Here is my story. I hope that it helps someone and fills you with hope! Long!
I had my cycle every 2 weeks in my twenties and went on the pill to regulate them in my late twenties. I got married and 4 years later we decided to have children. We conceived 3 months after I quit the pill and it took one try. I found out at 8 weeks that it had died and I had a D&C. The doctor performing the operation did not realize I had a tilted uterus and cut through it. It took 3 months to recover and again I got pregnant on the first try. I had a successful live birth. I now know how easy I had it. She is the reason I decided to try for another. I nursed her for a year and did not get a cycle until month 8 and then 12.
My doctor said it was hormones and nursing and that I would eventually straighten out. I called him after 6 months of trying and he said we could not do anything until 1 year had passed because my insurance would not cover any infertility until we had tried 1 year. I meanwhile tried FertilityBlend and did feel I responded to it but not enough. I also had cycles that ranges from 17-77 days. At 11 months I saw a different doctor and he sent me to an infertility clinic. They began with me in July of 2004.
There I used several different medications and I do not recall the order. Premetrium, Vivelle estrogen patch, HRT for 2 months, and one month of clomid. They said I had high FSH. I went in with an FSH of 3 and by the 5th month it was at 96. I felt unhappy, stressed out, treated like a number....At the same time I made a new friend who was doing everything naturally and did not believe in the western ways and all the medications. I listened to her and took notes. I read the Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis and diagnosed myself and I read Inconceivable. Those books and my friend’s kind words are what kept me sane and balanced between natural and western medicine. During my sixth month of treatment I started acupuncture and herbs and made small changes to my diet. I did not tell my RE I was doing it but I wanted 1 month to see if I could make a difference. My FSH was at 16.5 and that is when they did the clomid test and my FSH shot up to 53. I knew what my choice was but I also did not want to end the treatment with the RE until I had tried all I could. Thankfully, he called and told me there was nothing more to do and that I was in full menopause and I had a 1% chance of ever conceiving naturally. I felt sad but very relived because I was done feeling powerless.
My diet consisted of: no dairy products except for the occasional ice cream craving, low intake of meat, organic meat, vegetables, fruit, no wheat products, all foods at room temperature or warm, warm water and teas, lots of bean soups, rice noodles and quinoa, spelt bread, organic eggs, no coffee/soda/alcohol. It was difficult at first but then I got used to it. I was not perfect- at restaurants, invitations.... I just did my best to stay close to it. I drank red clover and nettles teas. I took three different herb mixes that my acupuncturist prescribed. I saw her twice a month and I really enjoyed and responded to the acupuncture. It does not hurt. My cycles were 40-50 days apart.
The acupuncture and herbs and diet changes made me feel in control, not consumed by numbers and able to start to move forward. After 5 months of treatment with the acupuncturist I got pregnant- June 05. I found out in July 05 and am now at 13 weeks. It is healthy so far and I feel truly blessed.
I more importantly learned to trust myself more, to love myself more and to appreciate other practices and ways of thinking. I really hope this helps someone who has been abandoned by the system and who wants to change things. I think it is possible.
Posted on Aug 28, 2005, 1:42 PM from IP address 4.131.12.119