Pregnancy Info HOME

VITEX: Truth is vitex will not increase your chance of twins because it IS NOT LIKE CLOMID. It is actually about the complete opposite. Vitex takes about 3 months to build up in your system and what it does is stimulates your pituatary gland to produce a healthy balance of estrogen and progesterone. Which in turns supports ovulation and regulates the menstrual cycle making it easier to get preggo. This hormonal balance also causes a decrease in FSH and an increase in LH. FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) promotes healthy follicles. LH (leutinizing hormone) supports the maturation of the egg(s) in the follicle(s). By decreasing the FSH it does nothing to promote multiple follicles which is needed for twins, in fact if your body normally has enough hormones to release two eggs Vitex could actually reduce it to one because it will regulate those hormones back to what it considers healthy levels.

CLOMID: Clomid works in a completely different way than Vitex. It is an anti-estrogen which binds to the pituitary gland fooling it to believe it needs to release more estrogen thus more FSH and LH. It is the extra FSH which creates the multiple follicles and the LH which matures those follicles resulting in the release of multiple eggs. Clomid and Vitex can not be taken together because the regulating properties of Vitex could counteract the Clomid. The side effects of Clomid are due to the anti-estrogen properties. The anti-estrogen not only binds to the pituitary gland but other sites in the body that normally require estrogen, this is why the side effects are similar to menopause (hot flashes, headaches etc.) The anti-estrogen is also the reason why the cervical mucus can dry up (which can be overcome by taking mucinex or using preseed). It can also cause the endometrial lining of the uterus to thin making it harder for the egg to implant (which can be overcome by taking estradiol or even baby aspirin) But these side effects can make it more difficult to get pregnant than someone who is taking Vitex.

DRINKING MILK & EATING BEEF: Milk and beef can increase your chances of twins because of the extra hormones they pump into cattle. But who knows how much you need to consume and how long you need to consume it for before it builds up in your system enough for it to work. The proof that it works is because of a study done comparing vegans to meat/milk consumers and found that the meat/milk consumers had a 6 fold increase in fraternal twins over the vegans. There was also a study done comparing full fat milk to skim milk which have shown women who drink or eat full fat products are more likely to ovulate when compared to women who consume only fat free milk products. Thus there is something in milk fat which supports healthy ovulation.

WILD YAM supplements or eating SWEET POTATOS/YAMS: There are over 600 species of yams and the only variety of yam which is know to work is the Ca__sava which is grown in the African nation of Nigeria. (Nigerian women have the highest rate of fraternal twinning in the world). The Ca__sava is a staple there and is eaten basically with every meal. I think it is highly doubtful that sweet potatoes or wild yams will do much to increase your chance of twins since they do not have the full properties of the Ca__sava and I read one scientist who said the Ca__sava would have to be eaten three times a day for two years before it has the full twinning effect.

FOLIC ACID & BABY ASPIRIN: Folic acid (800mcg or more) and baby aspirin (81mg or less) does nothing to increase your release of eggs but it does however increase your chance of the egg implanting into the lining of the uterus. Thus if there are more fertilized eggs present it is more likely that more than one will implant.

REBOUND EFFECT: Any time you take something like Vitex, Clomid or even birth control pills which regulate your hormones and stop taking them your body may rebound and overproduce the hormones resulting in multiple eggs. However this rebound effect can have the opposite result and cause you to not ovulate at all. This is why women who have had a miscarriage or come off of birth control pills may have very erratic periods for a few months because your body is trying to regulate those horomones again and you either become very fertile or not fertile at all.

SOY ISOFLAVONES: This is a relatively new theory but it is believed that soy isoflavones are anti-estrogens similar to Clomid thus if it is taken like Clomid it will have the same effect. Soy Isoflavones can be bought just about anywhere even at Walmart and usually come in a 30mg dosage. I have no idea if this actually works or not but the science behind it does make sense, I just have no idea what dosage is needed. It is thought you need large amounts like 200mg a day for 5 days during af to have the Clomid effect.

I should also address that CLOMID is a prescribed drug that should be taken while under medical supervision. It can have side effects like ovarian cysts which could be dangerous. It could also overstimulate your ovaries producing multiple follicles and releasing 4, 5 or even 6 eggs. These risks are very low but if you choose to take it unsupervised that is completely up to you. Just make sure you know all the risks and do your own research first.....

wow JESSICAB - that is a lot of uselful information, thanks! i have been researching herbs that help in hyperovulation which, to my understanding, is required to release more than 1 egg, which then increases the chances of being fertilized and having twins. i have not had much luck. i am very skeptical about taking medicines or herbs b/c i feel like years down the road they might find something a__sociated to the medicine/herb and by that time it will be too late to reverse the effects. i say this b/c i have read cases in which years ago women took DES during pregnancy b/c it was thought to be safe. they went on to have healthy children, but when the children tried to conceive, they had trouble which somehow traced back to the DES. weird, but there were actual (not made up) cases in the US. that definitely makes me more cautious. accordingly, i have decided to increase my intake of milk and beef. now that you mention fatty milk, i will probably swtich to that instead of my 2%. also, i am still looking into soy isoflavones. here is a site about the dangers. i have not read it yet, but i find it appropriate to post here: w w w.westonaprice.org/soy/isoflavones.h t m l

thanks again!

JUDI SARAH: I thought I would add DES which was outlawed in 1971 was taken DURING pregnancy not before or to acheive pregnancy. All herbals or drugs to acheive pregnancy should be discontinued as soon as a positive pregnancy test is detected and should have no effect on the embryo. In fact the embryo feeds off the yolk sack until about the 6th week until the placenta starts to develop. So any residual forms of the drug or herbs will be out of your system by then and will not affect the baby. Also I understand too that there is a lot of studies going on about soy but usually the dangers of soy is taking extremely large amounts over large quant_ties of time.

OH and your 2% milk is probably good enough. The study never addressed how much milk fat just milk fat in general versus skim. I switched my skim milk to 1% and drink 3-4 gla__ses a day and make sure I eat some cheese which is high in milk fat too. I'm afraid if I take in more than that I will be gaining weight. (by the way being obese increases you chance of twins but thats not exactly an optional route to take =)

thanks JESSICA. i hear ya on the DES being taken during pregnancy whereas the herbs we are talking about are for before conception, i am still just one of those oddb___s who doesn't like medicines. i don't even like to take it if i have a headache unless absolutely necessary. not to say i don't pop a tylenol when i need it, but it's a rare occa__sion that i do. not b/c i don't get headaches or other pains such as a sprained ankle, etc., but i just don't take anything until the pain is either prolonged or just too severe to sit through. that's totally a personal thing though, there's no scientific reason for why i do what i do. i just do, haha. btw, i hear ya on the weight gain. i am trying to lose an inch (w/o losing weight b/c i am at the right weight right now) so drinking fatty milk doesn't help. i guess i'll just drink but also exercise a lot more!

oh and about DES being outlawed... my thoughts are that at one time it was considered safe, but later it was found that it was not. whose to say some of these herbs or other medicines won't be considered unhealthy or outlawed? after all, most vitmains and such are not even FDA approved. i guess i am trying to play it super duper ultra safe. however, that does not mean i won't change my mind and give in to some of these supplements. i mean, i am taking prenatals and those are also not FDA approved. i'll keep you posted. are you taking any of the herbs?

I am a medical professional and this is what I am doing. Taking clomid days 1-5 and drinking and eating lots of cow products like meat and milk, cheese. The growth hormones we give cows increases the chance of twins in humans more thatn clomid by about 15-20% add that to clomid and your chances increase up to 35% good luck today is cd1 and I am going for it!

JUDI SARAH, besides drinking milk I'm not really doing anything else yet. I started vitex then stopped after reading more on it. I'm not ready to get preggo yet anyways so I'm just waiting for af to arrive and then decide what to do. But I totally hear ya on the staying safe part so don't take anything unless you do your own research and are comfortable with your decision. Good luck SCHAR with your ccycle, hope you have success.