who's taken Chinese herbs to help their condition?

[Angie65]

Hello everyone,

I'm pulling myself together after my 4th BFN and have a question about Chinese medicine. Never in a million years did I think I'd be doing acupuncture but I have done for the last 2 cycles. Now my Chinese dr lady is suggesting taking the herbs too - for 3 months before starting anymore IVF.

The timing suits me as I am not doing IVF again until the end of the year but I wanted to know about anyone's experience with herbs. Did it help? In what what way? what issues did you have and how did the herbs improve it? Is it a load of b***sh*t?

Any feedback, negative or positive gratefully received.

Wishing you all the very best with your treatment.

[CarolynB]

Hi Angie

I feel for you so very much. You know where I am if I can help at all. PM me if you want to rant or talk at all.

I was not sure about any of this stuff but also have done acu for the last two attempts and the current 4th try. No idea if it is helping but like you will try anything.

My acu has given me weird herbs. I take them but just during AF. They are supposed to 'clean me out'. Cannot tell you much about them as thrown the bottle away other than they taste foul and they are a brown colour. I take them 3 times per day during AF. Just a cap full each time.

I do because I will do anything that I can to try to make this work.

I hope that others will be able to help you too.

Huge Hugs
Carolyn
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Jane37]

Dear Angie,
Sorry about your BFN.
I have been taking Chinese herbs since my laparoscopy in February. I have my first IUI next week and my Chinese doctor has given me lots of diet advice and herbs to help support me through it.
I have to say that although they taste absolutely horrendous they have really helped regulate my cycle and I just had a three and a half day pain free AF. I have also had spotting from ovulation to AF ever since I came off the pill and conventional doctors have just said it's hormonal and given me extra progesterone. I have taken no hormones since February and the spotting is now almost gone because of the herbs, the Chinese doctor is the only person who has tried to treat the cause of the problem and we're almost there. I generally feel better too, have more energy and feel 'cleaner' if that makes sense. However, no BFP yet .
I am very lucky, I have found a doctor who has really helped (but it's cost a lot!). Along with the acupuncture I now feel more positive and that we have a chance so I'm definitely for the herbs!!!
Good luck,
Jane

[newjourney]

Hey everyone, I've just started doing some research on eastern medicine and how it can help with fertility. Wow! I always thought it was just about herbs and needles. Needless to say, it's alot more involved. I would suggest taking a more holistic approach, including researching Qi Gong, Accupunture, and Chinese Herbs. Find the right practioner is key, as each of us can react differently to the various treatment plans. I've heard of many success stories when done correctly!

Good luck.

[bernie01]

Hi all and Angie65

I tried acupuncture, cupping and boiled up the most horrendous looking twigs and roots you have ever seen in your life - my dh called it dirty river Thames water. It stank the house out and he took great delight calling me a hubbling bubbling witch (which on that instance I guess I was!)!!! But I did it for 3 months and gave up - that was during our days of "trying" before we hit the ivf/icsi world.

Personally at that stage I thought it distracted me. It gave me something else to think about other than trying for a baby, if you know what I mean. I do think it regulated me and I felt more in touch with my body (that sounds abit hippified but hopefully you know what I mean) but, I also did feel very drained by it, not revived at all (at one stage I was seeing the Chinese dr 3 times a week). The cupping made my back look just shocking. Maybe I didnt have a great Chinese dr.

I am only about to start my first cycle this month and thought about whether to have the acupuncture & dirty river Thames water, but decided not to do it, to be honest I dont think I have the energy to do that as well as all the medical stuff. Whether I would feel the same after more attempts I dont know.

I am now rambling, but I do recon with all of these things you must do and try everything. Never have regrets in life, if you dont try it you wont know, and if you've considered it, how will you feel if you have no joy this time around? Will you wish you had?

There is your answer, but be prepared the tea is foul (it will make you heave to start with) I wouldnt advise the cupping and I am not so sure it is recommended during an ivf cycle. Acupuncture - well I used it as a quiet 30 minutes for a little kip with twinkling music!

Sweet dreams.

Bernie
x

[stressball]

Hi,
I consumed chinese herbs for almost 3 months. The first fifteen days I was traeted by a Doc..and I observed improvement in my period ( less pain, less flow) but then I was treated by another doc and my symptoms worsened...So eventually I stopped the herbs and just did accupunture. All this was done last year in Summer. I did my fisrt ivf in May June 2007 with one accu....but BFN...I am now planning to do just the accupunture before my FET in Aug.

Bbay dust,
Sanya

[Tracii]

Hi, I am a huge advocate of TCM and can recommend a great book called the Infertility Cure by Dr. Randine Lewis..it was my bible while TTCing.

I did acu and chinese herbs for over 1 year prior to getting pregnant naturally (although mc'ed) and then getting the BFP and delivering a very healthy daughter in november 06. My doc could explain the infertility where western medicine could not..I had alot of very bad strong issues which were causing me infertility. The herbs that you cook are horrendous! But I wanted a baby desperately a cooked up this nasty concoction every week. Not sure how they work but I guess it depends upon what the doctor believes are your issues. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions - and never give up your dreams!

[Dexter]

Hi Tracii,
Just had to reply to your post. I am officially one of the biggest skeptics you'll ever meet LOL, but after 2 failed IVF attemps I went and saw a very accredited Chinese herbalist by the name of LILY LIU here is Sydney Australia and after a month on the herbs I fell pregnant naturally! I was astounded and the only thing I could put it down to was the herbs. I had been off the pill for 5 years and not even a scare of a pregnancy!! SO my answer to your question is it is definitely worth the effort. I did do accupuncture with IVF and got 15 eggs but only 3 viable embryos that all resulted in BFN but I've heard there are even scientific studies to prove acupuncture has a higher success rate when done in conjunction with IVF.

Unfortunately my 'natural' pregnancy resulted in m/c at 6 weeks but I am now back on the herbs for the 2nd month and am hoping for a repeat miracle.

Just be careful as some doc's don't advise taking herbs while on the IVF drugs, so talk to your specialist about it. I am also on AMBROTOSE PLUS COMPLEX which is another vitamin I have researched and supposed to help with cell to cell communication and regulating hormones, same kind of things as the herbs.

Give it a try, what have you got to lose? They are disgusting though :-/
I guess everyone has a different experience on them, kind of like IVF itself!!

Good luck
Dexter

[Jane37]

Have you seen this in the news this morning?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/stor ... 42,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1774

I guess it's important that your Chinese doctor knows what meds you are on and that your specialist knows what you are doing too. Then just trust them both! These articles haven't changed my point of view, I'd rather try and do something than nothing.

Dexter, sorry to hear about your miscarriage, hope that it's second time lucky. Tracii, congrats and thanks for the book recommendation.

Jane

[Dexter]

Sorry Tracii,
Meant to respond to Angie's post and put your name up the top instead!
Dex

[Angie65]

Thanks so much for your replies girls. I guess in short - nothing to lose (despite the articles!) as long as you can keep your stress levels down which I am working hard at.

If nothing else, 3 months on the herbs may help regulate my cycles (at present, it's a case of what cycle?) so I think I will give it a shot. I see a Chinese Dr here - I do trust her and like her and she definitely says her herbs are not to be taken with IVF drugs - so as I won't be doing a cycle until Oct, I can start doing the herbs.

Also apparently they are powder - just mix with hot water - so need for boiling like a witch at the cauldron.

All the best and thanks again! This board is an amazing source of info.

[WX74]

Hi,

I am 28 and dh is 26, he checks out fine, thank goodness. I quit bcp in summer and nothing happened. 11 months passed with only one period. So we tried provera and clomid for 5 cycles, which resulted in 3 O's, lots of unpleasant side effects but no pg.

On Dec I got af and 3 days later I had my first appt with a TCM practitioner. He said I didn't need acupuncture as it apparently only helps if you have it regularly and I lived a long way from the practitioner. But he prescribed my a tubful of ground herbs that I took in hot water twice a day as a kind of tea. It tasted revolting but it was worth it. After only 11 days of taking the tea, I ovulated. Incredible with my track record! But unlike my previous 3 clomid ovulations, it occurred without me being aware of it because my typical signs (sore breasts and twinges) weren't there. It was a painfree ovulation this time!

About 3 weeks after beginning the herbs I took my basal temperature (just to check if I had O'd) that I realised I had. I was amayed that I had a high temp because although the practitioner prmised me that my periods would resulme within 3-7 months, this was 11 days!! With hindsight I remember seeing ewcm at New Years but didn't think there was enough for O to be immenent.

I continued to track my temps and this morning I took an htp. I got a positive result almost immediately and my husband and I have been in shock all day.

We were both thrilled that I O'd this cycle, and so quickly but we can hardly believe our luck that we got a positive result on our first natural cycle, even if we have been trying for 18 months.

I have great faith in TCM and I hope that this will encourage someone to think about it for themselves. I have heard countless success stories and I truly believed that the herbs would help me but I never expected to be blessed so quickly.

I think my due date is near, no doubt I will find out soon enough.

Best wishes and GOOD LUCK to you all,
Samantha

[Chinamiff]

I have lived in China for 6 years and in the last 2 years I've had 4 failed IVF's in the UK.

The UK IVF clinic does not advocate taking TCM, I think mainly because they have no idea of its effects.

Before my last IVF i had accupunture for 4 months, unfortunately I was not successful and I have to say I didn't feel much benefit from it, however I know a lot of people who have found it helpful.

Last week I started seeing an IVF doctor in Shanghai. She advised me that TCM given by a qualified practitioner can have good results for some women, however many TCM doctors are not qualified enough and do not always understand how the TCM effects the western IVF medicines. Her advise is to thoroughly investigate the TCM doctor and ask what successes they have had.

I have my last FET in UK in September 07. If that does not work then I will do IVF in China, my Chinese IVF doctor will recommend a TCM practitioner. If I do start on TCM i will publish the official names of the medicine on the website in Pingyin. This is the english equivilant of Chinese alphabet, with this information you will be able to discuss with your local TCM doctors.

Good luck everyone