Friday, March 18, 2011

Magnesium Makes a Difference

Having decided not to keep my big mouth shut, I need to apologize to my family, whom I've asked to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret. They know me well enough to know I change my mind at the drop of the hat, so hopefully they won't be too annoyed. We have made the decision to move forward with the next round of IVF. After exploring all our options and the possibilities of every outcome, we think we've made the right decision. We still plan to meet with the NaPro doctor to run some tests on any deficiencies I may have and to be sure everything with me is okay.


Having spoken to both our fertility doctor and the NaPro man, we've had conflicting guidance. The fertility doctor claims all my hormone levels are ideal and she believes the miscarriage was a fluke. The NaPro man thinks there could be an underlying issue that has been overlooked. Being the nosey lady that I am, I really started to research into important vitamins and minerals needed during pregnancy. I know I briefly touched upon this in the past, but I've noticed changes in myself since following the recommended dosages.


If you are not someone comfortable with the discussion of menstruation, I would stop reading now.


Last month my period was a disaster. I bled for 10 straight days and spotted in between, which I believe was a chemical pregnancy. (How do I know that? We had planned intercourse right around ovulation, got my "eggwhites", bled the next day during sex. Cramped and spotted.) A few days later, I picked up some Magnesium tablets and figured, why not give it a shot. I continued to have light white flow up until day 28 of my cycle. Began having two light days of spotting, got my period this morning. (Yay! That means round two can begin of IVF.)


For any of you ladies out there with endomeitriosis, you've probably had brown blood for as long as you can remember and extremely painful cramps. Since the age of 16, my cramps have been unbearable to the point I would spend the first 1-2 days in bed with a heating pad hopped up on motrin, sobbing for no reason and eating every carb I could get my hands on. Since starting the Magnesium, I've actually seen a pretty big change. For example: NO brown blood! I'm back to a healthy bright, dark red. I had cramps for about 3 hours, and now they have passed. There still there, don't get my wrong, but they're no longer mind numbing. Any ladies out there have severe foot cramps? I have gotten them since the age of about 16, coincidence? I think not. Magnesium is stored in our muscles, like water in a reservoir. When there is not enough in our diet, the blood stream steals it from our muscles, thus causing muscle cramps. So if you're trying to get pregnant, try taking the recommended dose of Magnesium along with a prenatal vitamin. Be sure to check that the prenatal has adequate calcium and vitamin D. If not, find a calcium supplement with vitamin D.


So what happens now? We are going to attempt a frozen cycle. We were lucky enough to be able to freeze 2 embryos from our last cycle. As of right now we have signed for 1 embryo transfer. (Still trying to convince hubby to transfer both. Not sure if I'm going to win that one.) Today I started taking 1mg Estrace morning and night which is an estrogen replacement along with 1 baby aspirin a day. I put a call into my doctor, waiting to hear back the next step.

3 comments:

  1. What courageous you have to move forward! I know your tenacity will win out!

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  2. We're rooting for you! Hope it goes well!

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  3. Will continue praying for you. Hope Dr. C can give you some answers.

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