Vitex has been used for more than 2,500 years to treat a variety of gynecologic conditions, and it remains popular today as an herbal remedy for a wide variety of menstrual issues. In medieval Europe, it was popular among celibate clergymen for its purported ability to reduce libido [1.Czygan FC, Mayer JG. Vitex agnus-castus L, der [...]
Lots of women who are trying to get pregnant wonder if there are any implantation symptoms they should be looking for. If you are really attuned to your body during the two week wait, is it possible to pick up on early signs of pregnancy—like twinges, cramps, or spotting—that might be related to a nascent [...]
Spotting before your period is one of the most common times that women notice bleeding outside of their normal menstrual cycle. There are many different reasons why you might experience spotting, but when it happens in the week before your period is due (during what is called the luteal phase) it is usually related to fluctuations [...]
If you notice light blood in the days before your period is due, you may wonder if it's implantation bleeding. This light spotting is considered an early sign of pregnancy. It occurs during the implantation window (6 – 12 days after ovulation), and is said to be caused by the egg burrowing into the uterine wall[1.http://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/what-is-implantation-bleeding/]. [...]
What does it mean if you have a late period but you're getting negative pregnancy tests? It means that your period isn't actually late—you probably just ovulated late. Without tracking your cycle, it's impossible to know when to take a pregnancy test. Is Your Cycle Always Regular? Some women have irregular cycles and are never [...]
If you're having trouble conceiving, one of the hormones your doctor may want to test is progesterone. The conventional wisdom is that your progesterone levels should be at their highest on day 21 of your cycle. It turns out that this conventional wisdom is sometimes wrong. Testing hormone levels on day 21 of your cycle only [...]
Poor progesterone—it doesn't get nearly as much attention as estrogen. Everyone knows estrogen as the "female" hormone but hardly anyone talks about estrogen's partner in crime, progesterone. And it's too bad, because progesterone is a super hormone with the power to help women sleep better, grow stronger, and feel more relaxed. To increase your hormone [...]
It starts out small. Maybe you're lurking on an online forum and you hear someone mention that she's eating pineapple core during the two week wait. But the deeper you dive into that world, the more strange remedies you hear about: grapefruit juice, vitex, Mucinex, and more. What do all of the ingredients in this [...]
Is there anything you can do during the two-week wait to prevent implantation? In most cases, no. Embryos are resilient little things, and there isn't much you can do to prevent a good one from implanting. If you're looking back over the last cycle wondering why you didn't get pregnant, it probably had nothing to do [...]
The luteal phase is the second half of your cycle, beginning after ovulation and ending when you get your next period. It's something most women don't pay much attention to unless they're having trouble getting pregnant (a short luteal phase is associated with difficulty conceiving and early pregnancy loss). But the luteal phase is an important [...]