Q: hello susun,
i read on line a few words you had written of vitex. i am in my 2mth of pregnancy after a m/c that occurred 7mths ago. i had trouble getting pregnant and even getting a normal period for that matter til i started w/ vitex and tang kwei gin. at this point i have stopped tang kwei gin due to the don quai but am still taking vitex. my dr recommended that i stop but i have a short luteal phase (10 days) and want to help my body in any way i can. would there be any side effects to taking vitex during the first trimester? thanks for your time.
j.
A: Hello J., congratulations on your pregnancy. Susun does not have internet in her home so is not able to correspond in this way. I am sorry you can not hear direct from her. I have learned from her that it is best discontinued in the last trimester since it can lower prolactin levels. I have not yet heard of any reason to stop taking it sooner than that. I understand your desire to continue it a little longer. Did your doctor offer a reason to discontinue it now? Perhaps we can explore that? Are you supporting uterine strength with anything else, like Red Raspberry leaf infusions?
Please let me know if I can help any further, I am very happy to!
Blessings,
Karen Joy
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
www.wisewomanweb.com
Q: Karen,
wow! thanks for even getting back to me. I was surprised and grateful. I am continuing the vitex but since i had contacted you i had an episode of bleeding after intercourse. After some research I found I began taking false unicorn and wild yam both in a tincture. the false unicorn i read (on a midwife site) that i could continue for a week. I would like to continue the wild yam until my first trimester. Both of these are contraindicative for pregnancy, do you know why? I stopped drinking the raspberry tea because i had also read that in some cases it may cause bleeding and to avoid if you have miscarried. I was also taking nettle supplements and drinking nettle tea until i read that nettles may have the same effect. But I am borderline aneimic and was sure the nettles were helping. I guess this is the problem w/ the internet, too much information. If you dont have time to reply I can understand. Thanks so much for the forum information. Have a wonderful day!!! J.
A: Yes, J., on the internet, in books and all around is an abundance of opinions and personal experiences. So many of them not complete in their descriptions So I suppose in the end you need to find the place in you that knows where to go, what feels right. You can probably look up any herb online and find someone to say do not take while pregnant or nursing. Even perusing a line of popular tinctures/extracts in a natural food store, if you look at the small print you will find that warning. We are very cautious, which is great, when it comes to dealing with tiny and unborn children. This means any possible link between an herb and any possible pregnancy complication becomes a loud warning. Recently someone wrote me about a concern hearing a warning against those with kidney troubles consuming Nettles, while we were strongly advocating those with kidney concerns to use it to strengthen. What is not said in those warnings is that it matters when the herb is harvested. Nettles harvested, as most herbalists who know what they are doing do, before flowering, are superb Kidney nourishers. Yet if harvested after flowering, they can be irritating to the kidneys. Of course though this is just another opinion out there :) I guess like all those you read on other websites, I can just offer my thoughts based on my studies, intuitions, and experiences. I think Nettles is incredibly nourishing to you, especially with your concern of anemia. Not only is it iron rich, it is rich in so many of the nutrients women seek in prenatal pills. It is also rich in vitamin K. I believe being anemic you are more at risk to bleed too much once giving birth. Vitamin K helps prevent this and I recommend this to any woman, anemic or not. Red Raspberry leaf infusions are a well known uterine tonic, so in my mind, even more wanted by someone who has miscarried. Doing a very quick web search on Red Raspberry and miscarriage I find:
http://konzababy.tripod.com/RRL.htm
Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, red raspberry leaf is one of the safest and commonly used tonic herbs for women wanting to get pregnant or for women who are already pregnant. Red Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus) tones the uterus, improves contractions and decreases constipation. ....
The more radical stance is that drinking one cup of tea per day in the 1st trimester and 2 cups in the 2nd trimester and switching to the infusion in the 3rd trimester ensures a strong uterus, is good for you nutritionally and prevents miscarriage. Some say it is advised to not use it in the first trimester, particularly if you have a history of miscarriage.
The more conservative stance is that red raspberry leaf can cause minor spotting in the beginning of a pregnancy, and some U.K. midwives claim an increase in miscarriage rates. Contact your midwife, herbalist or physician for more information. If you're thinking about using it, to be safe, just wait until you're 36 weeks along
http://www.joyfullivingservices.com/preventingmiscarriage.html
Preventing Miscarriage naturally
Red Raspberry - Acts as a uterine tonic, contains many vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron and B-Complex
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_preparation/herbal-allies.html
Red raspberry has been called the "herb supreme" for pregnancy. A wonderful tonic that helps to prepare the uterus for birth, relaxing and relieving cramps, it is so effective that many women actually report pain-free or virtually pain-free labors thanks to red raspberry leaf tea.
Red raspberry is rich in iron and calcium (which pregnant women need more of), potassium, and vitamins B, C, and E. It has been shown to help with morning sickness and postpartum depression, to prevent bleeding at birth and hemorrhaging, to return the uterus to normal more quickly after birth, and to encourage breast milk. British scientists have recently identified an active ingredient and confirmed raspberry leaf's use as a pregnancy tonic. It is safe and without side effects. Red raspberry leaves are usually infused as a tea and consumed three times a day.
....
Cramp bark is an antispasmodic. It is especially helpful in preventing miscarriage due to stress or anxiety, and it can be safely used over prolonged time to treat threatened miscarriage without side effects if necessary. Other herbs that have been used in this way include false unicorn root, lobelia, red raspberry, and wild yam.
It was actually hard for me to find any evidence of it causing miscarriage; the closest was above.
For nettles I did find a few instances of concern on the web for aerial parts of nettles causing uterine contractions making concern for those who are pregnant, though only web claims, no studies. I am not near my library at the moment to check more specifically of herbalists I admire. I loved this herb as an infusion through my pregnancy and of those I have recommended it to or whom I know who also enjoyed this herb, i have never heard a case of miscarriage that was possibly a result of it.
I prefer to work with only one or two simple herbs at a time usually, and best if I feel confident with them. I totally understand the bleeding causing great concern. And I totally support you to stop doing anything that you are concerned about. At the same time I invite you to check with yourself before starting a new herb especially since you have not been working very intimately with these plants. Then only begin using if you feel real comfortable. The more nourishing herbs are simpler to work with than those that may have a faster effect but more possible consequences.
Please write any time. I am happy to dialogue with you on this. In the end, apart from my opinions and those around you I strongly support your own feeling on what is best for you. I want, just as you, a strong healthy pregnancy and child for you. Even if you don't have more questions, I would love to hear how things are going!
Karen Joy
Q: Karen, I just wanted to say thank you so much. There are not many people willing to give their input especially to a pregnant woman and even more so, in reference to nature's remedies. We have just went to our first visit and heard the heart beat. We have had no spotting or bleeding since our one incident and I am sure I owe this to the power's of the earth and a higher spirit. I am continuing wild yam until the first trimester is over and I had stopped the false unicorn after two weeks of being spot free. I praise you for sharing your views and information with me. You are a blessing to this world.
Thanks eternally, j.
A: Thank you J. for keeping me updated. I continue to think of you and your family and a wonderful pregnancy, birth and child. And always welcome questions or updates. You sound more comfortable in yourself regarding all this and that goes a long way towards the health of both you and babe!
Lots of love, Karen Joy
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