After many years of suffering from infertility, I finally held my youngest son in my arms on July 16, 2010. This is my story of how I overcame my infertility through herbal medicine.
The doctor said that I would never have another baby…
It was very easy to get pregnant in my twenties. I had a son in 1997 and a daughter in 1998. I thought I would always be able to get pregnant this easily and have another child whenever I wanted.
In 2002, I had my Norplant removed and began trying to conceive. My OBGYN had even told me that I should be pregnant within six months after going off birth control, but my twenties came and went with no baby. I smoked and was a little over weight, which I’m sure did not help matters.
At age 33 (2008), I sought the expertise of a fertility specialist. He performed a dye test on my fallopian tubes and found one of my tubes to be 100% blocked and the other tube had 95% blockage. He said I would never have another baby unless it was through in-vitro fertilization.
This was devastating to hear, with the average cost of just one round of IVF averaging about $15,000. To add to my woes, a few weeks later during my annual exam, I was told that my pap smear was abnormal and that I had moderate to severe dysplasia on my cervix.
I was starting to lose hope of ever getting to hold another baby of my own, when I stumbled upon a clinical trial for a new form of IVF, in 2009. I started the regime for IVF, which included shots three times a day in my stomach and constant ultrasound visits to monitor the growth of my eggs.
Then the day came when I was to go in for the procedure and finally get pregnant. My happiness was short lived. The doctor came into the room where me and my husband waited, and in a manner so impersonal, told me and my husband that my eggs were not growing at an optimal rate for in-vitro, so I was being kicked out of the clinical trial.
I felt all hope was lost at this point. I went home and cried. It is so hard to see other women with babies when you want one so badly but can’t have one. I looked at one woman who had seven children and lived in a two bedroom trailer and couldn’t afford to take care of her children and then I read a news article and saw where a mother had killed her daughter because she didn’t want to be tied down with a baby. All I could do was cry at the injustice of it. These people did not need children but yet they were given them, but I who wanted one so badly and would give them so much love, couldn’t even get pregnant.
With new resolve, I decided come the following year, that I would use our income tax refund to pay for in-vitro. After a lot of research, I had found a clinic that would do a fresh attempt for $5,500. I did not want the money to be wasted and the procedure not to work, so I began researching herbs that would help with fertility. I wanted to cover every possible thing that could be wrong, keeping me from getting pregnant. This is what I ended up taking:
- 1. Prenatal vitamin from Wal-Mart
- 2. Iodine or Kelp for possible thyroid issues – bought from an internet store and GNC
- 3. Planetary Herbals, Women’s Dong-Quai Treasure for hormonal issues – bought off eBay (you can also take ovulaid or fertilaid to help with the hormonal issues)
- 4. Royal Jelly for egg health – bought off e-Bay
- 5. Maca, 500mg taken daily by both the woman and her husband – bought off e-Bay
- 6. False Unicorn Root which is the most important herb for fertility – bought big bottle in tincture form off e-Bay (Very expensive, but worth it. I cut down on the recommended dose at the end of the second month of use, to save money.) *This can also be taken to stop a miscarriage.
- 7. Cramp bark also in tincture form helps with period problems – bought off eBay *This can also be taken after birth to help with the pain.
- 8. Red Raspberry Tea or Red Raspberry capsules- bought from GNC and eBay *This can also be taken during the third trimester to help prepare the uterus for birth.
- 9. Red Clover capsules – bought off eBay
- 10. Protein (Whey) powder, to increase egg size and quality – bought from Wal-Mart
I took all of these continuously for three months, following dosing instructions from the manufacturer of the supplement. The only thing I did different was to take them for the entire month, when some called to quit taking them after you ovulate. Since I could not get pregnant, I took them continuously. It is very important though to STOP TAKING THEM AS SOON AS YOU GET PREGNANT! You may want to get some early pregnancy tests and take a few days after ovulation every month.
My period was about three days late after the first month of use, approximately five days late after my second month of use and after ten days late on my third month of use…
I found out I was pregnant at age 35! Instead of preparing myself for IVF, I ended up pregnant in October of 2009 after taking the herbs. Overall I spent less than $400 to get all of the herbs and vitamins versus the $5500 I was going to spend on IVF. When I tried to look up IVF for $5500 in the US today, I could not find it. Now you have to go overseas to find that price. So the $350ish I spent, today would have saved me about $15,000 in IVF costs.
I listed where I bought the herbs and vitamins from, but if you have a local herbal store, you might want to start there. Also as I was researching the herbs, I ran across many helpful tips in aiding to conceive. Some people may find these tips useful as well.
The best time to conceive is between the 14th and the 17th of a woman’s cycle. Sperm can stay alive in the woman for up to 36 hours. The best time for pregnancy sex is the day before ovulation, so the sperm is already waiting for the egg. There is only about 12 hours after the egg is released for ovulation to occur. When trying to conceive, a couple should have sex about every other day all month long, this way you guarantee sperm is present and the man will be producing more active sperm. If the man has a low sperm count, your doctor may recommend less frequency. (The Maca should help with this as well.)
The best position to be in is the missionary position, with the man on top. If the woman has an orgasm, it will help get the sperm where it needs to go. Placing a pillow under your behind for about five minutes after sex will also help keep the sperm where you need it. Do not douche while trying to conceive, as this can cause an acidic environment which may kill the sperm. If you have problems with vaginal mucus being too thick, you can take guaifenesin (Mucinex) which is used to help clear your nasal mucus.
I hope this information is helpful to all who are trying to conceive. I understand the pain that infertility brings and I wish for no one to have to suffer being childless.
