This cycle

In case anyone is interested, I thought I'd record what I had done for this cycle, that may have been different than past cycles.  I always found it interesting to see what other people have done on their route to a BFP.  Feel free to skip on over if you're not interested.  Like the last post, I found it helpful to see what other people were going through as they made their way to a BFP.

As I have mentioned, in December my Dr. found that my FSH was high and diagnosed me with Premature Ovarian Aging. 

Supplements I was taking:
- CoQ10 - To help improve quality of eggs
- Prenatal multivitamin
- Vitamin D
- Iron supplements (I started taking these myself when I was feeling like I had no energy)
- Clomid (taken day 3-7 of my cycle)

Natural remedies I was taking:
- Up until the IUI, I was on some TCM herbs to help tonify my blood, as my TCM doctor diagnosed me wtih blood statis.  I took this tea twice per day.
- Black cohosh - This is a natural supplement supposed to help lower FSH and stop the ovarian aging (I think, I can't quite remember why she put me on it).
- Gaba-Pro - This is one that I am soooo thankful to my TCM doctor for making me take.  Gaba is a naturally occuring substance in the body that helps lower anxiety (it's what is produced when you have yoga, or do relaxation, etc.).  My doctor told me to take it every day after the IUI to help curb any anxiety that might affect the baby from developing.  It has been a lifesaver!  On the day we found out our results, I made my husband take some too!

Dietary:
- Actually I am doing lent, which is a focused time of giving up something to spend more time with God, and go to Him for comfort, rather than an earthly thing.  For lent, I gave up sugar!  Not completely... I just couldn't do that.  I still have sugar in my tea/coffee, and I've had bits of dark chocolate almost every day.  Just no more candy, sweet treats, baked goods or sugary pop.  I want to try to keep this up for the pregnancy as much as I can.
- We did a month of complete wheat-free eating in December.  I haven't kept it all up, but I have worked hard to lessen the amount of wheat I am eating.
- Earlier in the year I did allergy testing.  My results were a bit strange, but I have given up the foods that were especially flagged.  Those included: bananna (which I used to eat daily), pineapple (so no pineapple juice after the IUI this time, hazelnuts, and Whey protein.  I don't know if any of that played a role, but I assume it helped clear up any inflammation that may have blocked the way to a pregnancy. 

Other things I was doing:
- Before this IUI, I went for 5 sessions of acupuncture.  My doctor was working on eliminating blood statis so that my "chi" could flow freely.  As I have mentioned in past posts, she also helped me to avoid some of the unwanted side effects of the clomid, and increase my relaxation.  These treatments were my favorite!
- I exercised every day up until the IUI.  I was going to the gym 2-3 times per week and walking on the alternate days.  After the IUI I focused on walking and doing some yoga.

Then there was the faith side of things... but that's a whole other post, which I may, or may not share.

Thanks for hearing me out!