Just wondering if any of you have tried any herbal remedies to help with your own and DH's fretility? I know that there are many out there and we are looking into the Fertility XX and XY stuff. I thought it may be worth a try. We tried all the medical alternatives our DR suggested except IVF. The medicines always help but never actually acheive a sustainable pregnancy this time around. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

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we tried Fertility blend Vitamins, I still have most of them left (they aren't going to do him anygood for getting rid of anti bodies which is our problem) but alot of women have said that they really helped DH count and motility

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married 9 years
Me 32 DH 49
TTC#1
Low Count, ASA's present
IVF 12-07 BFN

We're trying vitamins to see if we can improve DH's motility . . . but will move on to IVF in January if that fails.

I don't know your history, so I apologize if this is too intrusive. You seem to be able to get pregnant but said you are having trouble sustaining another pregnancy? Have you been tested for all the blood clotting problems (I think it is the RPL panel) and the autoimmune panel to find out if there is some other reason you are miscarrying? If there is a clotting problem, there are some simple medicines that can help you carry to term.

Some women also swear by natural progesterone cream during pregnancy to prevent miscarriage.

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Oh, and to be specific, our doctor recommended Conception XR, but we thought it was really expensive. So, we have DH taking One-a-Day Men's Health, and 1000 mg. Vitamin C, and 400 IU Vitamin E, and 1000mg L-Carnitine. Maca root is also supposed to improve male fertility.

I'm just taking prenatal vitamins right now, but will be taking clomid and progesterone when we are ready to start trying again.

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They did the panel on me and never found a reason why my body attacked the pregnancies, they were one month right after the next. We are hoping that maybe something herbal will help that.....I mean the only other thime I have ever been pg was with DD and that was a textbook pg! Although I had just quit smoking 2 weeks before I got pg with her and haven't started again but that couldn't be it could it?

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I'm sure the quitting smoking then has nothing to do with what is happening now. The only thing I can think is that 2 years older, there could be egg quality issues, but if you are getting pregnant, that might not be it. Then again, if you needed Clomid the first time to get pregnant, maybe there have always been egg quality/egg maturity issues . . . ? Are you also on metformin when you are doing the Clomid? If you have trouble O'ing on your own, or sustaining a pregnancy, there could be a PCOS issue/egg quality issue (I know that one too well) and there is a 65% chance of m/c in that case without metformin. When adding metformin back into the cocktail, the m/c rate drops down to the same as everyone else.

It just could be bad luck, too - 2 m/c is terrible, but apparently only 25% of fertilized eggs survive, so the odds just seem to really suck in general, and you might just have drawn the short end of the stick a few times. I know that explanation is horrible. Here is what I know about herbal remedies for women:
Vitex
Maca root (can be taken - NOT with Vitex) to regulate cycle, improve ovulation) BUT I've heard just as many people claim success with these 2 as claim that they messed up their cys, so I'm really not sure. I think if it addresses your problem, it works wonders, but because they mess with LH/FSH, it can also throw off cys in other people.
Royal jelly - no clue what this does, but Krissy over on the Cycle Buddies board has been using this, so perhaps ask her about it?
Some people will take Soy Isoflavones, around 150 mg CD 3-7 - supposed to work like Clomid to improve ovulation. Can be taken in conjunction with natural progesterone cream/baby aspirin below.
Some people swear that natural progesterone cream helps sustain pregnancies, and others swear by baby aspirin, and some take both. Both are completely safe during pregnancy - even if they don't help, they won't hurt. That is all I've got!
Fertility Blend/Fertility Aid - just vitamins/chinese herbs that are supposed to help promote fertility.

There are a few more listed in the herbal alternatives board that I can't remember off the top of my head, but those are about getting pregnant, not sustaining a pregnancy. I think the key for you is probably improving ovulation, and then supporting (maybe with progesterone).

Maybe post in the herbal/alternatives board? Tai/Michelle doesn't check in all the time (she is the moderator there and it is a pretty slow board), but she has good information. She normally posts over in Due in February, I believe, so you can always go hunt her down there and see if she has any additional information. I'm sorry I can't be more help.

Herbal Remedies for Male Factor Infertility (not sure if this is your issue?):

Vitamin C improves morphology
Selenium (up to 200 mcg)
Zinc
Vitamin A
Vitamin E 400 IU
L-Carnitine
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Maca Root
CoQ10

Check out FertilAid for Men, and Conception XR for more information about different herbs/vitamins that help improve male fertility. Don't know that this will have any impact on sustaining a pregnancy, though - unless the failing embryos are from poor sperm quality, but it always seems we women and our eggs are blamed for failing embryos!

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Sorry to keep posting volumes, but I just saw this on my other MFI board, and I thought of you.

Sperm Quality - Toxins - Miscarriage

Pregnancies ending in miscarriage are being found to be fathered by men with higher numbers of abnormal sperm (i.e. misshapen sperm heads, double tails, etc.). Abnormal sperm are also being found to occur more often in males exposed to chemicals during the two month sperm development period before conception (3). Results of recent research indicate that sperm quality influences not only the likelihood of miscarriage, but also the rates of fertilization of eggs and subsequent embryo development (rates of embryo cleavage, blastocyst formation and implantation). A Sperm DNA test is preformed to measure damage that may be present in sperm. The integrity of the sperm DNA is used as a marker to predict pregnancy outcomes. Male partners of couples with a history of unexplained infertility, poor embryo quality after in vitro fertilization (IVF), implantation failure after IVF, recurrent chemical or occult pregnancy losses, or recurrent early spontaneous abortions should consider that there may be underlying problems with sperm quality (1, 2).

The largest study done to date involved 61 papers concerning sperm concentration/count in a total of 14,957 males without a history of infertility. A staggering decline in average sperm counts from 113 million per ml in 1940 to 66 million per ml in 1990, and in seminal volume from 3.40 ml to 2.75 ml was noted (6).

Studies over the past two decades have clearly shown that commonly used substances (pesticides, industrial chemicals, metals) have been shown to have estrogen-mimicking and other endocrine-disrupting effects (5). The following, just to name a few, are examples you may find around your home;

Dioxins (bleaching of paper, waste incineration, burning of residential waste, feminine products): cause decreased sperm production, decreased testis weight, decreased testosterone levels, delayed puberty, and endometriosis.
Phthalates (plastic softener, polyvinyl chloride (PVC, vinyl) products, children's toys, some teethers, food packaging, cling wraps, medical devices, backpacks, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wallpaper, decorating and building products, blood bags, adhesives, mosquito insect repellents, plastic plumbing pipes, nail polish, skin moisturizers, perfumes, solvents, cosmetics, personal care products, wood finishes and insecticides): cause damaged, shrunken, undescended, or atrophied testicles; reduced sperm production; damaged sperm, destruction of Sertoli cells (which produce sperm) and lowered testosterone levels in offspring.
Lead causes decreased fertility, increased rates of miscarriage, pre-term delivery, low birth weight, low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, abnormal sperm shape and size.
Mercury in predatory fish species, such as shark and tuna, and bottom-feeders, such as crab causes adverse effects on the developing fetus, sperm, and male reproductive organs. It also increases the number of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths.

It is also important to note that with the increases in infertility and abnormal sperm being observed in today's male population, studies highlight the significant benefits of which may be attained by simply consuming organic food for couples wishing to have children (4).

Detoxification through diet, supplementation, herbal therapy, and acupuncture has shown clinically profound improvements in semen quality as well as over health, wellness, and satisfaction with life and relationships.

HTH! If this is your situation, then maybe vitamins, herbal approaches will fix the problem!

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WOW! Thanks for the info, I just got home from a work trip and am pleasantly surprised by the response! We, unfortunatly both have IF issues but are just wanting to give anything a try while we are on an adoption wait list to get started on paperwork. Medically there were on other solutions than IVF for us so I think we are going to try the fertility XX And XY and see what happens! Thanks for the info!

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When we were TTC back in 2004 DH got 3 different medications.. and it helped with his motility and count considerably (brought them up to normal levels!!) but it obviously didn't work back then. He stopped taking them because they constipated him severely and gave him lumps under his nipples.. and he deployed to Iraq..

but he took 3 meds from a doc in mexico (I know sounds crazy, but my friends husband did the same.. they were from there.. and she got pregnant 3 months after he started the pills)

I don't have the names of them now (I'm at work) but I can find out.. Not sure if you are interested.. Sounds kinda out there lol

Also tried fertility blend last year and it didn't work or help at all..

It was IVF that worked for us!!
Good Luck!!

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My DH took vitamins similiar to what was in the fertility blend vitamins. It was cheaper that way. I think the one's he took was a men's mulit-vitamin, CoQ10, vitamin E, vitamin C, Selenium, Zinc and L-Carnitine. They didn't help us but I know they have helped others. It is definitely worth a shot. Good luck to you!

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Sheri

Yes! Let me know the names, we'll try anything at this point!

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Well thanks for all the imput ladies. After all the research we started a herbal therapy in November. Dh says he "feels" like things are "working" so we'll see. We thought it was worth a try while we are waiting to start our adoption stuff. That will take a few months. Also, call me crazy, I had a fertility spell cast for us. I don't normally beleive in any "magic" but I thought that it was worth a try, right? I would love to have anouther success story and join all you prego's here again.

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Oh! forgot to say yesterday was our first GO on the new "program"

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GL! I'm of the mindset of "if it can't hurt, why not?" We are doing our IUI on Tuesday, so we should have an answer as to whether this regimen worked or not. I believe they will tell us how many survived the wash, so we'll have a good gauge from that number. I've also been reading up about another antioxidant that is supposed to be a huge help - pycnogenol. Haven't started DH on that yet, but I might. He jokes about the pharmacy of drugs he takes now. I hope you get that bfp in addition to your adoption. We have also been encouraged to move on to IVF . . . but the doctor is waiting to see what DH's count does for this IUI. If it goes up, we'll be given the opportunity to do a few more IUIs before moving on to IVF. So . . . I guess I would say try re-testing your DH with a s/a in a few months and see if that changes your options.

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GL to you with the IUI's. Our very first one worked like a charm! Sadly, our RE told us that trying anything "herbal" would be a waste of time and $$ and won't re-test DH. It just makes me mad that we only have one option for fertility treatments around here and no insurance coverage. I truely feel that a more serious clinic would have found more options for us and one of our IUI's would have worked. I feel like they took our $$ and ran!

Like I said, DH thinks he feels "differant". And I o'd on my own which is enough to throw a party!

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I'm so sorry you are going through that! My RE definitely told us to wait 3 months after the vitamins and re-test, and he won't let us move forward to IVF until we see if the vitamins/supplements are going to do anything.

Is there any chance you could go to a clinic somewhere else (even far away?). I've also heard of a few ladies doing a phone consult with one of the bigger clinics . . . maybe in Las Vegas? i can't remember now - I'd have to check a few posts. Also, any doctor, not just your RE, could do a follow up s/a, so if you have a urologist around, or even just a regular doctor, maybe one of them would order a s/a to "retest" things in a few months. Then, if you need to go back to your RE with better tests, you could see if there are other options.

Regardless . . . I hope you get that BFP all on your own in a few months when the vitamins have a chance to work. GL!

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I'm glad to see how knowledgeable you are! We did a phone consult with the next IF clinic. One that does IVF and they backed up our original RE. They are about 4 hours from us.

I'm really happy with the adoption plan but am NOT going to give up on getting preggo again!

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