Saw Palmetto

[zanacal]

I haven't thought about Saw P for my sway so far because I'm still BFing DS3 once a day but he's not overly interested at the moment and if it's thought to be very worthwhile for a girl sway I would consider weaning.

So, what is it thought to do? I googled it and read that it's often taken to boost libido which seemed at odds with everything else we do when trying for a girl. Perhaps that information is incorrect? I must say, it didn't sound like a particularly 'nice' supplement either but I'll reserve judgement until I know more!

Does anybody have an opinion on how successful this is as a girl sway supplement? Any experiences of how it affected you, good or bad?

Thank you x

[Mochagirl]

I think ds has officially weaned himself - it's been 3 nights in a row without him asking for a nurse. I'm in the same position as you, now that I CAN take SP, I'm wondering whether or not I should. If I start now, I'll be taking it for about 12 days before my attempt and O. I'm a little concerned that it might screw up my cycle and make O come later or something. I'll be following this thread to see what advice you get.

[Indira]

I can´t tell you if it is succesfull in a girl sway but I can tell you my experience up to now.
I´ve started taking it last month and I feel a big difference, now I don´t know if it is the weight loss on the low everything diet or the saw palmetto (probably both), but my libido has practically DISAPPEARED, so I take that as a very good sign my testosteron went down.
I think for me it has an effect on my other hormones too though, I was very regularly O-ing on day 11-12 before with very little EWCM untill last month, with the Saw palmetto it was like my body tried very hard to ovulate, so it came 3 days later with many days of very much EWCM. Now I´m taking it from AF up to CD7, today it´s CD 11 for me and there is no sign yet that I´m going to O soon, no EWCM either.
Also it makes my temps go up and when I stop to take it on CD7 they go down on CD 8/9, so I guess it does something to my progesteron? Well, Atomic says it isn´t necessarily bad if a supplement messes up your cycle, it means hormonally things are changing.
I take an Activia yoghurt with it, to me it causes constipation.

[Indira]

I forgot, it is supposed to lower testosterone and I´m quite sure it does that for me.
Do you have signs of high testerone and did you notice a change with the weight loss?

[zanacal]

Thanks Indira.

Regarding testosterone, when I read a description of personality related to high testosterone it's me down to a tee but I think the way testosterone is meant to sway is by increasing libido and increasing EWCM and I go through phases but in general I don't have a particularly high libido (although my DH does!). I have only been on the diet for just under 2 weeks and I am taking Vitex. I usually ovulate very regularly around CD14 but that time has come and gone this month. I thought I had a couple of OPK fade ins but they're back to negative now and a couple of times I've had a very little EWCM and some abdominal tenderness but nothing which tells me for certain that I've ovulated or am about to ovulate. I can't be bothered with anything at the moment but I don't know if that's the diet and the Vitex talking or just that I've become completely pre-occupied with swaying to the expense of everything else iykwim. Perhaps Vitex is enough ...

[atomic sagebrush]

I haven't thought about Saw P for my sway so far because I'm still BFing DS3 once a day but he's not overly interested at the moment and if it's thought to be very worthwhile for a girl sway I would consider weaning.

So, what is it thought to do? I googled it and read that it's often taken to boost libido which seemed at odds with everything else we do when trying for a girl. Perhaps that information is incorrect? I must say, it didn't sound like a particularly 'nice' supplement either but I'll reserve judgement until I know more!

Does anybody have an opinion on how successful this is as a girl sway supplement? Any experiences of how it affected you, good or bad?

Thank you x

I hope more chime in here and share personal experiences, but just to throw my two cents in...

Saw palmetto DOES lower testosterone. This has been studied and proven to my satisfaction that it really does work. Also, the PCOS ladies swear by it for lowering their testosterone levels and helping with the acne and hairiness that they get so it works both in the real world and in the lab.

I have read the same thing that you have about boosting libido and I personally discount it. Every herb on the market is reputed to boost libido, it seems, and it may be just marketing, or it could also be that in people who have manipulated their testosterone levels to abnormally high (bodybuilders on steroids) their sex drive tends to go away, so SP may actually help with that by reducing the levels of circulating DHT in the blood.

I agree with you that it's not a nice supp. Now with JJ getting sick I'm even more wary of it; I had read before about the liver stuff but again, that seems to be something that they say about all herbs and since so many people took it on IG and nothing happened, I figured that was just people being overcautious, but now I'm not so sure. Also, my FIL has taken SP for 15 years for his prostate, so I thought I had some evidence that it really was safe in the long term but now my FIL was just diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease...not saying the SP caused or contributed to that but still, I have a less good feeling about it than I did before just from that front.

The problem is that I really do think it works and we are taking it for only a few months at most. I just don't really think that pep tea works. I've seen a bunch of people take it and most of them were like, "is this even doing anything"?? Whereas SP changes your cycle and it's obviously affecting people because those PCOS ladies don't waste time on stuff that doesn't work - you don't see them drinking peppermint tea LOL.

If I was swaying pink and not breastfeeding I would be majorly tempted to take it, even though I don't totally think it's proven safe I think I'd prob chance it because it does seem to work.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks Indira.

Regarding testosterone, when I read a description of personality related to high testosterone it's me down to a tee but I think the way testosterone is meant to sway is by increasing libido and increasing EWCM and I go through phases but in general I don't have a particularly high libido (although my DH does!). I have only been on the diet for just under 2 weeks and I am taking Vitex. I usually ovulate very regularly around CD14 but that time has come and gone this month. I thought I had a couple of OPK fade ins but they're back to negative now and a couple of times I've had a very little EWCM and some abdominal tenderness but nothing which tells me for certain that I've ovulated or am about to ovulate. I can't be bothered with anything at the moment but I don't know if that's the diet and the Vitex talking or just that I've become completely pre-occupied with swaying to the expense of everything else iykwim. Perhaps Vitex is enough ...

Not necessarily. Truthfully, we don't KNOW how testosterone sways and there have been many many women (myself included) that have high T personality-wise but don't find that they have a superhigh sex drive. Sex drive in women is a complicated issue and a lot of times mental aspects are more important than physical ones, IKYKWIM!! Like, I could have T through the roof and if the dishes aren't done and I'm tired and stressed out, sex is about the last thing on my mind.

[zanacal]

Ugh, I so know what you mean by that last comment ....

I'm taking Vitex. Is there any benefit to taking both or would you choose one or the other and how are they meant to differ?

[atomic sagebrush]

There is a benefit to taking both although please be aware that I haven't totally researched this one on it's own yet, this is going off of secondhand info from IG and the SoulCysters. SP and Vitex seem to boost the effectiveness of the other and alleviate the downsides. SP blocks testosterone but then your body ~may~ start making estrogen as a replacement (this doesn't seem to happen until you've been on SP for a long time and so does not necessarily apply to swayers, but still). Vitex lowers estrogen and raises progesterone. So the one-two punch of the SP and V helps to lower testosterone without the risk of an increase in estrogen.

[zanacal]

Thanks. It hurts my brain wondering what to do but I'll think on it (not sure I think about anything else at the moment!). Please add your experiences ladies!