Castor Oil Packs

Castor oil packs are known to enhance circulation and promote healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin.  They have traditionally been used to aid in cases with inflammation, pain, growths or when increased circulation was desired.

From a fertility standpoint it supports the following:

• Ovarian health
• Fallopian tube health
• Uterine health
• Detoxifying before conception
• Supports egg health

Castor oil packs stimulate 3 important parts of the body: lymphatic and circulatory systems and the liver.  The stimulation of these body systems aids the body in healing the organs and tissues beneath where the castor oil pack is applied.

It is important that you buy cold-pressed castor oil, not the stuff that you buy at your supermarket.  I purchase it at my herb/supplement store.

I lay on an old towel on the floor.  Then take a cloth (best if it is organic material) and put the castor oil on it.  Everything that I read is that castor oil can stain anything it touches so you have to make sure you are careful with it.  After you have the cloth with the oil on it you place that on your abdomen area.  Then I take a small piece of plasic (I use the small trashbags you can buy at the store) put that over the cloth so your heating pad doesn't get stained.  Place the heating pad on top of it and then another towel just to make sure you don't get it on anything.

I do this 4 - 6 times a week for an hour each time.  After I am done I just take a quick shower so that I don't get the oil on anything.

This is a picture of everything that I use.  I just keep the cloth in a ziploc bag so that it can be reused, they say it can be reused for up to 6 months.  I just apply a little more castor oil each use.

Acupuncture

Through all the research that we completed regarding our diagnosis I decided to give acupuncture a try.  It is along the lines of the natural path that we were taking.  I will be honest, I was very nervous going in to my first appointment.  I do not like needles at all!

Dr L was very sweet and explained everything to me.  The first thing she did was review the herbs/supplements I was taking.  Asked me about my diet and exercise.  She wanted to understand the whole body as one, which makes total sense to me.  When we were going to doctors they were just looking at one thing, my diagnosis, and how to get me a child.  What I have realized through this whole process is that I want to have complete health and not just "fix" one thing.

My first appointment she read my frequencies and showed me that I had substantial differences from side to side.  Specifically below my belly button.  She explained to me that meridians can get blocked and it is like an accident on the highway, it can have effects on the rest of your body.

She gave me homework to complete each day - rub the sides of right above my rib cage in small circular motions.  I do this each day when I am taking my pills so that I don't forget.

After reviewing my herbs/supplements she suggested I start taking vitamin D so I purchased that there and added it to my daily regimen.  What's one more pill?!

One other thing that was homework was for me to monitor my heart rate after I exercise.  After keeping record for a week I took it back to her and she told me what my "workout" heart rate should be based on my age and my resting beats per minute.  My goal is to get my heart rate at about 151 bpm while working out.

These are some of my points that she puts needles in.  The needles in my toes don't feel the best going in, but all the others you don't hardly even feel it.

I do have to say after being so scared of it I find it very relaxing. I fall asleep every time during the session and sleep very well the night after I have my treatment.  For the first few weeks I did one session a week and then graduated to every other week.

This is the board that she uses in the acupuncture room that shows the number of needles that have been inserted each time.

Second (Or Third) Opinion

We had decided after our appointment at the first fertility clinic that we would get a second (or third if you count the regular doctor) opinion.  We went the same week that I started taking all of my herbs and supplements.

6/13/2013 - Arkansas Fertility

The area that we live in does not have reproductive endocrinologists.  The first place we went was a couple hours away.  Our trip to Little Rock for this appointment was about 3 1/2 hours away.

Dr M welcomed us in to his office.  Right off the bat I had a good feeling about him.  We told him that we really wanted some one to explain to us what the diagnosis was and what our options were instead of being told what we had to do.

He reviewed my previous hormone tests with us:

• Testosterone - a little high
• LH - 42 which is high
• FSH - very high (I already knew this one!)
• Estrogen - 14 - low
• Calcium - little high - one point above normal (this is good)

He told us that I definitely have Premature Ovarian Failure which is now being called Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI).

• 4 - 6% of women have spontaneous pregnancy, they have no idea how this happens

He requested that I definitely keep taking DHEA - 75mg daily because it has proven results

One of the things that I am at risk for with this diagnosis is osteoporosis.  Most women go on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) but he suggested I don't have to do this at this time.  I should have my hormones levels drawn yearly.

• Thyroid, diabetes and parathyroid (metabolics profile)
• Should have bone density test completed within a year - request dexascan - if it is decreasing then I need to start HRT right away

If I have a period on my own then I should go get my progesterone tested 3 weeks from the start of my cycle to check for ovulation.

My chances on IVF are 5% which is not large enough for them to consider doing based on my body not having very many eggs.

Egg donor treatments are $20,000 a try and there is about a 70% chance of pregnancy.

After meeting with Dr M and getting all of this information we definitely felt like the natural way that we had chosen was the way to go.  It just feels right and much less invasive.  We decided that day that we would do everything in our power to do this the natural way, and if it doesn't work then we know that we have tried and would be able to move on to foster/adoption or whatever our hearts lead us to do. 

I do have to say after meeting with Dr M I was much more at peace.  The appointment in Tulsa gave me nothing but anxiety.  Dr M had wonderful bed side manner and actually took a complete hour to speak with us.  As I have found out the hard way, most doctors won't give you that kind of time.

I do suppose the saying "time heals all wounds" helped at this appointment too.  The diagnosis wasn't as fresh as it had been the first time.

Herbs and Supplements

I began taking the following natural supplements on 6/9/2013:

Royal Jelly - 1 tsp 2x per day - this is what the queen bee eats and she lays 250,000 eggs during peak season and up to 2,000 eggs per day
L-Arganine - 1 capsule 3x per day - 500mg per capsule so 1,500mg per day - this encourages blood flow to the uterus, ovaries and genitals
COQ10 - 2 capsules a day - 400mg per capsule - 800mg per day - this is used for basic functioning of cells, it is used in infertility to improve egg quality
DHEA - 75mg per day - this one I was told by the doctor it has been approved and they use it on infertility patients and it has proven results - it increases chances of spontaneous conception, increased quality and quantity of eggs
Melatonin - 3mg before bed - this helps regulate hormones and maintains the body's daily rhythm
Maca - 1 capsule per day - 525mg - is known to improve fertility
Chase Tree (Vitex) - 1 capsule per day - 225mg - an herb that has been used for centuries for hormonal imbalances in women
Red Raspberry Tea - 1 cup per day - this is supposed to help get my cycle back
Wheat Grass - 1 tbsp per day - I mix this with organic tomato juice - it is the only way I can get it down.  I will warn you this is the worst of all of them, you either love the taste of it or hate it and I hate it!
Pregnitude - 1 packet in the morning and 1 packet in the evening - 2 grams myo-inositol, 200mcg folic acid - I purchase this from Walgreens.com, this box will last you a month.  Pregnitude is a reproductive support dietary supplement for women that helps support ovulatory function, menstrual cyclicity and quality of eggs
Shatavari - 1 capsule per day - 500mg - this is a menstrual cycle regulator and supports mucous membranes
Licorice Root - 1 capsule per day - 450mg - this is an anti inflammatory it also balances blood sugar levels and is good for liver health.  This is important because the liver is the chemical processing plant so it maintains hormonal balance
Red Clover - 1 capsule per day - 375mg - this improves circulatory function, increase cervical mucous, high in both calcium and magnesium

6/27/2013 - I started taking Vitamin D - 5000in - 1 capsule per day per my accupuncturist - this is known to increase infertility - it lowers estradiol and progesterone

11/6/2013 - I started taking Rhodiola - 250mg capsules - 2 times a day so 500mg per day per my Merciér therapist - this improves timing of ovulation, promotes regular ovulation, tones the uterus and uterine lining, relaxes and supports the nervous system

11/13/2013 - I started taking Wobenzym N - 6 pills a day - 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening per my Merciér therapist - this cleanses tissues, promotes better circulation, breaks down and removes "fibrin" the make-up of prolonged inflammation and scar tissue, breaks down proteins in the blood that cause inflammation - this facilitates their removal via the lymphatic and circulatory system, reduces inflammation, increase in proper blood formation, increase in proper circulation hinders scar tissue formation while reducing pain

1/7/2014 - I started taking Iodine supplements - 225mcg - one pill per day per my acupuncturist due to my temperature being low which leads her to believe I have hypothyroidism. I have 60 pills so I will take them for 2 months and then take the Barnes Thyroid Test again at that time.

 2/16/2014 - I started taking Calcium supplements - 250mg - 3 pills per day for a total of 750mg and Magnesium supplements - 120mg - 3 pills per day for a total of 360mg.

Deciding to go Natural

After spending a lot of time researching and thinking about things we decided that for now the donor egg/IVF route is not for us.  Not only is it very invasive and you have to pump your body full of drugs it is also $20,000 a try.  There is no guarantee that it will work.

On the same website that we used to research (Fertile Thoughts) I found a blog that sparked my interest.  I am so thankful that I found it because it really got me going on my more natural approach.  Thank you
http://one-in-ten-million.blogspot.com/, I am so glad I found your blog and you are such an inspiration to all of us that have POF.

I also found three private Facebook groups that have girls from all over the world that are going through the same thing I am, this has been a huge help as well.

The other hard thing about this diagnosis is that it has been estimated that POF affects 1% of the population.  I have found that this leads to doctors not knowing a whole lot about it either because they don't see patients that have it very often.

Second Worst Day of my Life

May 15, 2013 - Tulsa Fertility Center

This was a two hour drive from where we live.  We left around 8 so we could get there for our 10:15 appointment.

It was very surreal, I was still thinking in my head the whole time that this was not happening to us.

Once we checked in we had to fill out a TON of paperwork.  Apparently when you are infertile they require a lot of family history/personal history.

We were taken back to the doctor's office (I will not be putting any names of doctors in here) and he started talking away.  Telling me that I definitely had premature ovarian failure.

He also suggested getting a skin biopsy or ovary biopsy to check for Turner's Mosaic Syndrome - that the blood test doesn't pick it up.  He said this may or may not tell us some things.  I am not a doctor but I was not about to be cut on for a biopsy for maybe getting results.  He also stated that my body was currently making enough estrogen because I don't have hot flashes, yet.  One thing that I have read online is most girls that have POF have all the symptoms of menopause.  The only thing I have is amennorhea (no period) and high FSH.

After this he took us to a room to have an internal ultrasound.  I had never had one of these before, it was uncomfortable to say the least.  That and the fact that he was telling me he couldn't find my right ovary at all and that my left ovary was shriveled.  I could already tell it was going to be a great day (I hope you can sense my sarcasm).  He also started the ultrasound out by telling me that my uterus was in great shape and could definitely hold a child.  They say hindsight is always 20/20...

After getting my clothes back on we went back to his office.  About the hindsight thing, the first thing he said was my body was in great shape in order to carry a child.  That the only chance we have of having a child is to use donor eggs and IVF (someone else's egg and my husbands sperm).  I was definitely not prepared for this at all.  As I stated before I was still in a little bit of denial - that none of this was happening to us.

The rest of the appointment is kind a blur to me.  All I remember is that he mentioned donor eggs probably 20 times.  He was definitely pushing that on us.

As we were leaving he gave me a prescription for Provera - to hopefully jump start a period.  He stated that it was important for me to have at least four menses a year in order to protect my uteral lining and not get endometriosis.  I would take Provera for 10 days and see what happens.

While we were checking out they had us schedule a follow up appointment for two weeks later.  I failed to mention before he didn't get all of my test results from Arkansas either.  I was so upset when we left. Regarding the diagnosis and the only option that he gave us (donor eggs).  We went back out to our car and I cried and cried.  I must mention my husband is a rockstar, he has been so AMAZING through everything.  he truly is my rock and I am so lucky that I married a man like him.

Back to Arkansas we went while having a long conversation on the two hour long drive home.

Taking Some Time to Breathe

After this news hitting us like a ton of bricks we needed some time to think.  I originally went in to survival mode and scheduled our appointment right away.  After taking some time to think about it we both realized that we just needed to sit back and wait a little bit.  We were still living with my parents and waiting on a foreclosed house that was our dream house.  Everything worked out with the house and we moved in to it in March 2013.  Also in that time I was asked to come back to my old job, this was a big decision for me but I decided to go back because I truly loved the job.

Once we got all of that out of our system we decided that we would go forward with our journey of infertility.  I called Tulsa Fertility Center and scheduled our appointment for May 15th, 2013.