01-11-2009 - New Info On TTC- Benadryl Therapy??

My mood while writing this blog: informative

So the other day while i was having a massive outbreak of HIVES (i have chronic hives that started a few months back) i went to google to see what info i could find about taking benedryl (antihistamine) while ovulating because i was ovulating and didnt want it to affect anything but i was just SOO miserable. Actually im having a hives outbreak right now LOL One thing i have noticed though is i typically get them alot more frequently and worse when i am ovulating so maybe the two have something to do with each other. Anyways i came across a forum where a lady just had to tell her story. She concieved naturally after a failed IVF/IUI using none other then benedryl. How you ask? well thats why I am writing this blog. I am determined to get to the bottom of this because if its fail proof then i would like to see some of u ladies who have been trying sooo hard with no success actually get there because i am getting to that point myself. So i did a little research for u all and yes this is the other experiment i was talking about in my other blog. I'm goin to test it out and be like a little lab rat for u all :) i enjoy it, i love informing u ladies in any and all ways possible even if that means sacrificing my cycle purely for informational purposes!

***UPDATE**** please try to NOT take the benedryl before or during O as it will dry up ur CM. antihistamines dry up all mucuses (thats why it works for sinus type allergies, sneezing etc) if ur allergies are acting up quite severly during this time, try to limit ur intake to 25mg a day (1 benedryl) or possible find and antihistamine that doesnt harm ur CM production.

Histamine

Histamine is produced in the body when the compound histadine breaks down. Every person has some level of histamine in their systems but some people can have too much. When having an allergic reaction, histamine is released in the body. For example Hives, are a bodies reaction to histamine and other compunds being released by mast cells of the skin. Histamine causes fluid to leech from local blood vessels which causes skin to swell. Benedryl is an ANTIhistamine which means it doesnt lower the histamine level it just blocks some of the histamine which can control allergic reactions, causing them to stop which is where u get the relief but it is short lived. There are ways to nautrally decrease high levels of histamine, one of which is to eat certain foods on the regular, foods that contain methionine (amino acid). Such as: sunflower seeds, beef, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, fish, pork, liver, sardines, yogurt, pumpkin seeds and lentils.

An example of an allergic reation causing high levels of histamine being produced. A lady with an unknown allergy of sulfur had been eating foods containg sulfur which caused her body to produce large quantities of histamine because she didn't know and ate these foods all the time. Once she had an allergy test done, she was informed and then cut out these foods and the allergic reations subsided. This is a good example of why everyone should get an allergy test at some point bcuz u can be allergic to things that u would never expect!

Benedryl Therapy?

Don't know why it's called this but i like it, it makes sense. Since antihistamines block histamine it brings relief. Histamine can build up in your body and PREVENT implantation!! i never knew this and it actually explains alot for me about why i havent concieved since April ( M/C bcuz of low progesterone levels) but the hives for me didnt start until after that. So what could possibly be happening is i am fertilizing eggs but they are not implanting bcuz of the histamine build up. How does benedryl work? well the lady that i was talking about at first, who concieved naturally using this method, said she took 1 benedryl every 4-6 hrs during the implantation window (4-10dpo) and what this is supposed to do is block the histamine allowing the egg to implant. It worked for her, even after she had a failed IVF and when that doesnt work then u know ur chances are slim at concieving. This seems like a big thing, some may think its just a coincidence but i must admit i have to have faith bcuz if its something that small and that fixable that is preventing people from getting pregnant, i want to get the word out there.

What im going to do...

I am going to try this!! if it works i will be soooo happy! So i am currently 1dpo, the implatation window is different for everyone but on average they say 6-12dpo. so im goin to go for 4dpo to 10dpo (to give time for the benedryl to start blocking asap lol) taking 1 benedryl every 6hrs, hopefully i can stay awake when taking it during the day!! LOL benedryl always makes me pass out! if i can find a way around the sleepiness of it i will make sure to let u know! but for now im just going to wing it.

Anyone who wants to read the forum i came across "by accident' can go to :

http://healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=527712&highlight=benadryl

There u have it ladies!! research really does pay off even when u find something u werent even looking for!! I hope to hear lot of feedback and opinions on this so i really hope u go read her story :) also, theres pictures of a mini hives out break in my photobook, most times i get flare ups on my legs, they can get alot worse then that though.