Something has been bugging me for a while now and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Ever since we received our 'unexplained infertility' diagnosis from the Fertility Centre back in October and they told us we were ideal candidates to begin IUI or IVF to conceive, I've been 'uneasy' for lack of a better word.
Long post ahead - keep reading if you want or don't - up to you my dear readers! :)
I met with a Naturopathic Doctor on Wednesday who came recommended from someone I follow on Twitter (Twitter is amazing!). By the end of the appointment I finally figured out what was bugging me. I actually teared up once I realized what I had been feeling all this time.
So I arrived for my appointment with about 50 million pages of questionnaire filled out covering every single aspect of my health for my entire life (to the best of my ability to remember everything!). I meet and immediately like Dr Wonderful. She brought me to her office and we began - within 5 minutes I was needing the tissue box to wipe away my tears. It felt so relieving off loading this to someone other than my family doctor or the RE. I really truly felt at peace in this woman's office.
She took a very detailed medical history starting with specifics that would pertain to my fertility (since that was my main reason to be there). She asked everything from when I first started menstruating to when I was on the pill, what are my cycles like (in great detail), what sort of menstrual symptoms do I have and what has been done in the 3 years we've been trying to conceive. She also (beyond the reproductive system questions) looked at everything from what I eat, what I do for fun, where I grew up, my eyes, ears, mouth, vascular system, etc. You name it and every bit of my body was covered! She then took a urine sample and did a physical (minus pelvic exam). During the physical she did all the normal 'doctor' stuff like check my ears, mouth, eyes, blood pressure, lungs, etc. and she checked for 'tenderness' in my glands, etc. Everything went really well until she pressed on my abdomen. VERY tender, in fact a sharp pain in one spot she pressed on (similar to when I had appendicitis - tho not quite THAT painful). So what does all this mean?
She gave me 'homework' with the following to do's for me:
Some of this might be TMI if you don't want to know me that well :)
1) Switch to organic tampons or pads. I hate pads but she said in Chinese medicine this is generally what is accepted and I should try as much as I can to use this form of protection during my cycle. If not possible then organic tampons. By using organic tampons, women avoid exposure to dangerous chemicals, pesticides, and synthetics (while doing good for the earth at the same time) that are being directly injected into ladyville. It seems so obvious to me now and I wish I had thought of doing this a long time ago.
2) Recommended Reading: The Infertility Cure by Randine A. Lewis. I've seen this book many times while cruising the fertility section at the book store but never picked it up. Will be making a trip over the weekend to grab it.
3) Take an omega-matrix supplement (fish oil). I don't eat fish so I don't get very much omega-3 fatty acids in my diet. I hate fish, the smell and mostly the texture gross me out. So I'm taking one capsule (they are HUGE) in the morning with breakfast and one with dinner in the evening. I've also got hubby taking them because they are said to significantly improve male fertility as well.
4) Eliminate gluten. I had already done some of my own research over the last few weeks about how gluten sensitivities can affect many people and specifically fertility but it goes WAY beyond that. One in two people could potentially have a gluten sensitivity (and probably don't know it!). It's a hidden sensitivity that I (and others) probably never knew was the cause of certain problems and never knew what the symptoms were. I just went about my daily business thinking this is just how I am. Turns out gluten sensitivities can cause infertility, eczema, asthma, depression, anemia and fatigue. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, etc. Well guess what? I mentioned the abdominal pain above and I'm often bloated and gas-ey (tmi). I've suffered from anemia and fatigue and I'm suffering with infertility. She was not 100% sure that gluten is the culprit but she was sure enough to suggest I eliminate it from my diet as she was certain it was a food allergy or intolerance. Other keys to the gluten issue? Well my ancestry (Irish, English, Scottish, French and Native American) - apparently Irish and Native Americans are known to have major gluten sensitivities. Huh. Who knew? I also have very dark circles under my eyes - always - not just when I'm tired. This is a sign of a food allergy as well. I've always had these circles and so does my sister and I just figured that's just the way we are?!
5) One cup of 'dark' berries daily. Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Yumm. They contain powerful antioxidants and flavonoids. This will be easy - I love all berries and in the 'off-season' I can use frozen berries to make a gluten free smoothie in the morning for breakfast. And during the summer I will indulge with all the fresh berries I can when they are not so expensive (I picked up fresh berries this week and it cost me $18 for one little container of blueberries, one of raspberries and two of blackberries).
I also have to take my BBT again for the next month or two and go back to charting (because I got rid of all my old charts and she wants to look at them - really wish I hadn't thrown them away!). I also need to keep a food diary of everything I eat and drink for the next two weeks.
She is also having my records from the RE's office sent over so she can review all the tests I have already done and to see if I should have any more tests done (though I've already done CD3 and CD21 b/w and a baseline u/s and HSG u/s.
So what did I realize? I realized that I've been pushing off going back to the RE's office to start IUI or IVF because I really feel unsatisfied with that line of treatment for me at this point. I felt it as soon as I was told our diagnosis and when the RE said "well you can keep doing what you're doing or you can try IUI or IVF". That left a bad taste in my mouth. Like there was no other solution. I'm not opposed or ashamed of assisted reproductive technology. I just think that if the RE is telling me there is nothing wrong with either of us then what could possibly be causing all this trouble! I just don't think A.R.T. is for me just yet. My natural journey is not over and I want to know that I did everything possible naturally to try and conceive our baby before moving on to A.R.T.
I have a follow-up appointment in about two weeks and I'm really hoping that we'll proceed with the acupuncture soon. She obviously made no promises about any of this (who could?) but I feel so positive about taking these steps to boost my fertility. I'm optimistic and I'm willing to see what changes occur over the next couple of months and that maybe, just maybe they result in a BFP.
