Help For Lil Sis

10 March, 20:05, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , , ,
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I am so pleased to say that my little sister heeded my advice and went “au-naturale” for her fertility treatment like I did and now her cycle is already regulated within the first month! I read on their website that Fertibella regulates women with irregular periods within the first month usually, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they weren’t kidding. It’s lousy that we inherited some kind of hormonal disruptions (thanks, mum!) but it’s good that we can treat it easily, without any invasive or expensive procedures. I hope I can reach a few people with this blog who have been pondering these weighty questions about their fertility. Everyone will try to tell you it’s expensive and that you need a prescription. 9 times out of 10, you don’t. I mean, sure, there are people with 1 ovary or structural problems that Fertibella can’t help, but those cases are more the exception than the rule. Why not have us try something affordable and natural first? That’s all I’m saying.

Baby Riley’s Here!

03 February, 18:40, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , ,
4 comments

fertibella

It doesn’t take long for border collies and babies to become best friends. They know who is easy to mooch off! And don’t babies just smell so sweet? My younger sister got the mom bug once baby Riley came about! However, she is also have trouble TTC. Naturally, I recommended Fertibella to her, thinking maybe we have the same PCOS issue. How strange.

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting…

17 October, 19:09, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 comments
Call me crazy, but I didn’t want to go through the rollercoaster rides of the ovulation tests and pregnancy tests. I was just going to wait for my period not to come. That would be my proof that it’s time to visit Dr. Sue and tell her the good news!

Two months in, sure enough… I’m 36 and pregnant!! 

It’s weird, but I almost felt like my dogs sensed the changes before I did. Suddenly, they stopped sleeping in the bed and instead chose to align themselves around the perimeter of the bed. They would occasionally growl when they heard a creak, until they saw my husband come. Thankfully, they decided he was “no threat to mommy!” Dogs are smart.

I am really glad I found Fertibella. Otherwise, I would have been taken down a hellish road of ingesting bizarre chemicals and having odd cameras jammed inside of me… or I would have subscribed myself to the fact that I would just never have children.

In my day, I’ve seen plenty of this…

And this…
Now it’s time for this…
And I couldn’t be happier!
If you have PCOS, don’t lose hope, girl. Visit www.fertibella.com and get yourself some holistic healing like I did! Also, listen to your body… do what’s right, lifestyle-wise. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and get rid of toxins from your diet or environment. PCOS is a setback, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Fertility is possible.

This Is What’s Really Scary

05 September, 18:48, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
9 comments
What’s really scary about being diagnosed with PCOS is what your doctor says next.”Now we’re going to go ahead and give you a laparoscopy, MMMMMK?”

“We’re just going to check for cysts inside your body, MMMMMMK?”

I wanted to scream: NO IT’S NOT OK! IT’S FREAKIN SCARY!

Next he says, “Well I strongly recommend that you start taking Metformin and Birth Control right away.”

My friends will laugh about this… because they know I’m one of those yoga-loving, green tea swilling, holistic healing type of gals. NO WAY did I want to put these drugs into my body. I said something to the effect of…

“I don’t know how to put this, but lactic acidosis, diarrhea, cramping, nausea, vomiting, vitamin malabsorption… that just doesn’t jive with me. I don’t want to be on this nightmare drug you speak of.”

Fine. Suit yourself. That’s what your doctor will say. If you don’t want expensive and invasive treatments, you’re S.O.L. I’m afraid. Don’t you know this is what the American Medical System is based on, lady?

What Is PCOS?

01 September, 18:38, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
10 comments
Alright Pam… what the heck is PCOS? All my girlfriends have asked me this when I dropped the bomb on them. They had been with me through all the crying and confusion years, mind you. Now five years later, here I was, shrugging it off and telling them matter-of-factly, “Well, it’s PCOS, of course! That’s it. It’s just PCOS.” This meant nothing to them. I could see it in the blank look in their eyes. To put it in its simplest terms, PCOS is a type of hormone imbalance that affects your ability to become pregnant. To call it by its full name… PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome… sounds so ugly. So I call it by its more quaint-sounding name “Pcos.” It almost sounds like a character from Pokemon or something, doesn’t it?

The point is, I told my gaggle of girlfriends, it’s a good thing we caught it now. Otherwise, it could have led to BIG problems… diabetes and heart disease, if you really want to know. So what has happened to me, for reasons unknown, is that my body is producing too many androgens. I know you’ve noticed that little bit of facial hair I was getting and didn’t want to say anything. The hair on my head’s gotten a little thinner. I break out with acne like a teenager from time to time. I gained a little mid-age paunch and can’t seem to lose it, even though I consider myself to be fairly active. (Having a farm full of border collies gives you no other choice!) My periods have been irregular for years, but we never talk about Aunt Flo, do we? It’s gross. And yes, I’ve been a little depressed… which is why we cry over a bottle of wine every now and then. This is all the culmination of PCOS. It would have been nice of mom to let me know she had PCOS because it tends to run in families. I try not to think about “what might have been” had I been tested for PCOS five years ago.

For those of you who don’t know me… Hi, I’m Pam… I like gardening, yoga, all things organic, and breeding border collies from my home in Seattle, WA… and this is my story of trying to get pregnant at the ripe old age of 36 after 5 years of living with undiagnosed PCOS and fertility problems.

A Natural Treatment

02 September, 18:59, by myttcjournal.com Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 comments
You might think that’s where the story ends. No, no, it doesn’t. I got a new doctor shortly thereafter… one who is in-the-know with herbal remedies, lifestyle changes rather than auto-drugging, and pretty savvy with the Internet. So she tells me about a supplement many of her other patients have mentioned to her before. It’s called Fertibella, she says, and it’s comprised of natural ingredients with no known side effects.Great! Sign me up!

So I ordered my free trial of Fertibella online. When it came in the mail 10 days later, I scrutinized the label, as I rather enjoy doing because I’m a holistic junkie. (Call it a hobby of mine!) Here’s what I discovered about the ingredients in Fertibella…

angelica sinensis
This herb is used by herbalists for the female reproductive system, as they believe that it is a
uterine tonic and hormonal regulator. It is often used in premenstrual syndrome formulas as well as menopausal formulas.
glycyrrhiza – licorice
It is considered demulcent (soothing to irritated membranes), expectorant (loosening and helping to
expel congestion in the upper respiratory tract), and stimulates mucous secretions of the trachea.
Other well-documented activities include significant antiinflammatory effects, a protectant effect on the
liver against toxic substances and antiallergic activity.
viburnum opulus
This herb is often used for treating feminine problems like menstrual cramps, postpartum discomfort, preventing miscarriages and internal hemorrhages and is used as a uterine sedative also. Additionally,
it has a reputation for lowering diastolic blood pressure because of a reputed action on smooth muscle, and is both a smooth and skeletal muscle relaxant and antispasmodic.
Folic Acid
Vitamin B9 (folic acid and folate inclusive) is essential to numerous bodily functions ranging from nucleotide biosynthesis to the remethylation of homocysteine. he human body needs folate to synthesize DNA, repair DNA, and methylate DNA as well as to act as a cofactor in biological reactions involving folate. It is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth. Both children and adults require folic acid to produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anemia. Folate and folic acid derive their names from the Latin word folium (which means “leaf”). Leafy vegetables are a principal source, although in Western diets fortified cereals and bread may be a larger dietary source. A lack of folic acid leads to folate deficiency (FD). This can result in many health problems, most notably neural tube defects in developing embryos. Low folate can also lead to homocysteine accumulation as a result of one carbon metabolism mechanism being impaired. DNA synthesis and repair are impaired and this could lead to cancer development.
apis mellifica – european honey bee honey
Antioxidant, antibacterial agent.
Iron
iron is an essential component of proteins involved in oxygen transport. It is also essential for the
regulation of cell growth and differentiation. A deficiency of iron limits oxygen delivery to cells,
resulting in fatigue, poor work performance, and decreased immunity. On the other hand, excess
amounts of iron can result in toxicity and even death.
Calcium
A vital bone building block. ***The vital ingredient in the process of triggering growth in the embryos
could have been extra calcium in the surrounding fluid.***
thyroidinum – dehydrated sheep thyroid
Balances thyroid function. Should be taken with caution if on any other thyroid medication.
Progesterone
Progesterone is sometimes called the “hormone of pregnancy”, and it has many roles relating to the development of the fetus:
  • Progesterone converts the endometrium to its secretory stage to prepare the uterus for
  • implantation. At the same time progesterone affects the vaginal epithelium and cervical mucus,
  • making it thick and impermeable to sperm. If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone levels will decrease, leading, in the human, to menstruation. Normal menstrual bleeding is progesterone withdrawal bleeding.
  • During implantation and gestation, progesterone appears to decrease the maternal immune response to allow for the acceptance of the pregnancy.
  • Progesterone decreases contractility of the uterine smooth muscle.
  • In addition progesterone inhibits lactation during pregnancy. The fall in progesterone levels following delivery is one of the triggers for milk production.
  • A drop in progesterone levels is possibly one step that facilitates the onset of labor.
The fetus metabolizes placental progesterone in the production of adrenal steroids.
paeonia alba
Peony root is used to relax muscle and cleanse the blood. It is one of the most highly prized
women’s herbs used traditionally to help regulate the female hormonal cycle and to tone up and
purify the blood. It is used as a pain reducing agent and also as an emotional stabilizer for women.
It is said to relieve cramps and spasms anywhere in the body. Peony root is also believed to extend
life and to promote beauty.
Panax Ginseng
Promotes Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery
from weakness after illness, and stimulates the body.
Juniperus Sabina:
This one I find interesting. It is from the juniper bush (juniperus sabina) and is a symbol of fertility,
however it was also the most common form of birth control in the middle ages and was often used
to stimulate spontaneous abortion. I suppose in small amounts it might be used for its antioxidant
properties, but I can’t find any information online about its usefulness for helping conception.
agnus castus – chasteberry or vitex
Agnus Castus has not been significantly investigated for its therapeutic effects. However, preliminary investigations do indeed show the presence of compounds which are able to adjust the production of
female hormones. Studies have shown that extracts of Agnus castus can stimulate the release of
Leutenizing Hormone (LH) and inhibit the release of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This suggests
that the volatile oil has a progesterone-like effect. Its benefits stem from its actions upon the pituitary
gland specifically on the production of luteinizing hormone. This increases progesterone production and
helps regulate a woman’s cycle. Agnus Castus may also regulate prolactin secretion. The ability to
decrease excessive prolactin levels may benefit infertile women.

bioflavinoids 
antioxidant properties
Para aminobenzoic acid
Nutritional supplement that may help with absorbtion of folic acid. also known as PABA. Lots of hype
about PABA, but not a lot of medically backed support for usefulness in treating infertility.
Zinc gluconate (the gluconate helps the zinc’s absorbtion to your cells)
Zinc is used by every cell in the body for both structural and energy producing functions. Zinc is also a precursor for many biochemical reactions and for protein production. One of the most important uses
of Zinc in the body is for protein synthesis. With our proper amounts of zinc and protein synthesis,
human development can be delayed during pregnancy, childhood or even adolescence.
Selenium
In humans, selenium is a trace element nutrient which functions as cofactor for reduction of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidases and certain forms of thioredoxin reductase found in animals
Sounds good to me. I started taking 1/day with meals, as directed.