I havent seen any changes since starting vitex, though I know it may be too soon. When should I see results? Am I taking too much or too little (1600mg/day)? What effect would taking too much have?

thanks

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Crystal, that seems like an awful lot hon! Personally, I think 1000mg should be our limit, and we should definitely start at lower doses and work our way up. I know I should know this but I can't remember: Do you have PCOS or are you "just" PCO? Vitex isn't for everyone. But it does take about 3 (and for some woemn up to 6) months to see results. I know: That just sucks!

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I have full blown pcos (hormones and cysts). I think I'll drop it down to 800mg a day.
It's going to be about 14 months before I can start injectibles/iui anyway, so I have plenty of time to wait for the vitex to do it's job... it's just annoying that nothing has happened yet I'm not a very patient person, and given that we've been ttc on and off for 6 years at the beginning of march, I feel like we've been waiting forever!

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I found this on baby center the other day, and I read your post and thought of it. Maybe you already knew:
"If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common cause of infertility in women, pay extra attention to whole grains. PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that can get worse when insulin levels in the bloodstream surge. The main culprits behind big insulin spikes are refined carbohydrates. Fertility specialist Leondires explains that when women with PCOS eat too many refined carbohydrates, insulin flows into the blood, feeds back to the ovaries, and can lead to irregular ovulation."

Anyway, I have heard the best dosage of vitex starts at 175 mg, so I may try 200 mg and work up if need be...that said, it will take 3-6 months for it to be effective, since it works naturally to balance your hormones and regulate cycles.
I also found this:
"Vitex (chaste tree) and maca are two herbs that act at the pituitary and hypothalamus. These master glands secrete precursor hormones that regulate the production of hormones in the rest of the endocrine glands. Maca is especially helpful in quickly guiding the body towards a balanced intrinsic hormone profile." (from http://www.healthylivingmarket.com/health/michael1.htm)
Maca at: http://www.earthhealers.com/prod_maca.htm
Its actually the company I work for, but my good friend Czarina just became pregnant after using our Maca for a while.

Good luck and

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Crystal,

Do watch your LH though. Both these herbs raise LH levels and we know that with PCOS, you don't necessarily need that.

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Vitex raises LH? That I didn't know! Mine is usually double the FSH (they're supposed to be 1:1), so I think I might be better to stay away from it...

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