no wonder I only have girls...pH, diet, supplement questions? HELP!

[vanasse2002]

Well, I ordered some pH test strips and they finally came in the mail. I checked my pH on Saturday and it was only a 5. I also checked DH and his was a 7.

Now, we've been taking supplements for about 2 weeks and have altered our diets. I haven't done any of the drinks because we aren't going to make our attempt until July.

Here's what we are both taking:

L-arginine (I think it's 500, but I can't remember)

Zinc 50

Folic Acid 800

Fish Oil 1000 mercury-free

vitamin e 400

vitamin b-12 (I think 150)

In terms of diet, I have completely cut out dairy. DH still has dairy with dinner each night. I have been drinking lemon water. I still have one regular coke a day. We have been salting our food, eating more meat with lunch and dinner. We each have at least one banana a day. I've been trying to have 3 glasses of fruit juice a day. We have potatoes at dinner each night and tomatoes.

When my cycle for July starts, I plan on doing the baking soda drink daily and I also plan on baking soda douche. I have been thinking about pre-seed with baking soda in it to raise the pH, but am not sure because I tend to produce a ton of cm so I am not sure if it is needed.

I am going to chart both temp and use ovulation predictor strips to determine the exact day of ovulation. We plan to BD as close to ovulation as possible.

What do you all think of my attempt? How can I get mine and DH's pH up into a good range for a boy attempt? Are there any other supplements that you would suggest? Are the supplements that I am currently taking good?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions!

[TTC5]

I would bump the folic up just a bit especially
When you start bs

[vanasse2002]

I would bump the folic up just a bit especially
When you start bs

Thanks...what doseage do you recommend? I am worried about taking too much of anything.
Do you think that the bs drinks from AF to O will up my pH enough? Also, should DH do the drinks to get his pH up (it's only a 7)?

[TTC5]

Yep I would get hubby to do the drinks too and yes it helps a little. I would take at least 2,000mcg of folic acid.

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, I ordered some pH test strips and they finally came in the mail. I checked my pH on Saturday and it was only a 5. I also checked DH and his was a 7.

Now, we've been taking supplements for about 2 weeks and have altered our diets. I haven't done any of the drinks because we aren't going to make our attempt until July.

Here's what we are both taking:

L-arginine (I think it's 500, but I can't remember)

Zinc 50

Folic Acid 800

Fish Oil 1000 mercury-free

vitamin e 400

vitamin b-12 (I think 150)

In terms of diet, I have completely cut out dairy. DH still has dairy with dinner each night. I have been drinking lemon water. I still have one regular coke a day. We have been salting our food, eating more meat with lunch and dinner. We each have at least one banana a day. I've been trying to have 3 glasses of fruit juice a day. We have potatoes at dinner each night and tomatoes.

When my cycle for July starts, I plan on doing the baking soda drink daily and I also plan on baking soda douche. I have been thinking about pre-seed with baking soda in it to raise the pH, but am not sure because I tend to produce a ton of cm so I am not sure if it is needed.

I am going to chart both temp and use ovulation predictor strips to determine the exact day of ovulation. We plan to BD as close to ovulation as possible.

What do you all think of my attempt? How can I get mine and DH's pH up into a good range for a boy attempt? Are there any other supplements that you would suggest? Are the supplements that I am currently taking good?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions!

Your supps are good, I would possibly add in a prenatal and a good men's multi for DH so you can get more nutrients. Def. bump your folic to 2000 mcg when you start your BSD and you can actually start taking the extra folic NOW if you like.

ARe you Oing? It is perfectly normal to have pH in the 4's and 5's if you're not ovulating, because the pH of the vagina's secretions are highly acidic and it's the EWCM that matters. Don't worry about a pH of 7 for your DH, that is not bad at all. Most men's semen pH is in the 7's, that is a normal pH for a guy and nothing to stress over. If he does the BSD his pH will go up - and there is actually quite a lot of variation in semen pH, so if you check him a few more times you may be surprised to see his pH go up higher than it is right now.

I personally believe EWCM is much better than any artificial supp, so if you are getting a lot of it and decide to forgo the Preseed, I would do the exact same thing! I don't like douching for blue, for that very reason. You're washing away your body's natural EWCM and to me, that seems to be a big step in the wrong direction.

Whether you choose to give up dairy or not is entirely up to you. I'm not a big believer in the dairy thing for a variety of reasons and it may help your fertility to include at least SOME full fat dairy in your diet.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks...what doseage do you recommend? I am worried about taking too much of anything.
Do you think that the bs drinks from AF to O will up my pH enough? Also, should DH do the drinks to get his pH up (it's only a 7)?

Folic acid is a special case because it is proven to help prevent neural tube defects. Take 2000 mcg and you will pee out any excess that your body doesn't need. It's best to break it up into several small dosages, so buy 400 or 500 mcg pills and take them a few times throughout the day. Then, you can continue taking this throughout the first trimester and very gradually, over a period of several weeks, wean yourself off of them.

[vanasse2002]

Thanks for all the info!
We dtd last night and I checked my pH right after and yes, I did, O, but my pH was still between a 4 & 5. My temp went up this morning so I must have had o happen sometime yesterday (this was not a month of ttc for us)...so no sticky dust our way just yet, we were careful...
If pH is supposed to be highest around o, I am not getting anywhere with diet/supplements...actually, my cycle seems to be shortening, do you think that is the l-arginine?
With the full-fat dairy, is yogurt good? I am not a huge milk drinker, but I do love yogurt and actually cut it completely out when starting this diet. I, however, was not eating the full-fat kind...
I was reading over your sway attempt and I was happy to see that you drank soda and conceived sons. That is the one thing that I can not let go of on the boy diet...I must have regular coke!!!