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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Does Evening Primrose Oil lengthen your luteal phase?

18 replies

pandaeyes · 10/09/2006 17:57

I used to have a short luteal phase (10-11 days) so last cycle I took vit B6 and my LP was nearly 15 days. This cycle I didn't take B6 but I did take EPO to help with cm. Could the EPO be the reason for my long LP this cycle? I am 14dpo and BFN. I just want this cycle over now!

OP posts:
Tutter · 10/09/2006 18:00

hi panda - just a quickie. from memory i think epo should only be taken before ov - i know i didn't take it during the luteal phase. something about possible uterine contractions i think. hope i'm not mistaken.

i took flaxseed oil instead - can be taken throughout the cycle - which i noticed gave me far better (quality and quantity) of cm. good luck.

Twiglett · 10/09/2006 18:03

10 days is not a short post-luteal phase .. its on the outer limits yes .. but 10 days is fine for conception

EPO shouldn't be taken past ovulation as it can bring on miscarriage

hang on a tic and I'll find the advice I used to give on this

Twiglett · 10/09/2006 18:04

supplements that a woman can take that are 'supposed' to be helpful in optimising conception on top of the standard pre-natal vitamins:

Baby aspirin (less than 81mg) daily throughout cycle

Vitex Agnus Castus from period to ovulation (although some theories that can be taken throughout cycle but should be stopped when pregnancy established)

Evening Primrose Oil (1500mg to 3000mg per day) from period to ovulation (do not take past ovulation)

Vitamin B6 (100mg to 200mg) most B6 supplements have a lot less so should ask specifically for this

HTH

Tutter · 10/09/2006 18:12

twiglett, i'm pretty sure flaxseed oil is recognised as an aid for ttc?

pandaeyes · 10/09/2006 18:14

Oops, meant to say I did only take EPO until the day before I ovulated so all fine there. I'm just looking for an explanation to this longer luteal phase. I just want to be onto next cycle iykwim! Thanks for the list Twiglett. I think I will stick with just the EPO next cycle or I will look into flaxseed oil.

OP posts:
rubles · 11/09/2006 08:20

Pandaeyes, this is a very interesting post for me at the moment.
I have been questioning why for the last 3 months my LP has extended from 11/12 days to 13/14 days. I had a chemical pregnancy about 3 months ago, so I thought that had changed things for me, but now you mention it I think I started taking the EPO then too....EXCEPT this month, when I didn't understand why my LP was 11/12 days. Could you be on to something I wonder??

I think I'll give it a miss this month and see how it goes.

MrsMcJnr · 11/09/2006 09:46

Hello, this is an interesting post for me too. I have used EPO & grapefruit juice pre ov for the last 2 cycles to help with EWCM but last cycle I also took cough mixture with guifissin (sp!) I did get a single day of EWCM out of it so am going to use these 3 plus green tea again this cycle. I am also going to buy some more pre-seed though to maximise my chances.

Re short LP, mine are just 10 days with spotting on 9dpo but as I understand it, that day is still part of the LP. Do you think I should be worried and try to extend it by taking vit B6? anything else that will help?

Thanks for your advice!

rubles · 11/09/2006 10:48

MrsMcJnr, if I were you I'd take extra B6 because it can't do any harm.
As to the spotting thing - I have heard people say the first day of full flow is AF, others say the first day you need to use any sort of protection is AF, but then again I go to an acupuncturist and she says the first day of spotting is AF. So it is a bit of a grey area and confuses me most months too.

MrsMcJnr · 11/09/2006 10:59

Thanks Rubles, I agree re the spotting hence my concern about my LP length, I'll get some B6 at lunchtime.

pandaeyes · 11/09/2006 13:37

That is interesting rubles. Please let me know how long your LP is this month. If I remember rightly, EPO is supposed to support a healthy balanced cycle, so having a longer LP would perhaps go along as that?! AF showed in the early hrs so I'm the waiting is over but I'm onto cycle 6 ttc no.2. I'm kind of resigned to being in this for the long term now...

MrsMcJnr- I would agree about taking the B6. It certainly worked for me (maybe you'll only need to take it for the 1 month like me- I'm not taking it again- 14-15 days is an agonising wait). Spotting at 9dpo is definitely on the short side for LP. B6 will do the trick. I'm also doing grapefruit juice, pre-seed and robitussin- fat lot of good it did me this month though. Good luck x

OP posts:
MrsMcJnr · 11/09/2006 14:39

Thanks Pandaeyes - I hope you get your BPF soon and I can imagine the excitment followed by the disappointment with a long LP, it is bad enough with 10 days but I would feel a bit happier if I could get it to 12 or 13 - can't bear the thought of a fertalised egg being unable to embed. Do you take the B6 for the whole cycle?

andi0411 · 11/09/2006 16:17

Hi ladies -thanks for starting this thread it's v interesting to me too... I wanted to ask what the thoughts were on asprin- low dose- what does it do/ how long should it be taken etc...I have had 3 m/c- would i be reccomended thing for me do you think?
Also i 2nd MRsMc's question- can you take b6 all thru the month?

TIA!!

MrsMcJnr · 12/09/2006 11:45

I am still none the wiser about how long you take the B6 for and sorry Andi, don't know anything about the aspirin but have read a few more things and thought I should share them with you. Bear in mind though that these are just views of people chatting like us, not experts.

Apparently, Natural Progestrone Cream if you have a short LP is worth considering as many of us have excess estrogen and need more progestrone to balance it out. The reason for this excess is something called Xenoestrogens which are chemicals found in products like lotions, fabric softener and plastics and they mimic the effects of real estrogen. Low progestrone levels are apparently a reason for early miscarriages.

Re the B6 - be careful because a lot of pre-natal vits already contain B6 and 200mg is the upper limit. Signs of toxicity include numbness in your extremities. I have also read that B vitamins only work in combination with each other so it might be better to take a B complex vitamin instead.

Re grapefruit juice - considered to be a nutraceutical food that potentially provides medicinal benefits, although it is also classed as a nutrapollutical as it can cause adverse affects also. The active compound in the grapefruit is furanocourmarin, it appears to block enzymes in the intestines that normally breakdown many drugs, the effect is more of the drug is absorbed into the body. The juice can interact with medicines increasing their potential effect, which can be dangerous, inform your doctor if you consume grapefruit juice on a daily basis. Not all medications react with grapefruit juice.

Finally, oatmeal! allegedly, eating it daily can assist with EWCM - I'm sceptical, I have porridge every day and have very poor EWCM (that said, I was on the pill for 18 years until 4 cycles ago and it can damage the part of your cervix that produces EWCM so maybe that is my problem not the oatmeal!)

rubles · 12/09/2006 12:28

Wow MrsMcJnr. Do you know how the grapefruit juice affects the EWCM?

MrsMcJnr · 13/09/2006 11:41

Hi there - not sceintifially I am afraid but grapefruit juice is said to slow down the metabolism of estrogen, and higher estrogen generally leads to more fertile CM.

andi0411 · 13/09/2006 21:30

Wow Mrsmc thanks for this. I think the moral of the story should go- ask your doc if you're unsure and don't try anything no matter how 'natural' if you're remotely concerned. It's very informative on here but I guesss in most instances it is just like a group of women chatting and even if one lady has been told s'thing by her gp/ cons that doesn't mean to say it applies to every other lady out there.

Thanks Mrsmc for restoring my sanity about s' things .

MrsMcJnr · 14/09/2006 09:49

Your very welcome! I am still none the wiser about how long you take the B6 for though!

MrsMcJnr · 14/09/2006 09:50

You're even

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