So today's Vlog entry was about all the Vitamins and Supplements that I am taking aid with TTC. I will warn you in advance that the list is VERY long (I am now a certified "pill popper") :
Overall Health Vitamins
1) Vitamin C (500mg)- Currently I am taking a basic blend from Wal-mart, but once I finish these I will be switching to a more complete blend from either Super Supplements or Trader Joe's
2) 100% Vitamin E (400i.u.)- My Acupuncturist recommended this to help with overall health, but she stated that it is also really helpful with the breast tenderness that comes with PMS which is great so I am not "boob poking" the whole 2WW!
3) CO Q10 Enzyme- (100mg)- Another recommendation from the Acupuncturist, it is used to help with blood flow and general health.
4) High Potency B "100"- The is a B-Vitamin complex that has a nice blend of different B vitamins and has a nice extra bonus of folic acid included as well.
5) Vitamin D3 (5,000i.u.)- Because we live in the Pacific NorthWest it is recommended that everyone take Vitamin D3 because of the lack of sun here. We are pretty much all Vitamin D deficient and it can play a major part in fertility so I was already taking this prior to TTC, but have been a lot more consistent with it. I have this currently in gelcap form, but have also taken the liquid tincture for under the tongue.
6) Acidophilius & Probiotic Complex (2 billion organisms per tablet)- This is another supplement that I was taking prior to TTC because I have suffered with Candida in the past and I like to keep a check on it. I will however be changing brands once these pills are complete to a live enzyme form.
7) Prenatal Multivitamin- This is a Trader Joe's blend that is made to be gentle on the stomach, I love it because I never have any digestion issues with it, and it gives me lots of energy. I take it in the middle of the day to aid with absorption.
Vitamins/Supplements to Aid in Conception
8) Flax Seed Oil (1000mg)- I am taking this to basically help out with egg quality. Since I have suspected PCOS it is very important that no only do I ovulate, but the egg/eggs that are released are healthy.
9) Omega 3 Fatty Acids (1200mg Fish Oil, 600mg total EPA & DHA)- This is the super egg helper that I am taking, and I just use the Flax Seed Oil as an insurance policy. My Acupuncturist had me bump these up to 6 pills a day because I HATE fish and refuse to take the liquid form. Trader Joes carries a odorless form and it is a major difference from the regular because I am no longer burping up fish throughout the day LOL!
10) Gaia Adrenal Health- For those of you who know, or may not know I was in the military and as a result of my service I suffer from PTSD. My PTSD symptoms cause my body to always be in a "fight or flight" scenario even when there is no present danger. Having your body constantly releasing adrenaline wears on your body over time, so I am taking this to help keep my adrenal glands calm and it also helping a lot with my anxiety and insomnia which is great!
11) Queens Delight
Royal Jelly 1000mg
Propolis 600mg
Bee Pollen 1500mg
I am so in love with this Bee Pollen Blend! I have ordered some for my mom and DP takes it as well! There are so many uses for it besides fertility (energy, natural anti-depressant, antibiotic, antioxidant, etc) I notice a major difference when I take it and so has DP!
12) Calcium Magnesium Citrate- Pina Colada Flavor (750mg)- I will tell you right now that this does NOT taste anything like Pina Colada! It is very thick and is pretty gross, but because I am lactose intolerant and suffer from migraines the Acupuncturist suggested that I need more calcium and magnesium in my diet and she recommended a liquid form to help with absorption.
13) Vitanica Pregnancy Prep- Our Naturopath that will be doing our insemination recommended this blend to aid in getting my body prepared for pregnancy. It is filled with all kinds of natural herbs like (vitex/ chasteberry, red raspberry etc) to help tone and prepare the uterus.
14) FertiliTea- After reading so many great reviews on the web about FertiliTea I decided to give it a try and I must say that I really like it! I was one of this people that would always have a bit of tea with my sugar, and I refused to drink tea without sugar in it, but this is defintely the exception! It has a nice minty flavor, and is a wonderful blend of chasteberry, red raspberry leaf, green tea, ladies mantle, nettle leaf, and peppermint leaf.
15) Maca Root Powder- I ordered a basic organic powder from Amazon.com and I will forewarn you that it has a very strong taste! I can see why most women have to take this in pill form. **Also don't ever try to take a tablespoon of maca and attempt to wash it down with water/milk trust me it turns our awful and I am sure you can choke to death once the maca starts expanding lol!** I usually mix my maca in my morning smoothie and every time it definitely overpowers any fruit that I put in the smoothie, but I cannot figure out any other way to get it down. I will however be discontinuing the maca because it is not recommended while on a fertility medication.
Vitamins/Supplement to aid Implantation
16) Bayer Low Dose "Baby Aspirin" (81mg)- From the boards/medical professionals I have read that taking a low dose "baby aspirin" is supposed to help build the lining and can also help thin the blood which could be the culprit of repeat miscarriages and since I have suffered 3 miscarriages I am willing to do anything to prevent that.
17) Bromelain (2400 GDU/ 500mg)- Another common topic floating around the boards is pineapple and it's effects on the lining during the 2WW. I cannot imagine consuming 5 million pineapples in a weeks time, and the fact that pineapples are not safe during pregnancy (can start uterine contractions) I decided to just go with the source of the pineapples popularity which is the enzyme Bromelain which is in the pineapple. I will be taking these every morning on an empty stomach to assist with the lining. Who knows I may add a few pineapple smoothies in there too ;-)
Fertility Medications
18) Clomid (50mg)- So this is the BIG ENCHILADA! We have made the decision that we need to utilize every available resource we have especially since our donor's spermies are still in quarantine and we only have 1 vial to work with this month, so we decided to go ahead with the Clomid. With the suspected PCOS it is better for us to be safer than sorry and ensure that we ovulate. The next thing is to try and convince our RE to let us trigger as well so that we can pinpoint ovulation exactly.
Non-pill TTC Helpers
- Water: Water is SO vital to TTC because it aids in flushing out all the bad things in your system and your kidneys. I try to drink about 4 liters of water a day if not more. I adjust my water intake based on my urine color output. If it is clear to light yellow I know that I am on target, but if it is a darker color I know that I need to increase my water intake. Also I have gone to solely drinking water (with the occasional Kool-aid slip up thanks to the DP lol!) I have cut out all caffeine, sugar drinks, soda, etc.
- Journaling for me is very important as well, it is a safe place for me to express any feelings that I may be having (anger, sadness, joy, anxiety) and I know that I will be using it a lot more once we get into the 2WW and the anxiety kicks in.
- The other thing that ties in with journaling has to be meditation twice a day. I try to start my day with positive affirmations, and I end the day with Circle+Bloom's PCOS fertility meditation series to help me relax and prepare my body for conception!
Whew...... that is everything (I think) I told you I was a certified pill popper! I am really hoping that everything combined works with my body to build a nice little nest for a baby :-)
All of the Vitamins/Supplements I am using have come from either Trader Joe's (very inexpensive and good quality) or Super Supplements (on the more expensive end but excellent quality). You can also order all of the vitamins/supplements from the Internet (amazon.com).
Well that is all for now, we have Cycle Day 3 testing tomorrow and I will be back to update you on that tomorrow! Until then... Many Blessings!
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