Warning: boring explanation ahead

As promised, I wanted to further clarify why Needle Lady thinks I most likely did not ovulate in this last cycle:

If any of you have ever taken progesterone, or even been on birth control, then you know that it is very possible to have a period without actually ovulating. The confusing thing about acupuncture is that, unlike with the fertility specialist, there are no ultrasounds or bloodwork to confirm the actual development and release of an egg (ovulation). So while there are certainly symptoms you can look out for (and even ovulation predictor kits you can use), you are largely just guessing if and when ovulation occurs.

To further clarify, some of the symptoms you experience after you ovulate (including an eventual period) are similar to some of the symptoms you experience as a result of simply a change in hormones (ie: an increase in progesterone or a decrease in estrogen). A lot of what acupuncture focuses on (especially with people with PCOS) is "correcting" the function of your hormones. So essentially, it is very possible (and even likely in the case of someone like myself with very stubborn ovaries) that the past 3 cycles I have had were most likely the result of a change in hormones rather than actual ovulation.

As you might recall, Needle Lady told me initially that it takes your body about 3 months (100 days) to "reset itself." In my situation, this basically meant that it would take about 3 months for my uterine lining to rebuild and for whatever had been put into my body in the previous 3 months to get out. So in my case, this meant that it would take about 3 months for my body to "flush out" all of the fertility medications it had been exposed to (and any other "toxins" for that matter, probably including the apparently evil Raisin Bran- ha!).

So this essentially means that for the past 3 months, her goal for each cycle was mainly to get me to have a period on my own (I know, who thought it would be so much work?!)- NOT necessarily for me to get pregnant. Now don't get me wrong, she was not working against a pregnancy by any means, and she even wanted me to go ahead and make some changes (dietary and otherwise) that would help a pregnancy, but she just wasn't necessarily aiming for it to happen before then.

With all this said, when I thought I might have ovulated in this last cycle, she had no reason to believe otherwise, because again, while her primary focus was not on getting me to ovulate yet, there was nothing necessarily stopping it from happening (besides my obviously rebellious reproductive system). So that's why she had me focus on doing things that would help a pregnancy if that were the case.

Nonetheless, after my disappointing news last week, she wasn't all that surprised, and was actually quite pleased that my cycle was shorter because it means I'm making progress. BUT, at my second weekly appointment last week, she said that now that it has been 3 cycles (and around 100 days), she is going to focus much more on getting me to ovulate... fingers crossed, because clearly that is no easy task! :)

She also mentioned that since we have passed that 100-day mark, I can start coming in once a week instead of twice a week. She seems confident that the herbs and other 800 supplements will do the rest. I am ok with this because (a) I trust her, (b) it will cost less money :), and (c) it confirms to me that she really is looking out for my best interest, because I don't think she would tell a paying customer to come less often if that wasn't the case!

So that's that. While the impatient overachiever in me was really hoping that I would beat the 3-month mark and get pregnant after a week or two of treatment (and without having to take any herbs at all), I do realize that all of this has been helping my body to be more prepared for a pregnancy WHEN one occurs. And that's really the most important thing.

All we do from here is continue to hope, pray, and take strange supplements! And of course, as always, I'll keep you posted along the way...