[jsbelle]

This is a question to all the mom's out there...

I recently discussed my PM regiment with my long-term boyfriend. I don't know what I was expecting his reaction to be, but he surprised me by saying that he was worried we won't be able to have kids because of it.
I've been researching this stuff like crazy but for some reason no one seems to bring up fertility unless its to say that you should stop taking all herbs/hormones for at least 6 months before getting pregnant (uh, duh!) or to discuss interactions with a birth control method.

SO my question is has anyone successfully had a child AFTER using PM? And if you don't mind sharing, was it difficult to get pregnant? problems breast feeding? how long were you taking PM before you got pregnant?

Any info is appreciated, THANKS so much!


PS I'm sorry if this is a repeat question but I did search the archives and didn't find anything!

[Outofstyle]

Hmmm well I believe if you are in the process of TRYING to get pregnant, then an estrogen dominance can cause problems. Also, if you are low on progesterone (which if you are taking something like PM, your estrogen would be lower) then your chances of miscarrying the baby are higher. This can be combatted by using a little bit of progesterone cream during your pregnancy, something you would definitely want to discuss with your doctor first.

And also, I know that postpartum depression largely has to do with the body's drop in progesterone after giving birth, so this too can be combatted with PC.

But those facts don`t really relate to your actual question.. I don't think raising your estrogen levels for a period of time would actually affect your abilities to get pregnant because your hormone levels would return to normal when you stopped taking them.

I haven`t really come across anyone on the forums that have said that they had a child after using PM......... so there may not be anyone to answer your question.

I would definitely use with caution if you are aware of fertility issues running in your family though.

[Run.Rabbit]

The main worry is that estrogen does have an effect of tissues of the female repro tract. It can (can, not does) cause the endometrium to grow which could lead to endometriosis. That, of course, can lead to infertility. Estrogen gives positive feedback to the pituitary gland to release a flood GnRH which in turn releases LH and FSH which of course stimulate ovulation and follicle growth, respectively. This means that excess estrogen could lead to ovarian cycsts from over-stimulated ovaries. Progesterone is the main concern when regarding ovulation. Progesterone gives negative feedback which in turn slows GnRH to a drip, which means that no FSH nor LH is released. Since no LH is released, then there is no ovulation. It is possible that long-term P4 can stop ovulation or impair it significantly due to the fact that steroid hormones have an incredibly long half-life because of their structure.

This is information that I am taking from my reproduction class, so it is in no means scientific fact of what will or can happen. There are no guarantees that NBE is safe, it is a risk that we all take. I took PM while on BC (probably a bad idea, but I did grow). I have now stopped both PM and BC and my cycles have returned to normal (although this last one has been long) so I am assuming that I am ovulating and my tract is fine, only time will tell.

[jsbelle]

Run Rabbit, really appreciate the explanation. I also appreciate the frank assessment that we are all taking a risk if we are still planning to have kids. That is the first I have heard of the long half life of progestorone. Its very interesting, especially since I was considering adding a progesterone supplement to my program.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[Kati]

I'm really happy someone mentioned this as it has been a worry of mine as well... I'm currently 21 and definitely don't want to be in a situation in the future where I can't have babies (or worse, get a miscarriage) because of my youthful vanity. Of course I know there's always a risk with all this hormone-messing-around we're doing but I would be very interested too to hear from people who have/haven't had problems conceiving after PM...