Herbal Remedies

[betsylee]

I read a lot about natural healing and herbal remedies for infertility. Am I wasting my time reading up on this? Any luck out there?

Thanks.

[Janis]

Hi Betsy,

I do believe in natural means in some ways. Living a healthy lifestyle with exercise and eating healthy with vitamins can only help. There are a number of supplements that claim they will help ovulation ans what not. I usually am careful here because these supplements are not regulated by the FDA but most claim to be natural. I would always still consult a doctor because they might help from case to case.

[Lisa]

I have seen several people try the herbal route, and some have success with it.

I think one of the main factors involved in deciding if this is the route for you, is your reasons for infertility.

[oosie]

I am not sure if that works for everybody. If you have too many problems, it might take a long long while. Also, most acupuncturists as well as REs want you to be on only one kind of treatment at a time. I took a break from my RE for 13 weeks and tried my hand at acupuncture and herbal medicine. It did not help me there were no indications that I would even ovulate on my own. May be i should have tried longer. But, I couldn't afford to spend so much time on something that wasn't working for me. (I am 33) So I stopped that and have stuck on to my RE. Again, thats just me. Results vary from person to person. You should give it a try if you believe in it and just don't hesitate to quit if you think you are wasting time.

[standingtall]

I just started on Clomid but did a lot of reading on this before treatment. It seems to be a very hit and miss thing ...well I guess what I am doing can be considered that as well. But to keep it short I did not decide to go the herbal route even though it seems as if there has been success.

[lovelylily]

It is your body and your decision to make. Like other girls said, it definitely depends on what your IF issues are, but herbs and natural remedies are very powerful. On the old CC, I posted several pages about it, but it's all gone now, so....
A good start if you are interested is try to figure out the main issues you are having with TTC. There are some excellent resources out there including "Taking Charge of your Fertility" to help you discover the issues you're having.
Then, here is a list of common herbs used with fertility. You can look them up to see what they are used for. An example is vitex. Vitex does the exact same thing clomid does without the nasty side effects and hormones. Plus, it is not harmful to your body they way clomid is. OK, here's the list
Vitex
Evening Primrose Oil
Progesterone Cream
False Unicorn Root
Black Cohosh
That will get you started. Please keep in mind that herbs are powerful and should not be taken lightly. Many meds are made from herbs. I think a lot of people think that herbs are somehow "weaker" than meds, but that is not the case. They are powerful and effective. I would seek medical advice before taking too many things. Or at least research it.
Hope this helps!!!

[tfskat]

Many women have great success using herbal remedies to support conception. Chinese herbs, in particular, contain natural remedies that gently rebalance the body energies and restore fertility. You can get a prescription specifically designed for you through the Fertile Soul Advisor program. Dr. Randine Lewis , a licensed acupuncturist who holds fertility retreats in Asheville, NC has successfully treated many women through a combination of acupuncture, herbs, diet and lifestyle. You can find more information on the Fertile Soul website or by reading her book: the Infertility Cure.

[april1979]

I took Metformin and Vitex...and got pregnant. I have been on Metformin and other commercial drugs before and they did nothing...I did IVF, FET, and MANY IUIs...but I FIRMLY believe that it was the Vitex that did it...

[Dorothy]

It is said that it is much effective to treat infertility by acupuncture together with the herbs.

[CourtneyCQE]

Does anyone know if you can take the vitex and Clomid at the same time? I have seen many posts were women took the metformin and vitex together but not sure if its safe to take the clomid and vitex at the same time?

[Lauraloo]

Yes, herbal remedies and acupuncture are a good avenue - as everyone said before - depending on what your issues are. However, beware that you cannot do those (herbs) at the same time as doing injectibles. They interfere with each other. And from what I hear, acupuncture isn't any good without the herbs. So it is either one method or the other at one time.

[jocelyn]

Hi there,
I am new to the website, and have always been interested in herbal remedies...Have you ever read the book "The Infertility Cure"? If you haven't I would recommend it for sure. It gives so much insite your body, and how it works, and gives excellent suggestions of certain herbs to take at certain times during the month etc.
I don't think herbal drugs alone will help anyone get pregnant, but they won't hurt you.
Give it a try!