Herbs and Such...

Some of you may know that I have been experiencing hormonal problems since I stopped breastfeeding a year ago.

I wanted to see if I could take care of the problem naturally and in so doing, turned to herbs.

Now, before I continue, I want to explain how I became the person who tends to stray from Allopathic medicine and veer strongly towards NATURAL alternatives.

Let me take you back to 2005...April to be exact. My grandfather had just passed away and my husband and I decided to start trying to have a baby. I went anxiously to the most respected OB/GYN in my area and was met with mixed news.

I had PCOS, or Poly-Cystic-Ovarian-Syndrome. While it was music to my ears to finally have a name to the problems I had been experiencing most of my life, the news that followed made my heart sink fast.

It would be difficult (at best) to get pregnant. He immediately put me on Glucophage which is a drug that helps insulin resistance in PCOS patients. The drug gave me stomach cramps and nausea, and I had to take them every day.

Then came the surgery. Pretty easy for surgeries, but invasive all the same. The laproscopic surgery found traces of endometriosis and my right ovary almost completely hardened due to the PCOS. So, again, news was not good.

I then went on painful injections of a drug called ZOLODEX which forces your body in to menopause for a month at a time in order to "calm down" my ovaries. The shots were awful, and I endured 3 of them. The after effects of the shots were HORRENDOUS! Hot flashes, mood swings, depression, anxiety... and I won't even go in to the side effects of the hormone replacement drugs he put me on!

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel, after a year of this preparation, I was put on clomid... to no effect. I didn't ovulate, and infact, after the dose was upped to 150 mg, my ovaries started showing signs of "hyper stimulation" which, essentially, could have ended in a complete HYSTERECTOMY!

I was devastated. I felt like there was nowhere else to go. Finally, I prayed about it and felt without a shadow of a doubt that this was not the answer for me. I needed to seek alternative routes.

So, I turned to a friend of ours who happens to be a FANTASTIC chiropractor. After explaining things to her, she told me that chiropractics can actually help some people with infertility problems. I was floored. Heavenly Father had led me directly to the person and route I needed to take.

I started going twice a week, and my periods started to regulate, but I still hadn't ovulated. Then, life got in the way and over four months went by and I hadn't seen the chiropractor. In those four months, I also didn't have a period at all.

Finally, I went crawling back because I had sprained my low back at work, and started on a three times a week regimen. Within 2 weeks, I had a normal, painless period, and within a month I was pregnant!

Nine months later, I had my son, and I can honestly say that after TWO YEARS of trying, the wait was worth it. I love that little boy more every single day. And everytime I look at him, I am reminiscent of what I endured to get him here.

Now, back to the present... let me remind you again what this post started out about...

After I stopped breastfeeding my son, (about a year ago) I have been on my period almost every single day since.

So, instead of turning to a regular OB/GYN (much to the chagrin of friends and family) to be given artificial hormones, I turned to herbs.

I started taking herbs to regulate hormones, and thyroid function. I was immediately a new person. My period problem was still there, but I was feeling happy again, and I was more energetic and nicer, (my husband was eternally grateful for that one).

So, after about 4 months of this, I felt I needed more. I did my own research and came up with a formula to help stop all this period nonsense.

I started it on the first day of period (I had had a short break) and after one week on it, my period was over, and it hasn't come back!!! (I must note that it has only been a week and a half. But, after what I've been going through, this is a miracle, and I am sure my period will come back again... at the scheduled time!)

I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to know that through hard work and perserverance I was able to find my own solution to a very big problem I was having!

It is nice to feel self-sufficient, and I just wanted to write a little something about my advocation of herbs and natural alternative solutions. You can leave a comment if you would like to find out what I used, (if any of you are experiencing, or know someone who is experiencing the same problem).

Much love,
Susan

By the way, I am in no way trying to tell anyone that they shouldn't trust their doctors, or try to diagnose any problems with herbs, I am simply stating what has worked for me. I also want to say that I feel there needs to be a balance between western medicine and natural medicine. I don't think it should be ALL of one or the other. But, I do feel that there are alternatives to the doors shut in our faces by doctors. It is up to you to search out all of your options! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away!