The TTC List of ridiculousness (TIPS)

[hairytriangle]

Some of us on another thread have been swapping tips and ridiculous old wives tales scientifically proven methods - how about we start a list and help each other out.

I'll start.....

Brazil Nuts - good for implantation

Owlshoes my poor DH also has no clue.... gets his pills ground into his Dinner

what is Maca?

clareanna I think thats actually scientifically proven believe it or not, remember hearing it on the radio about 5 year ago! some German study.

Apparently surrounding yourself in Orange things/clothes etc. as Orange is symbolic for fertility?! It was reason enough for me to eat a toffee crisp everyday while going through IVF (with dd!!)

Orange is one I've heard of and I bought orAnge bedding (blush)

I went all terrain cycling yesterday.. Wonder If it might help in the same way as a roller coaster???!!!

Oh Hairy well done for getting this together, I've been meaning to try and collate all these Top Tips for ages!

I'd like to add that this cycle I tried the cough medicine thing for EWCM pre OV and it definitely did the trick but also had a crazily runny nose too which was not so helpful and not particularly attractive!

Another one is Australian Bush Flower tincture She Oak which is supposed to help you not stress specifically about fertility/conception . ... .oh come on, what harm can it do?!

I've done a lot of these things this month (not cat, rollercoaster or orange though) and if it doesn't work I'm adding in some of the others until I have a fully ticked checklist!

I eat three/four brazil nuts every day after OV and drink a glass of pineapple juice (pressed not the 'from concentrate' stuff) at this time also as I read that women doing IVF had often been advised to do this on the LP.

Grinding pills into his dinner?? Nicks that takes the .

Oh; one more : ensuring maximum chance of swimmers ending up in correct place by (ahem) "finishing" one's self post-shag once DH has pottered off to make cup of tea. I just don't do well under pressure, y'know.

Loola that sounds like the best excuse ever for eating toffee crisps. Yum :)

Question: is 'from concentrate' not a good idea post ov??? I'm confused on the grapefruit thing!

Hairy I just know that the 'from concentrate' juices don't have the same nutritional value as the fresh pressed/squeezed varieties and have read that you should buy the fresh as opposed to the 'from concentrate' types.

I'll give you ttc nonsense. Zita West. End of.

'Tis true, the concentrate ones are full of sugar. I will be participating in a bit of nut crunching, grapefruit squashing and pill grinding this forthcoming month

owls i wish DH would bugger off to make himself a pot of tea post Shag.. and let me sleep!

hum! Zita West, whilst arguably the queen of fertility she's not quite god, even though some people worship her as though she was There are lots of alternative idea's out there that aid ttc that aren't advocated by her but that's not to say they won't work. I'm gonna stick to my post shag orgasm for now ... wonder what Zita thinks of that ?!

Mamapower, Zita will probably tell you what she thinks about anything you like if you cross her palm with silver...
Goddess of fertility my fat northern arse! Marketing genius, nice filler and spin-nurse, ya bet cha!

bee pollen!!

I bought some for DH years ago to help his tummy troubles (woman in the shop told me it helped promote intestinal flora) It tastes gross so after one spat out dose I inherited the bottle, and I decided to take it everyday - waste not want not! and then...

A very short time later I got pregnant (unplanned) and when I googled to see if it was safe to keep taking it I found a million sites proclaiming it as a miracle infertility cure!! I have since lent the bottle to a friend who also fell pregnant a short time after.

Want more proof? Before trying to conceive number 2, I just BOUGHT a bottle and got pregnant from just one shag!! Didnt even have time to eat the stuff!

Summary: scientific evidence = zilch
In my option: foolproof plan.

Right that's it, having Googled it myself now and so today I'll be off to Wholefoods to buy some and add it to next cycle's ridiculous schedule - Thanks MA

I was really hoping this was my month but did a sneaky test this morning and BFN (cd28) and now can fell that ol' familiar heaviness and dragging in my lower belly . . ..

Oh goodness Bee Pollen is one I haven't tried - and I thought I'd tried everything! I also haven't tried surrounding myself with orange- it's really not my colour, but needs must..

+++++++++++++++

Here's what I've tried:

Wearing rose quartz (didn't work)

acupuncture (may have helped #1)

baby aspirin (isn't helping, but may have helped #1)

Gaifensin - doesn't work

Preseed et all - doesn't work, but doesn't hurt

Tampon inserted post DTD (tmi, sorry. Not sure if effective, may have helped with #1, not helping #2)

Having a nappy (a clean one!) under bed (hasn't helped)

Fertility hypnotherapy CD (early days)

Burning Baby Powder candle (yankee candle)(hasn't helped, doesn't hurt)

Eating Maca (it tastes gross, but is palatable mixed with barley coffee)(hasn't helped)

Agnus Castus (didn't help, quite the opposite, my cycle went crazy)

B Vits - (didn't help)

Progesterone cream to lengthen luteal phase - (hasn't helped)

Losing weight, going teetotal, cutting caffeine - (hasn't helped)

The big O post-DTD - (wasn't necessary with #1, hasn't helped with #2)

Buying a CBFM - (helped with #1 (didn't get chance to use it!))

Drinking Fertilitea - (doesn't seem to work, but haven't really given it a fair trial)

Fertility bath oil - (rip-off, no use)

Consultation with NHS Fertility Specialist followed by LAP&DYE - did the job 4 months later. This is what worked.

All the rest is b(sht!!

wow sweetsherry hats off to you, that is seriously putting in the effort!!

I have just spent a week taking red clover blossom after 8 weeks of no AF post ERPC for mc (apologies for all the abbreviations, hope you are keeping up ). I guess it has worked as my temp chart says I have ovulated! At least I am one step closer now

Hi MA - yes, and we're feeling kind of weary..

And a little demotivated due to latest BFN..!

(I forgot to add Soy Isoflavones - they didn't work either..)

Good luck to you this time round!

Mummya whats that then? would it help me?

nickstermum Amazon recommended it to me (our relationship goes so deep) when I was looking up pre seed, evening primrose oil, preg test etc) I googled it and it doesnt seem half as potent or well researched as agnus castus -no scientific studies came up. I just found a lot of sites that said it had been used "traditionaly" to cure infertility. Apparently it contains a substance similar to estrogen (estradioil? sorry cant remember) and so I theorised it might help me reach that sacred estrogen threashold needed for ovulation) Sorry lots of maybes here, and no real answers but I was getting pretty fed up waiting for AF and was pretty willing to give anything a go! I have stopped using it now that I have detected ovulation via temping. will let you know what happens next .xxx

MA I went straight to the shops at lunch time...trying to find bee pollen is like trying to find rocking horse poo I did a Lottie and jumped straight on google...there is lots of circumstantial evidence especially regarding it's benefits in fertility! I'm gonna give it a go...fingers crossed! Have also started taking B6...in attempt to help lengthen luteal phase, don't hold out much hope but we'll see, think gp and drugs might be the answer to that one!

rocking horse poo

Bee pollen does look and taste a bit like rocking horse poo (I imagine)

did you get some?

I am doing B6 too, interesting about the luteal phase I didnt know that. I was taking it because I read that a good store of B6 before pregnancy helps reduce morning sickness (lots of puking last time, would like to avoid that) Did you know peanuts have lots of B6 in them?

Can't stop, dashing off to join MA on way to buy peanuts
PS I am still hunting for the bee pollen but I shall seek it out if it kills me... I want bee nectar

OK, serious tip here. I got tested for B12 deficiency just before I had my first ICSI and it came back looooooow! There's a pretty big, scientifically proven link between low b12 and ovulation issues. I have regular b12 injections (tablets won't lift the levels enough) and goodness me I'm a new woman when I've had one! It's fantastic stuff and I feel like a picture of health when I've had them, and they also helped to sort out a problem I have with anaemia. It's worth getting it checked out - it's just a simple blood test.

Good tip Holly the B vits are soluble so the body can't retain them very easily, even when we eventually get upduffed your gp or mw should be supplementing the B group if necessary! Anyway now I want Bee pollen and vitamin injections...am I ttc or win a marathon here??!

Damn me, I've just ordered blooming bee pollen on Amazon..!