In Silent Grief: Hope for Surviving Early Miscarriage, I had mentioned how I began supplementing with some herbs and progesterone cream to help with my recurrent miscarriages. Since publishing the book, we have had quite a few requests from ladies for more information on what I took to help with regulating my hormones.
Since those days long ago, I’ve done even more research and wanted to share just a few quick links to some products I would recommend to any woman suffering recurrent miscarriage or threatening to lose an early pregnancy. I will list some here for you to research on your own. And as always when posting medical and herbal advice, please remember to ask your doctor or midwife.
Life-Flo Progesta-Care with Natural Progesterone Body Cream, Women’s Wellness, 4-Ounce Bottle
This is the brand of natural progesterone cream that I used myself for several pregnancies. It states in the description that it is for menopausal women, but it is also excellent for raising your progesterone levels. If you have suffered two or more miscarriages, it would be wise for you to get a hormone test done. Your doctor or midwife would be able to perform this for you, but be sure they check your estrogen and progesterone levels. If your progesterone level comes back low, this is a natural way to raise it. However, as with all things natural and hormonal, remember that it can take several months for your levels to get to where they need to be to sustain a pregnancy. So be patient!
Nature’s Way – Red Raspberry Leaves, 480 mg, 100 capsules
Red raspberry leaves are often thought of as using them to tone the uterus during pregnancy. However, I would also recommend them for several months before pregnancy to help stabilize and level out a woman’s hormones. It won’t hurt and can only help to take them for a bit before becoming pregnant.
However, if you have already had one or more miscarriages, I would highly recommend you quit this supplement as soon as you find out you are pregnant. There is some evidence suggesting it can make the uterus cramp and it would be safer to leave this out of your supplement regime during the first trimester of pregnancy.
But once I would reach about 34 weeks, I would begin taking this again – about six per day – in preparation for labor. It is a good toner for the muscles of the uterus and some people claim it helps with labor. By 34 weeks, you are ready to take almost anything to make labor look easier and get here faster!
Nature’s Way Vitex (Chaste Tree), 400 mg, 100 Capsules (Pack of 2)
Vitex, also called Chaste Berry, is another awesome hormone regulator. I took this quite a bit during my miscarriage years and believe it helped to raise my progesterone levels and simply level them all out where they needed to be in order to sustain a pregnancy.
I would recommend you take this for several months before becoming pregnant. If you have already suffered a miscarriage or two, it would be helpful to give your body several months to regulate its hormones before becoming pregnant. I personally know how hard this is to do – you lost one baby and can’t wait until you have one in your arms. But waiting 2-6 months while you work on getting your body healthy enough for another baby might be the best thing you do!
Vitex is also an herb that you should probably quit once you find out you are pregnant. It is simply a hormone regulator and not recommended for pregnancy.
J.CROW’S® Lugol’s Iodine Solution(2 oz.) Twin Pack(2 bot.)
Iodine is something else our bodies need to regulate hormones. Iodine is mainly stored in the thyroid . . . and let’s face it, ladies – we need our thyroids! I would recommend starting this slowly and upping your way very slowly. Begin by taking one drop in water every day. Some women have reported blurry vision which can also be associated with adrenal fatigue, so remember to go slowly. I personally have worked my way to taking two drops one day and five drops the next. But I have also been taking iodine for a year and a half, so my body is more used to it.
Iodine is something that would be safe to take during pregnancy, so there is no reason to quit taking it if you find out you are pregnant.
Simple Advice
Eat Good Foods
We all know this to be true for our general health, but it is also great for regulating all your body’s hormones. Cook your own foods most of the time and drink lots of water.
Lose 5 Pounds – Gain 5 Pounds
When I got married, I was a skinny little thing with her hormones and cycles completely out of whack. I had just come through a time where I was borderline anorexic and it had done bad things to my body. After having my first miscarriage, I read some advice that was hard for me to swallow. I can’t even remember now which book I found it in, but this author suggested that sometimes all our bodies needed to regulate its hormones was to either gain 5 pounds or lose 5 pounds. And I know this might be hard to believe now . . . but I was on the skinny side of things back then, so I gained a little weight and believe that it also helped in my hormone regulation! Our bodies have a natural set point where things run smoothly, and it might help to fluctuate the scale a little bit.
For a Threatening Miscarriage . . .
I am now going to share a supplement with you that I cannot recommend highly enough! If you are a recurrent miscarrier, this is something that should be a staple in your cupboard.
by Mountain Meadow Herbs
I found this supplement after my last miscarriage and before I became pregnant with Dallas. When I got pregnant with him, my spotting began at almost the exact day it did with my previous miscarriage. And I freaked out! It looked like everything was going to be the same . . . spotting, bleeding, and no stopping the miscarriage.
However, as soon as I started bleeding, I ordered this formula from Mountain Meadow Herbs. When it arrived, I took it immediately. At that point, I was past spotting and into full-out bleeding. Within hours of beginning the C & B Formula, my bleeding slowed considerably. Within days, it turned into spotting and completely stopped! And Dallas arrived 8 months later.
Now I thought that perhaps it might be just a coincidence, but a good friend recently took it when she was spotting with her pregnancy at about 8 weeks. It also helped her spotting and bleeding to slow considerably and she is still pregnant today!
It keeps for quite a while and the directions are clear that come with it. I don’t think it is recommended to take it once your spotting clears up – I know I stopped taking it about a week after my spotting stopped.
So there you have a few supplements and advice I would recommend and I truly hope it helps some women who have had to walk the same journey I did!
God bless.
Some affiliate links have been added to this post to cover the cost of this blog! Thanks.
- The Adventum CD Collection – Sale Now - March 27, 2021
- Alternative To Facebook Option - January 30, 2021
- The Beauty of the Hoary Head - January 2, 2021
Kate Gold says
Hey– I’m looking at the last item and it contains grain alcohol. I know alcohol in general can can have consequences for babies.
I was interested because I get heavy menstrual bleeding, and so I wanted to look at the ingredients, but shouldn’t there be a disclaimer somewhere not to use in excess because of the alcohol? Just curious 🙂
Good luck to everyone and their babies!!
Kendra says
That is a good question to ask the owner of Mountain Meadow Herbs! I’d be interested in what they said. However, I know this is not a supplement they recommend using for long periods of time. I only used it probably about a week to 10 days – just until my bleeding had cleared up.
Here is what they say on the description:
“Caution: C&B is designed to be used only by women who are pregnant, and only while cramping or spotting. It is not designed to take continuously, except in cases where mom tends to deliver early.”
Autumn Bradt says
It says on the life flo bottles not to take if pregnant or planning to become pregnant. I can’t find anything anywhere as to why it says this but I swear it helped me get pregnant and I don’t want to stop using it. Help.
Kendra says
You can always ask your doctor or midwife, but it is safe to use during pregnancy.