B Vitamins for pre-AF spotting and short luteal phase.

[TalkingIntoTheEther]

Been reading a bit about B6 potentially lengthening short luteal phases and reducing spotting, thought id give it a go this cycle and stick the results on a thread in case anyone else is doing this/contemplating doing this/done this and wants share their experience....

I have 1 DC who was conceived first cycle, however my menstrual cycle is now totally different and we don't seem to be having much luck with TTC no.2. My main concern is that I seem to be spotting every month from 7/8 DPO and my luteal phase is only 12 days. From what Ive read this seems to suggest low progesterone, so thought id give the B-100 complex a go for 3 cycles and if no luck then see the GP to discuss progesterone supplements.

My cycles range between 23-28 days, OVing between CD12 and CD17 with 4-5 days of spotting from about 8DPO. I've started taking B-100 complex from CD1 this cycle and am now on CD4, hoping for at least a more regulated cycle but preferably a BFP!

So I got a BFP this morning. Not sure if it was to do with the supplements but if so - thank you! Should I continue taking them?

@TalkingIntoTheEther thanks so much for sharing your experience and a huge congratulations on your BFP. I have a suspected short LP (hoping to confirm this month with BBT). It's been 9 months of TTC with no hint of anything, so I'm going to jump on the B-complex bandwagon!

@TheChineseChicken I've carried on taking them! I'm currently 8+6. My plan is to ask the midwife at the booking in appointment but the plan in my head is to take them until I'm 12 weeks. By that point the placenta will be running the show!

Thanks @RLI1105 I guess there's nothing wrong with taking them as it's just B and C vitamins. Hope your pregnancy progresses well

Hi, have just come across this thread....I came off the pill in October 2018 had my first period on 5th December but have had long cycles....31 days, 54 days, 45 days and am now on day 34 of my current cycle. Been ttc since January, so am only on cycle 3 as I’ve had long cycles. Would these b vitamins be the right thing for me to take does anyone know? X

@Hoping87 do you have a short Luteal Phase? That's the time between when you ovulate and when your period start. Below 10 days is considered short and can negatively impact conception. If you don't know if you have a short LP, you can start tracking your temperature (with a BBT), as that is the best way to confirm you have ovulated. I hope that helps!

This thread is really interesting. Great to see lots of BFP's come from it!
I've been off the pill for a year, properly tracking etc for 9 cycles. I've got a pelvic scan booked in the next few weeks just because am pretty sure previous surgeries in that area has meant scar tissue is potentially blocking the tubes/causing havoc.

But aside from all that, my luteal phase is normally 11 days with spotting 2 days before, so am intrigued by this talk of B-complex vitamins and vitamin C and benefits. I have a shortened digestive system (nothing after the small intestine, and that might not all be being used either due to a stoma). So am wondering if I need a higher dosage of certain vitamins in order to be absorbing and getting enough. Am also swapping to the liquid form of Pregnacare today to see if that helps with potential absorption issues.

Am tempted to try a vitamin b-complex and/or a high vitamin c dosage next cycle and see if anything happens to lengthen my luteal phase- it will be good to 'fix' one potential problem if it's one I can do myself

@purplefig thanks for replying! I honestly don’t know how long my luteal phase is as I haven’t been tracking ovulation, I have just been inputting my period dates into a couple of apps to keep track of my cycles. The plan was to just stop using contraception and go with the flow, I’m just slightly concerned that after not being on the pill for 7 months now and my cycles are still a bit all over the place! Xx

@Hoping87 It's up to you, but if you're planning to go to GPs at 12 months it might be useful to have a solid idea of when you ovulate etc. as it might speed things up. Totally appreciate you might not want to as it can make it a bit obsessive. Just a thought.

ahhhh congrats chinesechicken that brilliant news!

my original plan was to continue taking them up to 12 weeks, however i ended up gradually stopping them at about 6 weeks. I spoke to my GP and she said she really didnt think they would be doing any harm as Bvits are water soluble so any excess would be flushed out, but as there isnt any actual research at these doses she couldnt definitely say they were safe to take. I spent a lot of time reading about whether or not to stop, lots of people stopped and were fine, lots of people continued to 12 weeks and were fine.

im glad i took them at full dose up to 6 weeks though as i think the 'danger zone' for me was ovulation to AF - i dont think my progesterone was high enough to support implantation, so i think the vitamins just gave my body the boost it needed to get through that bit, and once implantation had occurred my levels rose enough to prevent my womb lining shedding, if that makes sense? obviously this is all just guess work, i have nothing whatsoever to support this hypothesis!!!

So i gradually stopped the B50 - started taking it every other day for 6 days, then half a tablet every other day for 6 days (at this point i added in pregnecare which has 10mg B6 in it), then repeated the process with the viatmin C. Im 9 weeks now and pregnancy seems to be progressing, although im only basing that on pregnancy symptoms as i havent had my 12 weeks scan yet.

Hello to everyone else, good to hear your pregnancy is progressing RLI and good luck to everyone else just starting out. Please update the tthread with your results, i find it so helpful to see what people have tried and what the results were, even if its not massively scientific!

@TalkingIntoTheEther thanks for the advice! Sounds like a good plan

I got myself some 1000mg vitamin C tablets, and will take 2 x 10mg b6 tablets alongside my pregnacare, which already has 10mg of b6 so taking me up to 30mg of B6, and also an oral b12 spray with 2 pumps at 800ug (phew!)

good luck starkid let us know how you get on. Not sure if this is an important distinction, but although B6 is purportedly the Bvit that's linked to progesterone production, i had read that it should be taken with equal amounts of B12 in order to maximise absorption - thats why I was taking a B50 complex as it has equal amounts of B12 and B6.

However as there is no research on it then its all just guess work anyway, and might all just be a complete fluke! but i do think the fact that my spotting was reducing ever since starting the B50 indicates there was something positive going on for me.
let us know how you get on....

@TalkingIntoTheEther - thanks, yes that's why I have the oral B12 spray too, for easier absorption than tablets :)

Hi all, I was hoping for some advice / reassurance. I am now 6 weeks and have started worrying about the B50 supplement. Is it still safe to take it? I would rather stop but could that leave me at risk of miscarriage? Don't know why I am panicking so much about it!

@TheChineseChicken I think your best bet is seeking advice from a medical professional, as I'd imagine most of us on here are just keen googlers! All the best for for a happy and healthy 9 months lovely.

(@TheChineseChicken that said - when does the placenta take over? Because I would guess you probably wouldn't need it then? Again, I really would consult someone in the know about this.)

Thanks @purplefig I have been googling and it's not clear so a medical professional would be a better shout! I'm not sure if it's something a GP would know about though. I think the placenta starts to take over at the end of the first trimester but that's 6 weeks away

@TheChineseChicken I know what you mean about a GP - I wonder if you could chat to someone clued up on pregnancy/fertility? Not sure who that would be as I'm not there yet!

Hi all, thought I'd update with what I've been doing...

Last month I started taking a B50 complex + vitamin C alongside Pregnacare conception. Now, this may all be coincidence...

I started taking from CD1, had been ovulating around CD 18, but by CD not even a whiff of ovulation. Did some googling, some suggest that B vitamins can delay ovulation. I ended up stopping them at CD 22 as I went away for a few days and I forgot them. Ovulated CD 26. Started taking them again also on CD26 as it's when I got home. Continued to take them, got BFP on DPO12 when AF was late. Unfortunately had a very early miscarriage a week after BFP (or chemical? I'm not sure when one becomes the other).

So this month I think I will steer clear of the tablets as I'm not sure when ovulation will come, and just stick to pregnacare. Maybe I'll start taking them post-ovulation again.

Thanks for updating us charlotte and sorry to hear about your early loss. Its been quite a while since i was doing my obsessive reading about Bvits so i can't really remember what I'd read (and it was all anecdotal anyway), but im sure i remember reading that their value was in improving egg quality before ovulation, so not sure whether they would have an effect post ovulation? However as the whole process seems to be trial and error (and potentially just a massive coincidence!) then figuring out what works for you is half the battle.

chinesechicken sorry i missed your earlier posts, i remember going through the same anxiety at around 6 weeks and did end up gradually reducing off them while panicking the whole time that i was going ot have a miscarriage (i didn't and have now had my 12 week scan which showed no issues). I slowly reduced the B complex, and then reduced the vitamin C while starting pregnecare (that seemed to have a relatively high dose of b6 in it from what i remember). Anyway this is probably redundant now as a month has passed since you wrote the initial post, but out of interest what did you decide to do?

Well it’s good and bad to see so many similar stories. TTC #2 for six months now and have had two back to back early miscarriages (5 weeks). Ive been spotting before my period consistently between 6-9 dpo. After googling I decided to quit prenatals and just do folic acid and b complex. Ten dpo and not pregnant (my other three bfp were all by day ten) BUT also no spotting!!! I’m hoping this might be a positive sign of things to come. Two chemicals back to back was frustrating and emotionally exhausting. Really hoping I dont need to convince my doctor to test my progesterone as she didn’t feel inclined to send me for those tests ... so frustrating. I also dont want to treat myself with aspirin due to other health risks. Would love further updates if anybody has them!

I started 50mg of B6 and 750mg of vitamin C at the end of January. It didn't increase my luteal phase but it stopped me spotting in between periods. 3rd cycle later and I'm pregnant (though early days) Will update if everything goes well. Was glad I saw this thread! 😊

Sorry I know this is a very old thread but I'm in the same boat and have just started taking b50 and 100vit C

I've also read about b vits delaying ovulation so I've decided to take C vits all the time but B vits only after O

I'm 1dpo first cycle giving this a go

Do you think taking B vits after O only would work?

Hi @mrsmesx i know you posted a while ago but I’m also in the same point re vit B delaying ovulation. Did it work for you? X thanks