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Hi Victoria- Certainly herbs can have a huge effect on your cycle. I have seen some info that indicates that Red Clover should not be taken during pregnancy and Black Cohosh can supress the luteinizing hormone (hence the short cycle). I do not know how reliable this info is as I did not do any research to backup the articles I saw. I would stop the herbs while ttc and just go with a good quality prenatal vitamin or speak to your OB. Good luck!

Thanks, clindholm. I read that those herbs increased fertility in older women, but I also read that they are used to relieve menopause. Maybe if I were 47, but as I'm 38 and still regular, I'm thinking I'm not close enough to menopause to need these herbs to make me more fertile. I'm already fertile, most likely, and the herbs are just going to screw up my cycle.

Victoria- Are you charting your cycles? Do you know when you ovulate? I'm sure you are still fertile. I had my first at 36 and second this past October at 39 so I'm sure you will be successful. Have you checked the site fertilityfriend dot com? There is some really useful info there. I wish you tons of luck!

You may also wish to check out what your significant other is taking - I believe I read that some herbal remedies can effect sperm count as well.

clindholm: I have no idea when I ovulate. The OPK tests told me nothing. I just seduce my husband on days 17 to 20, hoping I'll get lucky. I just bought a thermometer 2 days ago, and I'm doing the BBT chart for the first time. I am clueless about CM...I've tried to check it but I can't tell the difference. It looks the same from day to day. Congrats on your children! It is encouraging to hear good news. tryingx3: My DH isn't putting any extra effort into conceiving, because he thinks we still have plenty of time to keep putting it off. His sister in-law just had a baby, and she's mid forties. No way is he taking any herbs for his sperm. But, thanks for the advice.

I'm sorry your husband isn't playing an "active role" in this... I'm sure he is just enjoying the "practice". I started ttc at 34, never thinking I would have problems - had 2 mc before I finally had my daughter at 36. Just to clarify, I think it might have been ginseng, but something might LOWER the sperm count...so if he is taking anything herbally that might contain something other than a basic multi-vitamin, you might want to be aware. Also days 17-20 seem late to me...on a 28-30 day cycle, for me, I usually ovulated between days 10-14...but I know each person is different. With OPK tests, make sure you test at the same time each day...maybe you are missing your window completely...??

I had alot of luck (obviously) with the opk's and never did bbt. Women say that bbt is the way to go but will take a few cycles to confirm when you ovulate. CM was hard for me to determine as well since I really never saw the EWCM that everyone claims you must have to be fertile. Some couples have alot of luck (me included) with giving their husband additional Vitamin C and zinc. If you pick up a good multivitamin you can have him take it under the pretense of improving his health and well-being without bringing babies into the conversation at all. Although many women do have healthy babies well into their 40's, you run a higher risk of chromosomal issues as egg quality declines with age. My dh was a little like yours, he was a willing participant but did not feel the sense of urgency I did and it took us 16 months to conceive our first but only 2 months for the second (oops, thought it would take a year!) As Tyringx3 said, the same time daily for the opk's is a good idea and early afternoon is preferred. I always ovulated cd13-15 on a 25-28 day cycle so everyone is a little different. I wish you tons of luck and baby dust. Tryingx3- so sorry to hear of your losses, how heartbreaking. We had our first at the same age! Colleen

If you have a 28 day cycle you ovulate about day 14 so if you have a 30 to 34 day cycle you will probably ovulate around day 16 thur the 20th. But, this month you were only 24 days so you ovulated about day 10 of your cycle. If your cycles continue to be short you will have to adjust your ovulation date some. I am sure the herbs are making you have the shorter cycles. I took herbs to concieve my second because I had no periods, worked for me, but it isn't for everyone. I wouldn't take it if I were you because it seems to made your problem worse rather than fixing it. The Luteal Phase is the time starting on ovulation day until your period arrives it is usually 14 days long, if it is shorter than 10 days you run into problems with the egg being able to implant before the lining sheds. So on a short cycle your luteal phase may end up being too short, I wouldn't risk that.