday, isn't that a slim chance of conception, from attempt 3 days before O?

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It's not the best chance of conception but it is SOME chance. Remember, many people WANT that timing and additionally, you'd have another attempt on O Day in that scenario. So what would happen is let's say u had attempt O-3 and there was nothing left by O Day. Then the O Day attempt would have a chance at the egg (and it would still be one attempt.) Plus, by doing things that way, it means you won't "outwit" yourself because soooo often people assume they'll ovulate on this day or that day, or that they'll have better chance of conception on one day or the other, when in reality they don't even KNOW that. We have no way of knowing in advance when the egg will drop and also no way of knowing what day will be best chances of conception. Too many people make these assumptions and then go on and on for months/years not conceiving even though they tell themselves they're doing everything to conceive, they're actually preventing conception by getting the timing wrong. So e4d, by adding in an element of chance, means that we can luck our way into a perfectly timed attempt and removes our ability to think about things so very hard that we end up messing ourselves about by making assumptions about things that we just simply don't know! :)