Acupuncture/TCM herbs messed up my cycle

[LCat123]

Hi everyone,

I am 29 and have been TTC for over a year. My husband and I are healthy and I have regular 28 day cycles however I always ovulate too late in my cycle (day 17-18) which gives me a short luteal phase as I always get 3 days of spotting before full flow.

I tried acupuncture this month and have had 2 sessions so far. I was also put on traditional Chinese medicine herbs and now I haven't ovulated at all or had an LH surge. I am really worried.

Even stranger... for the first month ever, I now have EWCM. I have been using Clearblue digital OPK and have had 9 days of high fertility but no peak!

I am so worried that I have now messed with my cycle... but clearly if I wasn't able to conceive the way things were going, then change is good?

Has anyone had any experience of using TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) or acupuncture to help them conceive?

Thank you!

Hey @LCat123 I am in a similar position. I started agnus castus this month and I have had 9 days of flashing smileys and no sign of ovulation (no temp drop or EWCM)

I suffer from PCOS but I usually ovulate between 28-42 days and had fairly regular cycles of 33 days on average before a previous pregnancy. i stopped taking agnus from yesterday and will just continue my inofolic and coq10.

Keep having sex every other day and hopefully you get some good results soon. I am also going to continue BDing every other day but don’t think agnus is for me as is really extended my LP when I needed the opposite.

Don't worry - it takes a few months for things to settle when you start acupuncture and herbs. The results aren't immediate.

I tried agnus castus before we realised it was a male fertility issue, and it messed up my cycle for a good four months or so after I stopped. I'd be careful about self medicating with herbs! (Obviously just my opinion, do whatever you're comfortable with!)

Also messed up my cycle which has been completely normal!!! We have male issues but acupuncturist said I should take them too. Went from a normal 28 day cycle with ovulation to a crazy three cycles (I stopped taking them ASAP when my first cycle went out of whack). Avoid!!

Chica

Do not use OPKs if you have PCOS; I believe it says on the box not to use if this is present. OPKs are problematic anyway even if PCOS is not an issue

OPK's measure LH and many PCOSers have an excess of this hormone to start with. the kit is reading that excess level thus giving all those multiple results.

LCat

I would seek a diagnosis first and foremost; has your man been tested at all to date?. He certainly needs to be tested to rule out or confirm any male factor issues.

I would also refrain from using TCM at least until you get a diagnosis.

And even then I would be very wary about using that at all.

This is all amazing advice - thank you so much. I don't have a lot of friend (cry me a river, I know!) and I also can't talk to my mum about it as I would love to surprise her with a BFP... it can be very isolating and I really appreciate that any of you would take time out of you day to reply to this post. 🥰

I don't have a diagnosis, but I am getting the 21 day blood test from my GP on Monday and I'm going to be honest with her that I've been trying acupuncture and herbs.

It's day 18 for me and still no LH surge. I have been ovulating like clockwork.

The other thing I have done differently this month is take MACA for the first time... I wonder if that's messed me up even more, too!

Is your husband also booked in for a test @LCat123 there isn’t much point just looking at half the equation!

I am aware that OPKs don’t really work for us PCOS ladies unfortunately but it does help me give a baseline on when my period is due and when (if) I ovulated. As you can see my OPKs are pretty much the same colour but today I had a complete blank which means no detection of the LH hormone usually. Tomorrow however I could have another dark line. The clear blue flashing smileys though not accurate still gives me some support on where I am in my cycle. For sure agnus did affect it as I usually do get a dark line but didn’t this month so far.

Blood tests would be a far more accurate indicator of ovulation that OPKs.

The usage of these are problematic anyway even if PCOS is not a factor. These kits work on two principles; namely that a rise in LH is immediately followed by ovulation and that there is only one rise in LH every month. Both these statements are not true.

AC should be used with caution as well because in some PCOSers it can make the underlying problem worse. If you wanted to continue to go down that route I would suggest finding a medical herbalist rather than purchasing some from a health food shop.

Hi @LCat123, it is unlikely that two acupuncture sessions messed up your cycle. The Tcm herbs can be strong and make an impact but remember Tcm is not a quick fix and can take some time.
Do you think it's possible you ovulated early so didn't start testing on time? If I was you I would give Tcm a shot and stop the treatments in 3 months time if you are still unhappy.