Sede

Sede, I'm just seeing your reply today in the 'junk' comment. I have no idea why it flagged your comment. I'm really sorry if you thought I purposely didn't publish your comment or was ignoring you. 

Stupid blogger!!!!

You've been through a lot. I'm sorry the ovulation induction didn't work. It might have just been that your internal system is too inflamed to respond. You are on the right track though! One thing I will say is FIGHT FOR METFORMIN! You have to be your own advocate. Not all RE's are ‘adventurous’ enough to take the Metformin route with thin cysters, however there is evidence to suggest that even thin cysters do benefit from Metformin. Do check out SoulCysters, there are links to scientific/peer reviewed articles that you can print out and take to your RE on your next visit as evidence to suggest that even with thin cysters using Met with Clomid (ovulation induction) has been shown to be more effective than just clomid alone. You've done a lot and clearly your body is still not ovulating, at this point it's worth a try. Some women have to beat down the doors of their RE's before they listen to them. If he/she isn't listening, then change RE's.

Piling on fat around the abdomen is a classic symptom of IR even if your blood work comes back normal. My fasting glucose was normal, so was my testosterone. Apparently the typical glucose test doesn't pick up IR. Sometimes a woman can still have pcos but her hormone profile appears normal.

I’m glad your Dh is supportive (screw the inlaws!). There is a lot he too can do to improve the quality of the swimmers. Eating organic food has been proven to boost sperm quality. I read somewhere that organic male farmers have their sperms in the range of 50million or so… (can’t remember exactly).

I know how you feel and it’s a good thing you’ve decided to go down the natural route but don’t put too much pressure on yourself in the process.

Do you know how people always say you should relax and it will happen? I swear to you I’ve heard it so often I felt like stabbing people in the eye whenever they said it to me. But there is some ring of truth to it because the cycle I got my BFP I had abandoned all hopes of conceiving that month. I reluctantly BD’ed and I was even jabbing my left ovaries in frustration when I realized I was ovulating from the left tube that month. And it happened.

So please, do try and relax, even though it's easier said than done. Look at the positives: your tubes are open, everything else is normal and Dh’s swimmers can be boosted. The acupuncture will help regulate things down there. Go easy on the herbs though. You can use OPK’s to monitor your cycles in case you get any surges to see if your body is trying to ovulate. You can get highly sensitive ones off Ebay at a ridiculously cheap price and trust me they work just as well.  

Tips to bring on AF – you’re already doing most of it!  Since you’ve just started the natural approach it might take a while, but you are certainly on the right track. Having estrogen dominance (you can Google natural ways to reduce estrogen dominance) can disrupt the cycles. Adding lots of fibre to your diet helps with that because fibre helps get rid of excess estrogen. Cutting out refined carbs – sugar, white rice, white potatoes, anything made with white flour REALLY helps trim tummy fat. So does regular exercise, which you are already doing. I go the extra mile to avoid cosmetics that contain endocrine disruptors like paraben. I only use natural oils to moisturize. Eating organic food, regularly detoxing also helps. Other tips, in terms of what I did personally –

- Having a glass of diluted vinegar or fresh lemon juice first thing in the morning and during the day before each meal.

- Regularly consuming flax seed (linseed) to increase omega 3 levels which also help reduce oestrogen dominance. I noticed this the very month I started taking it. The whole seed works best, but if you can powder it and use it immediately that too is good. I prefer the golden one to the brown, but they’re essentially the same.

- Also I forgot to mention us African women living in the non-tropics tend to be vitamin D deficient compared to the average Caucasian. You can take vitamn D3 supplements or get more sunshine if you think you’re not getting enough. Some women have brought on ovulation just by increasing their vitamin D levels.

- Cinnamon with meals. If you can’t stand the taste you can go for the pills.

- I read that turmeric helps reduce inflammation. Didn’t try it personally but you can research it.

- Green tea. Lots of it. It’s high in anti-oxidants. Some cysters swear by it.

- Spearmint tea and peppermint tea. I personally swear by them.

- Try not to eat heavy meals after 7pm because its more likely to be stored away as fat.

- Try to eat as much raw food as you can in terms of fruits and veggies. An alkaline diet as a result of cooked foods worsens inflammation. Juicing helps!

That’s all I can remember for now. If any more come to mind I’ll add to the list. I didn’t do all these things overnight. They became a habit over a period of time, so do take it easy. You’ll get there, I believe you’ll ovulate by God’s Grace. Remember you’re not trying to batter your body into ovulating but nourishing it and healing it so it can do its job properly. Have faith and think positively. Don’t poke your ovaries out of frustration, hehehe… I truly and genuinely wish you and your Dh the best.

Do keep me posted I'd love to hear about your journey and if there’s anything else you think I can help with, I’ll be more than happy to help, :)