Vitex (Chaste Tree/Angus Cactus) to aid in Ovulation. Have you used it?

[luna moth]

I had a terrible experience with it. Made me really moody, well, mostly teary, but uncontrollably so. My regular 29 day cycle ballooned out to 40 days, so I stopped and it went back to normal.

[minniemouse]

hi everyone,

i have been having short luteal phases since i had miscarriages last year, i have pcos and have just done 3 cycles of clomid and haven't made it past 10 dpo so i was thinking of starting vitex.....what is the reason it can't be taken with clomid ?

[[M]umma[M]ia]

it cant be taken with clomid as it cancels each other out. So you might as well take niether IYKWIM.

[tinkerbelle]

before i fell pregnant, i had to work on my cycles - wasnt even ovulating to start with, saw a naturopath who made up a herbal formula specific for my needs and it helped me to get ovulating again and helped balance out my cycles, as i was initially having really short cycles too.. might be worth considering seeing someone professionally to consult on this sort of stuff? a naturopath should know what would be suitable to take with clomid

[[M]umma[M]ia]

Yeah I had a big pile of things to take from the natropath too.. did nothing for me I have stopped taking the Vitex as it made my cycles worse than they were.

[minniemouse]

thanks mumma mia that makes sense, so now i don't know what to do......should i just do another round of clomid or should i try vitex.....i wish these decision were clear and easy !

[Aqua]

Dear Bloggers,
STOP! Herbs don't treat infertility. Herbs, when used judicially by trained herbalists treat people with infertility. I am aghast that women will self-treat in preference to seeking the professional care of a herbalist or naturopath. As a naturopath with over 20 years experience in women's health and fertility I can absolutely say that careful herbal treatment of women with infertility is frequently successful. But PLEASE, don't self-prescribe. You're scaring me.

[nothing2lose]

Hi all
I saw a naturopath today (my local chemist employs one) and she said if you are TTC (esp. on IVF) it's best to stay away from most herbs but especially chaste tree/vitex. Apparently it increases progesterone production but you cant take it when you are pregnant. Problem is, if you stop it when you are pregnant, especially suddenly, it can cause miscarriage.

I have done no other research on this but I left the chemist without it!!

hope this helps!

n2l

[[M]umma[M]ia]

I think with anything you are going to take, your own research needs to be done and a decision made for yourself whether you think it would work. As I said, Vitex did nothing for me, didnt even increase my progesterone. I was a little dissapointed. As for the misscarriage stuff, i was well aware of that before I started taking it. I think that would be something you would have to talk to your natropath about.

Needless to say, it has worked for some people and other people it hasnt.