advice needed - agnus castus and soy isoflavones

[Mrskbpw]

Hello all

Having spent about 20 years (not actually 20 years - more like 2) persuading my husband to TTC number 3, I have come off the pill and... nothing, no period. I did have EWCM at about day 14, but I obviously didn't ovulate as I've not had a period (now on day 40) and I'm not pregnant.

I'm 39 and really don't want to hang about this time round. So, I've been investigating some supplements and read about agnus castus and soy isoflavones, both of which sound pretty good.

I just wondered if any of you wise sorts can advise me when to take them? Soy seem to be early in your cycle (days 3-7 ish), so I'm guessing I need to wait until I get my period? What about agnus? Can I take it straightaway?

Has anyone had good results with these supplements?

Hi,not sure if it will help but read a st from a natural fertility expert on another site about supplements when trying to conceive , I think it mentioned soy isoflavan, may be worth messaging her directly she may be able to give you some advice, hope this shelps! Good luck xxx the link to the post-forum.prideangel.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=532

First up - don't take them together! They counteract each other.

Agnus Castus works by "normalising" the cycle - making sure your hormones do their thing at the right times. You take 2-4 standardised tablets (e.g. from H&B) a day. It can take up to three months or more to really start to work. You could start to take it now if you wanted to. It doesn't work for everyone though and for some people it makes things worse.

Soy works by producing lots of oestrogen (I think) which causes something else to overreact to that and produce lots of something else shortly afterwards forcing ovulation. I can't be 100% sure on the hormones involved so I didn't name them. Anyway, it basically forces your body into producing a strong ovulation, as opposed to agnus castus gently convincing it to behave normally, so you can see how agnus castus would work against the soy. As you say, you take it days 3-7 which is a good compromise between 1-5 for quantity of immature eggs with an earlier ovulation, or 5-9 for quality of one egg at the normal time.

I've tried agnus castus with great success over the years - it has increased my luteal phase and got rid of a lot of spotting. But I thought I'd try something different this cycle after four with no luck and I went for the soy. Well, I thought I had, I'm an idiot and bought red clover isoflavones from Boots. It's really not that clear on the box, and I saw the isoflavones, and, well, yeah Don't make that mistake.

Anyway, it seemed to do something in that my body tried hard to ovulate several times (loads of symptoms, darkening OPKs that didn't quite get there) before it finally did six days earlier than normal. I'm now 6dpo so I've no idea if this cycle has worked or not. But the side effects have been a bit grim - constant headaches, more skin breakouts, lots of pain in my ovaries, probably caused by cysts from the failed ovulation attempts. No idea what has happened to my luteal phase yet obviously.

Soy, like agnus castus, is a bit of a gamble and for some people they get their BFP first or second cycle, and others have everything completely messed up!

Good luck

Thanks for your advice and the link. I went for agnus castus in the end as it was a fiver in H&B and soy was £20! I've started taking it now so we'll see if it helps. I just want my period really - it's horrible waiting and waiting to get started.

incidentally not taken it yet but soy isoflavones are very cheap in tesco £4 per tub of 40mg tabs

I've never managed to spot the soy in Tesco! Is it with the rest of the supplements or is it elsewhere?

OP: good luck with the agnus castus!

it was a v big branch of tesco. but yes with the other vits and supplements- bright yellow tub!

Thanks! I found some yesterday - much cheaper!! Looking like CD1 will be today or tomorrow so couldn't be better timed..

Glad I fond this thread!
I'm going to try Soy for the first time next cycle.....I've tried everything else lol!