Experience
I was still on the fence about taking vitex after the having my second child, but had decided I might want to try it in attempts to help me conceive another child (my third) when I read that it could help with mild Endometriosis (mild Endometriosis in reproductive literature is often called Stage II and I have Stage I, often called minimal). Some other reasons I became interested in it once again, was that it said it could help start a menstrual cycle - since I would be trying to get pregnant with my third child while breastfeeding my second.
Because I was still uncertain, I wanted to nurse my second child at least to 12 months before trying any large doses and following those regimens that could potentially affect my milk supply. If you have been following along, I did not take supplements when trying to conceive my second child until my postpartum period returned naturally on its own at 17 months postpartum affected only by breastfeeding. In fact, I bought a vitex supplement while trying for my 2nd, took exactly 1 pill and never took one again for that whole period of trying to conceive my 2nd. That same bottle that I bought is what I began using on my journey to try for a third.
The brand that I am using is Solaray. It's called Vitex Chaste Berry Extract, 225 mg. I purchased it from Amazon. Link: Solaray Vitex Chaste Berry.
The brand that I am using is Solaray. It's called Vitex Chaste Berry Extract, 225 mg. I purchased it from Amazon. Link: Solaray Vitex Chaste Berry.
I was interested in seeing if Vitex could bring my period sooner and within a 6-month time frame as advertised. This might be a coincidence or it might be a result of the vitex. Prior to taking vitex, my OPK (ovulation prediction kits) were stark white, at 6 months they began having faint lines, but none were positive. I started taking Vitex inconsistently when my second baby was 8 months old - 10.5 months old. Inconsistently means I didn't take it every day, sometimes 3-4 days, others 7-14 days could go by between a pill. I took a total of 15 pills. My OPKs began to be darker, close to positive and positive tests. I had several positive OPKs, each test looked positive. To see those OPKs, go to this link: OPK Progression Before Postpartum Menstrual.
I began noticing fertile cervical mucus, which is why I began taking OPKs. Throughout my pre-postpartum charting, even with the input of my BBT (basal body temperature) each day from June 15, 2014 - August 1, 2014, and my positive ovulation tests, fertility friend did not give me cross hairs to indicate that I ovulated. Several times through that period, I shared the chart with the midwife I was hoping to use for a third child, who does not believe I ovulated. I spoke to my OB who provided care for the pregnancies of my first two children, who said the ovulation test batch could have been off. However, I bought most of them from the dollar store, different days in different individual boxes. My OB said OPKs can be less reliable while waiting for a postpartum menstrual {However, there is an exception to that rule, because there are breastfeeding women who have caught the first egg, charted such as I did and have recorded normal positive ovulation tests}. He did not feel I was really ovulating either. Before I could get the progesterone test to find out if my body had ovulated Monday morning, that weekend 3 days shy of 11 months postpartum at 10 months and 27 days postpartum, my postpartum menstrual started.
To answer some questions, my baby is not sleeping through the night, just sleeping longer periods. He does wake up to nurse a few times. He does occasionally eat baby food and baby snacks. We are mostly doing baby led weaning, so when he is not breastfeeding he is eating table food. He is very active through the day, playing with his sibling, independent play, crawling and walking.
Other supplements I was taking in addition to the vitex: 1 bottle of Cassanovum's Cassava Root, Rainbow Light Prenatal One vitamins, Omega 3's, Fiber, 400 mcg of folic acid (9 pills) and I drunk 2 bottles of POM juice (pomegranate juice).
I took the vitex inconsistently to observe if any negative reactions were to occur to my baby while I was on it so that I would know and stop taking it if that happened. To my knowledge, my baby is completely healthy and did not have any reactions to me taking it. There were no differences in his nursing or sleeping habits, and he did not have any rashes or allergic-type reactions.
FAQ
To answer some questions, my baby is not sleeping through the night, just sleeping longer periods. He does wake up to nurse a few times. He does occasionally eat baby food and baby snacks. We are mostly doing baby led weaning, so when he is not breastfeeding he is eating table food. He is very active through the day, playing with his sibling, independent play, crawling and walking.
Other supplements I was taking in addition to the vitex: 1 bottle of Cassanovum's Cassava Root, Rainbow Light Prenatal One vitamins, Omega 3's, Fiber, 400 mcg of folic acid (9 pills) and I drunk 2 bottles of POM juice (pomegranate juice).
I took the vitex inconsistently to observe if any negative reactions were to occur to my baby while I was on it so that I would know and stop taking it if that happened. To my knowledge, my baby is completely healthy and did not have any reactions to me taking it. There were no differences in his nursing or sleeping habits, and he did not have any rashes or allergic-type reactions.
To read more about Vitex and my updated opinions on this experiences,
click my post, Vitex & My Postpartum Menstrual Starting (Part 2).
Last Edited: January 1, 2017
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