Low BBT on agnus castus

[takethatlady]

Hi there.

I came off the pill in April and since then have had only three cyles. The first cycle I didn't track anything and the cycle was 32 days long. In the second cycle I still didn't track but I noticed loads of EWCM on CD33 and AF 14 days later (so 47 day cycle). Last cycle I charted my temperatures and CM: my temperatures were generally around 97.18 until CD35, and I had increasing amounts of EWCM from CD31-35. On CD36, no EWCM and temps increased to 97.5 and 97.6 most days. I got a BFPs from CD46 onwards but miscarried on CD51.

So my cycles have been 32, 47 and 51 days' length, and my luteal phase is around 14 days.

My question is about this month. I have started taking agnus castus to try to bring down the length of my follicular phase. I suspect that the mc may have been caused by having such a long cycle and releasing 'geriatric eggs' (I hate that term!) But almost as soon as I started taking it my temps were down to 96.5-96.8, which seems really low. I had EWCM on Monday and Tuesday this week (CDs 19 and 20), but in much less quantity than the other months. Since then my temperatures have gone up to 97.18! This is the exact same temperature I had last cycle before ovulation!

Has anybody else experienced this? Is it part of it levelling out my hormones, or am I just doing my temps wrong? I'm not 100% convinced I've ov'd because it just didn't feel the same as the last two cycles. I also had ovulation pains those last two cycles, like period cramps, and have had nothing this month. Is this common on agnus castus?

Thanks in advance!

Hi

The pill leaves your system very quickly after taking the last tablet so something else is at work here.

I would actually be looking to have blood tests done by your GP sooner rather than later to see what your hormone levels are like as there may be a hormonal imbalance present. You need a day 2 test to measure and compare your LH level against that of your FSH level. Imbalances of these two can indicate hormonal problems which can be treated. Long cycles can be indicative of such problems - a common culprit in this regard is a condition called polycystic ovaries. Another possible cause is problems with the thyroid gland.

Taking your temp is also not adviseable if cycles are consistently irregular.

Some GPs do not take much if any real notice of any possible LPD - there is much debate over whether this is actually a problem or not.

It may be that you are not ovulating regularly; many cycles over 35 days can be anovulatory. A "normal" cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days or with less than 4 days of variation from month to month.

Self medicating with AC is not always adviseable in these circumstances and it can make things worse; you'd be better off seeing and speaking to a properly qualified medical herbalist re dosages if you still wanted to try AC.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost. Do not be fobbed off and seek help from the GP.

Thanks atilla.

Although the pill leaves your body very quickly medical opinion seems to be that it can take up to a year for many women's cycles to return to normal and that long cycles, over the 'normal' 35 day limit, are common. I don't think I have a LPD (if by that you mean luteal phase defect) since on both cycles I have tracked it it was 14 days long. As I said, my temperatures seemed to reveal a normal pattern (though a long one) last cycle, which did result in conception.

On the AC, if I did ovulate on Tuesday as I suspect, then this would mean it had brought down my follicular phase by 10-12 days, and that my period will come on CD36 which is much closer to the 'normal range'.

All of this makes me suspect that a GP will definitely attempt to fob me off! But after this cycle is over, if it hasn't resulted in conception I will go for blood tests. Thank you.

Has anybody else, however, had lower BBT on vitex? Just wanted to find out how common/uncommon this might be.

Sorry - that long cycles are common in the year after coming off the pill

takethat

Have you always had long cycles, particularly from starting menstruation?.

I have always had such problems with my cycle and in my case the cause was PCOS. Not suggesting that this is the case with your good self but it is something that needs to be looked into particularly if cycles have always been irregular.

Good luck this month and do seek medical help if you do not conceive.

I've just posted a separate question about agnus castus. I can't answer lots of your questions, but just wanted to let you know the changes I'd noticed.

This is my first month of taking it and I had blood in my ewcm for the first time (sorry if tmi ). Furthermore, I didn't get any ovulation pain, which is normally a standard and noticeable thing for me every month. I'm assuming both of those changes were due to agnus castus as nothing else has changed this month.

Hi there! Please be gentle: what is the role of Synge cactus in ttc? And upon whose recommendation are you ladies taking it? Do you know of anyone who took it which then led to a successful pregnancy?

Sorry for going awol yesterday - had a really busy day and couldn't back to MN! Thanks attila. It's tricky to tell as I went on the pill when I was 16 and my periods had not settled down yet. I don't know how long my cycles were as at the time I took no notice, but they were definitely very irregular and sometimes very very heavy. For the last 9 years of being on the pill I had no periods at all and they've been normal (not really heavy, not really light) since I came off it. I do worry about PCOS - a friend of mine (now with baby ) has it.

To answer fedup's question, that same friend was the one who recommended the agnus castus to me. Not sure what 'synge castus' is (a typo???). There are some clinical studies suggesting that agnus castus (which is a herb and can be taken in tablet or tincture form) acts on the pituitary gland to increase luteinising hormone, which in turn increases progesterone levels. It is supposed to lengthen your luteal phase if yours is too short (mine isn't) or, if your overall cycle is long due to a long follicular phase, it's supposed to bring it down. Lots of people on MN take it and there are loads of threads about it. However, the clinical studies are few and the research on it is far from fully conclusive.

Just type it into google, or googlescholar, and you'll find more.