Hi all

Firstly I love the website!

I would really like some advice from you all.

I came off the contraceptive pill in July 2011, after 15 years. I only ever had 1 period before this at 17 years old, my running coach told me to go on the pill, so I did. My husband and I are trying to conceive, however since coming off the pill I have had 3 periods with no patterns.

I train 6 times a week with 3 crossfit sessions and 3 runs. My runs consist of 1 long run, 1 slow run, and 1 interval session.

I would like advice on what other women have done to kick start their menstural cycle or help them conceive. I have been told a number of different things, stop exercising all together, train at low intensity and carry on as normal. Right now I would do anything to make my menstural cycle regular and hopefully aid conceiving.

Any advice would be gravely received.

Many thanks

An important question is how much body fat you have. If your body fat is very low it can affect menstruation and therefore conception. There's nothing wrong with exercising per se when trying to conceive, but if you're doing it to a point where your body fat is very low and your intensity is very high, your body won't have the stores it needs to support menstruation, let alone conception.

That being said, have you had a full physical? If not, it might be helpful to get some objective views on your health, including blood work and so on. Again, for you the important thing is probably not how much you exercise but how much you're eating and whether you have enough fat stores to conceive. Others may be able to add some other tips here, but from a physiological perspective, nutrition is key.

Totally agree with LilyTiger.

_________________
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. -Helen Keller

Hi

Check out this website http://chriskresser.com/ and invest in The Healthy Baby Code, fantastic resource for conceiving, pregnancy and when baby arrive.

Good Luck

I have a similar story I thought would be helpful to share. I did not get my cycle at all after going off birth control (and for a year or so before going on it). I was active (running, biking, crossfit) but never excessive and never too low body fat (I was 19-20% at lowest) . After all the medical workups showed nothing other than "hypothalamic ammenorhea" and tons of research on my own, I decided to make some changes. I stopped stepping on a scale (ever), lowered my crossfit intensity (basically followed this site's recommendations, stopped running entirely, did acupuncture with a fertility specialist, and still ate paleo but tried to do a little more carbs and fats. Ultimately I gained weight and had to get new clothes (from about 127lbs to 140lbs) but I also gained my cycle back (after ~6 months) and basically got pregnant right away. I'm now 30 wks and feeling great, crossfitting mom-style, eating mostly paleo and even got back to running after 1st trimester. I can't tell you how frustrating it was at times to see/hear about girls with 6pack abs "accidently" getting pregnant while training for the games or a marathon or whatever but I learned that each woman is different and to accept the hand I was dealt. I have lots of research and resources on this so feel free to contact me for more info. And this site was awesome for helping me to scale back without going totally insane if I didn't exercise t all

Thank you for sharing your story. That is exactly the problem, you are all different.

_________________
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. -Helen Keller

I am also trying to get my body ready to conceive.

I stumbled across acupuncture last year for another problem (acne!) and am so glad I did. Don't ask me how it works, but Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture do a great job of diagnosing and treating internal issues that may not show up in Western medicine tests and lab work. Long story short, my acupuncturist told me that my body and organs weren't in great shape (despite being fit, lean-but-not-too-lean and in tip top condition by all Western medicine measures). And, if I was thinking about becoming pregnant, she recommended I wait. I have been having regular acupuncture and taking herbs since.

The proof for me is that I now have regular, normal periods when I didn't before, even at the low end of BMI. As I said, I don't know how it works, but I am a firm believer that it does.

I thought it might be helpful to share this, as a TCM check up and acupuncture may be something to consider to get a different perspective on your overall health.

Just my 0.2 cents:


Make sure you are eating enough in general, but most importantly, make sure you are eating enough fat. Also, watch out for over training and that is easy to do, esp. with running AND xfit combined. I tend to think that jacked up cortisol levels can interfere with fertility (read how stress adversely disrupts fertility...)

I've not had fertility problems, but I do have irregular menstrual cycles. Before trying for our second child, I took evening primrose oils, fish oil, and vitamin C with rosehips starting a month before we went for it. Second month was a hit. I tend to think these supps can't hurt. Some of my friends also chart their basal body temperatures every morning and they have been very successful with this method.

Good luck!

Just a little follow up note on my post about acupuncture and fertility a few weeks ago. Well, I just found out I am pregnant and I really believe acupuncture and TCM played an important role.

My husband and I were planning to start trying in a few months' time. We were careless mid-cycle just once (first time in 4 years) and that was all it took. *TMI alert*: I used the bathroom right after we did the deed, but one strong little swimmer must have already been well on its way to meet its mate!

I just thought I would share this happy news and recommend exploring acupuncture / TCM for another perspective on health.

P.S. I came off birth control 18 months ago and will never take it again. Of course it is up to each individual, but personally, I would much rather deal with other birth control methods than mess with my hormones.