Anyone else taking Agnus Castus ? Any sucess stories ?

[worzsel]

I started taking Ac and Epo this month on the recomendation of a friend after 18 months ttc and some very dodgy cycles. Is anyone else takign it or have any AC words of wisdom ?

I'd love to here some sucess stories if there are any.

an AC buddy would be lovely too

[NKF]

I know someone who believes AC helped regulate her cycle (and led to twins). I don't know wath Epo is.

[worzsel]

Evening Primrose Oil.. sorry i should have said !

Twins.. that'd be fantastic although to be honest i'd be more then happy with the one !

[welshprincess]

hi worzel
i have taken AC recently but only up to the point of ovulation- i read that somewhere. im also having reflexology so i cant be 100%that it changed my cycle from spotting on day 19 to only spotting on day 23/24 ( 27 day cycle).
if this month doesnt give me a bfp im going to take AC for the whole month
what does EPO do for your cycle? ill take it if it helps!!
even though ive only been ttc for 8 months im at the point of try anything just get me a bfp!
i will keep you updated!
x wp

[worzsel]

www.babyhopes.com/articles/epo.html

I only started taking it a few days ago so i cant tell you if it's made any difference yet.
we've been trying 18 months and have pu toff trying anything atall apart from folic acid untill now but like you i have reached the point where i've had enough and am willing to try anything. I am planning to take only tell i ovulate though... presuming i do !

I am interested to see that your a spotter too, I spot before AF, 6 bloody days this month and 3 last month i have had all kinds of investigations at the drs, biopsys, blood tests and ultrasounds and they've found nothing wrong. I 'think' i have some kind of progesterone deficiency but i wont know till june when the dr will refer me to a specialist finally ( )..

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

worzsel

You should be referred now, not next June!!!.
Such problems are often outside a GPS remit and they've likely missed something be it to do with the ultrasound or (more likely) the blood test results.

With regards to the blood test did the GP compare the level of LH against that of FSH?. If this was not done the test is meaningless.
BTW any blood test result done over six months ago should be discounted.

Spotting between periods should be checked out to ascertain the cause; its often not serious but it should be investigated further.

Self medicating with AC is not always a good idea if hormonal imbalances are the underlying cause for irregular periods (a condition called polycystic ovaries is often to blame for such occurences) as this can affect hormone levels markedly. It can actually make things worse.

If you want to use AC it is best to use the services of a qualified medical herbalist. It is also not a good idea to take this without any sort of diagnosis.

Would suggest you refrain from using AC and go all out instead to get a proper diagnosis of the underlying problem. Insist you are referred now and do not take no for an answer.

[worzsel]

I had a pelvic ultrasound to rule out Pcos so i know it isnt that, my cycles are actually quite regular at around 25 to 30 days with the occasional ( 2 in the last year ) 16 day cycle thrown in for good measure its just the spotting and ovulatory issues which i need mending.

I know i ought to have been refered now but my Gp refuses to do anything more untill we've been trying for 2 years which seems mighty unfair to me but i guess thats life. The Dr even said ' oh your probaby be given Clomid' but then refused to prescribe it himself which made me seriously consider buyig it online.. i wont though, tempting as it is, i dont think my body could cope with 5 babies liek that russian woman !
.
My dr even refused to do my day 3 bloods, i have had 2 21 days bloods, one result was 2 and the other was 32. he did however give me a pot for df to produce a sample which is like getting blood from a stone as df thinks he's sperminator as we were pregnant after 10 weeks last time !

Do you think Ac could cause problems then ? i have done a fair bit of online research and several (pregnant) friends swear by it.. i really am at the point of being willing to try anything..

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

PCOS can cause ovulatory issues. Not saying you do have this but it cannot be ruled out on the basis of one ultrasound.

The spotting between periods should be investigated further as a matter of course.

Your GP frankly has been useless to date and has not even bothered to do a day 3 test which would give you more clues. TBH I'd look into changing practices.

I would also have a look at the NICE guidelines re fertility treatment. Think its very unfair that you've been told 2 plus years before being referred (also a referral may take months to arrange). Many gynaes like to see people after a year of ttc without success.

Both of you need to be tested in tandem; its little point testing you solely first off only to discover that there are male factor problems later on down the line. Its no slur on his masculinity or virility (something that many men who have to give samples worry about).

Would not self medicate with AC; if you really want to go down that route I'd speak to a qualified medical herbalist. Infact I would not take this anyway because you do not have a diagnosis.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

PCOS can cause ovulatory issues. Not saying you do have this but it cannot be ruled out on the basis of one ultrasound.

The spotting between periods should be investigated further as a matter of course.

Your GP frankly has been useless to date and has not even bothered to do a day 3 test which would give you more clues. TBH I'd look into changing practices.

I would also have a look at the NICE guidelines re fertility treatment. Think its very unfair that you've been told 2 plus years before being referred (also a referral may take months to arrange). Many gynaes like to see people after a year of ttc without success.

Both of you need to be tested in tandem; its little point testing you solely first off only to discover that there are male factor problems later on down the line. Its no slur on his masculinity or virility (something that many men who have to give samples worry about).

Would not self medicate with AC; if you really want to go down that route I'd speak to a qualified medical herbalist. Infact I would not take this anyway because you do not have a diagnosis.

[worzsel]

i looked at the nice guidelines and say they say after 12 months, i could go back and see a different dr i guess and wave them under her nose and demand to be refered.. might get me somewhere ?

I will continue with the Ac this cycle, i've started now so i may aswell see if it changes anything and then maybe after then i'll have got a little farther along with my useless Dr.

Thanks for your in put, i really appreciate you knowledge.

[Nancy66]

Just to let you know that I tried Agnus castus and it was a disaster for me.
With hindsight I was stupid to use it but I'm 41 and TTC and just that the 'well it can't do any harm' attitude.
It made my regular cycles erratic and the second month I took it I didn't ovulate at all. Now I'm off it I am back to normal - so please tread with caution

[kayjayel]

EPO worked for me first month (month 6 of trying) and I definitely saw dramatic increase in CM (from not much there to 6 days of obvious stuff! ). If it wasn't for CM I would have thought it was just chance, but I'm definitely a believer. Took it Days 1-15 (I ovulate day 17-18).

Made my boobs hurt like mad though - felt like post-ov but throughout cycle.

I agree with other posters to be careful with supplements though. From what I've read on MN Agnus Cactus seems to be stronger than EPO.

[beller]

Well i have always had irregular cycles...I was told about it by a friend, and took it for 2 months..wasnt trying to coneive (Actually was using the persona as contraception), also was training for the marathon..anyway...fell pregnant!!! I have been told i have fertility problems (Tried to conceive for 3 years before). I am now 35 weeks pregnant....Boyfriend didnt stick around as it wasnt planned I cant blame him i suppose...but I think it was a cross between healthy living (marathon training) and the AC. Good luck xx

[Pics]

I took Agnus Castus to regulate my cycle after about 6 months of TTC and finding that the irregular cycle I had always had was driving me nuts. I also knew that I had once had polycystic ovaries as I took part in a research study in Oxford about 10 years ago, although they thought that many women had them and they sometimes go of their own accord (but I fit the overweight category!).

Within 2 months my periods were regualr (every 28 days, when were anything between 30 and 45 before) and conceived another 4 months later - now have very healty baby girl.

I can't remeber the exact amount I took - but I had found some information on the web that advised taking it first thing in the morning, before any other food and drink, and i took half the amount in the second half of my cycle. I took the drops in water. I think it was something like 15 drops in the first half, and 7 in the second, but DON'T take me at my word for that as I can't remember.

[worzsel]

I just thought i's post on here that i got my BFP yesterday.

19 months ttc #2.. first month takign agnus castus and i'm pregnant !

SO EXCITED !

[Theochris]

Many congrats! Wonderful news.

How much did you take? Just until you ovulated? Did you get the capsules from Holland and B?

Did you guess I'm thinking about this myself

[Theochris]

I was mostly talking about the AC but any tips on the epo would also be welcome!

[worzsel]

i dont know where they came from, i was given them by a friend who didnt need them anymore as she got pregnant first month of taking them too ! when i get home i'll have a look for you though.

I took 2 in the morning with 2 epo, a B6 and a folic acid and then in the evening i took the AC and epo again, 2 of each untill the day after i got my peak on my moniter then i stopped taking the ac & epo but carried on with the FA & B6.

I am truly amazed, this cycle felt completly different the whole way through, i had an inkling we'd cracked it but then started spotting so thought it must have just been the ac affecting me.. how wrong i was, the spotting stopped and i got my bfp.

i would highly recommend it.

[gorgeousfeebie]

Hi,

Just to say taking AC was a sucess story for my friend, who had her first child through IVF & was taking AC for her periods & is now four months gone.

All the best of luck.

[fruitloop79]

'm thinking about taking AC. Not bothered about the self medicating thing cos my cycles cant get much worse - 70days+
Problem is though, I have absolutely no idea when/if I ovulate. How do you know? I dont think I get any signs. Is it ok to use it throughout cycle?

[worzsel]

i think some people do use it throughout their cycles i didnt though as because i have a fertility moniter i know pretty much when i ovulated.. and when i dont.

have you ever used ovulations predictor sticks ?

[fruitloop79]

well I've got some cheapo ebay ones but seeing as my cycle is sooooooooo long I have absolutely no idea when to use them

[worzsel]

buy loads and use them all the way though ? thats probaby what i'd to..

maybe you could try charting ? i never got on with it myself cos my brain doesnt engage untill i've had several cups of tea in the morning and i never remembered to take my temp.. not even once

[worzsel]

buy loads and use them all the way though ? thats probaby what i'd to..

maybe you could try charting ? i never got on with it myself cos my brain doesnt engage untill i've had several cups of tea in the morning and i never remembered to take my temp.. not even once

[fruitloop79]

Yeah I could try that actually. Is there a good time to do it? 1st thing in the morning?
I might wait till my next cycle cos I've probably OV'd by now - if AF ever comes!

No, cant be arsed with temperature taking

[worzsel]

i think i did it at abouut 2pm and always seems to get an accurate reading. your not supposed to use FMU with okps althhough if you have a moniter you are. if your cycles are 70+ days though i wouldnt even think about a moniter, it'd cost you a fortune !