Started the Vitex.

Got some today. It's a bit exciting and nervewracking. Given that today is cd8, it's a bit late to start and hope it will have any effect this cycle, but you never know and if we don't get knocked up this cycle, then going ahead and starting now will be beneficial.

I just want to be sure that I don't pin too much hope on this to be a miracle or cure all. I've done a lot of research into and understand how it can help. Ideally, it will increase progesterone and fix an estrogen dominance. If there is an issue with low progesterone, weak ovulation, or other things, this may fix it. It's been referred to as 'nature's Clomid' and I'm really hopeful that it will help me.

But of course, it may not. While there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of vitex working even in the first cycle to move ovulation up or lengthen the luteal phase, often two or three cycles are needed to see full results. And while both studies and anecdotal evidence suggest it works well for a good number of women, there are a good handful it won't have any effect or only a marginal effect (some even report a negative effect).

So I am trying not to get my hopes up and to concentrate on this cycle and on being healthy and timing sex appropriately. I don't need to add any more pressure to this, or I might explode. Good Lord knows I am all kinds of pressurized over it already and we don't need that explosion. I am hopeful that between Vitex and regular exercise, we can get a regular ovulation around cd18 or sooner. I would feel a lot better about that. The more I look on it, the more it seems a likely culprit, especially with the copious amounts of long-term fertile fluid. That suggests an issue with too much estrogen, and hopefully the vitex will help regulate that (I know for a fact that losing fat will).

In other news, I am drinking green tea faithfully. Once I got it at home and with lots of honey, I have come to really enjoy it in the evenings. By drinking it later on, I can be sure it's not interfering with my vitamins at all, which is good news. Has it made any difference? Not that I can tell, really, but the antioxidants are helpful even if the tea doesn't assist fertility at all (there is some thought - internet rumor - that green tea may also aid in excising excess estrogen (say that three times fast!) so I figure it can't hurt to try). I am grateful that I haven't started having lots and lots of eggwhite fluid super early though, which was my big concern in this experiment.

In other news, the laptop, Ol' Faithful, is experiencing AC/adapter jack issues. This is apparently a longstanding problem with HPs that I am only now becoming familiar with. We have no idea what sort of cost it will be to fix and it's extremely frustrating, because I don't want to damage anything in the meantime (I've heard horror stories about molten adapters and shorted motherboards, so the laptop is currently off). My colleagues suggested I mention it to our IT guy, because they may be able to fix it, since I use it at home for work. We'll see, I suppose.