Agnus Castus - Questions

[KHT1975]

Hi there. Am new here, but could do with some advice if anyone can help. TTC #1, aged 35.
I came of the pill Cerazette on the 30th May and have had no period since. So I went to H&B on Saturday and bought some Agnus Castus after reading various promising forums on here and elsewhere on the net. Took them Saturday night, Yesterday morning and evening. This morning I'm bleeding quite heavily and have what feels like a mild period pain (which I'm ecstatic about because at least now I know something's happening! as I had no periods at all during the 3 years on that pill).
Just not sure whether I should stop taking the agnus castus straight away or continue on. Could this just be a bleed but not a proper period?
Any advice would be helpful.

This is a bit strange as Agnus Castus is said to usually take several months to have an effect as it works quite subtly on balancing your hormones. However maybe your hormones are super sensitive, esp with coming off the pill, or it could just have been enough to tip you over the edge if your hormones were already on the way to doing something. Are you taking the correct dosage? It tends to be more common that people don't take enough to show an effect but conversely taking too much should be avoided. It should ideally be taken for a few months to sort out hormones then if you are TTC it should be stopped whilst actively TTC cos if you do fall pregnant it's best not to be taking anything & also your hormones will be going wild so it won't do anything anyway (I'm not sure if it is actually harmful to the embryo- probably not but I would check this if you don't already know & there is a chance you could become pregnant whilst taking it). I would have normally thought a wait of about 3-6mths before actively TTC is desirable if you have the time, after coming off the pill or just trying to get yourself ready in general! I'm not qualified in this area so the obvious advice is to see a naturopath if you are sufficiently concerned & don't want to wait around a few months to see what happens. Chinese medicine (herbs &/or acupuncutre) always seems to have a good reputation for fertility stuff & "women's problems" so that could be another avenue to explore beyond the diy route.

I thought you could take it until you were pg - will ask my acupuncture lady when I see her next week. (acupuncture &/or Agnus Castus sorted out my irregular periods too)

I would lay off the AC; not a good idea anyway to self medicate with such things particularly if periods are all irregular.
If you want to use AC you are far better off instead finding a properly qualified medical herbalist and seeking their advice instead.

Irregular and non existant periods are often caused by hormonal imbalances; I would seek medical advice asap from your GP as well now.