#coq10

There’s a high chance that you’ve come across two compounds named PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) and CoQ10. Now PQQ is a neuroprotective compound, whereas CoQ10 is a natural antioxidant.

For those who don’t know about PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone), it stimulates growth in bacteria and displays antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. On the other hand, Coenzyme Q10 is a natural antioxidant, which supports enzymes in various biochemical functions.

I’m almost halfway through the book, what I’ve learned (keep in mind, I’m reading this while I basically only care about PCOS and being over 35, not about DOR or other causes of infertility):

PCOS can cause low quality eggs due to oxidation (additionally, being as ancient as me can also increase oxidative stress on eggs). So, because of that, antioxidants should be taken months before IVF, ideally 3-4, when the eggs first begin their development. 

If you have PCOS you should not take DHEAs, unless you fall into a particular subgroup that I don’t. 

CoQ10 is something everyone should take (it helps your mitochondria, also pay attention to if it’s the activated form or less active form), in addition to a quality prenatal, and you may as well take methyl-folate, it’s cheaper than testing to see if you have MTHFR, and as long as you take it in a reasonable dose, it won’t cause issues. 

Vitamins for Cervical Cancer

A while ago I went to a naturopath and asked what I can do to help my cervical dysplasia (cervical cancer cells). She gave me a long list of vitamins that she recommends to people with cervical cancer. Vitamins are expensive and they come on sale quite often so I took my time picking them all up one by one.

Here’s what I got:

I picked up these Vitamin E softgels, but I actually think I got the…

Three days ago, my SO and I went to the fertility clinic for our consultation. It was the start of our return to treatment and intervention. I had a pretty good feeling in the week leading up to the appointment that the doctor would ultimately tell me that IVF would be our next course of action, and that I needed to take three months to lose some weight before we started anything.

Well, I was right on both counts! He prescribed Metformin again, telling me that I need it to help manage my PCOS, and said he wanted to see me again mid-October. That’s only about two months away. He’s optimistic that I can make enough difference between now and then that we can start a cycle before the end of the year. He did look me up and down towards the end of our meeting and say “you’re done a good job taking care of yourself,” so I suppose he expected that after two years off Metformin and not under treatment that I would have ballooned up quite a bit more. I did get some optimism from that.

The current plan is that when I return mid-October, we will induce a period, and start in on follistim. Once my follicles are looking ripe, we will trigger with Lupron, harvest all available/mature follicles, attempt fertilization via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and freeze all the resulting embryos. Due to an increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, we will not do a fresh cycle. We’ll take another month to prime my uterus and do a frozen embryo transfer at that point.

In addition to the metformin, I am also taking Ovasitol (an inositlol supplement) and NeoQ10 (a CoQ10 supplement) for the next two months. Both are new pieces of protocol at the clinic, and have been proven to increase egg quality and overall success. The company that makes these two products, Theralogix, is rather new. I had heard about them on some podcasts that I listen to, and thought it too good to be true. I was very surprised to see a whole display of what they offer sitting at the clinic last week!

In non-IVF related news, the day after the clinic consultation, my SO and I met with the lawyer who arranged our nephew’s original guardianship agreement for my mom and I. We are pursuing his formal adoption! His biological mother has gotten to the point where she is comfortable with the idea, and we are so excited for the opportunity! I don’t know if she and I will ever talk honestly about how we got to here from where it all started, but I am extremely grateful that we have.

So...who knows, but perhaps we will end up with two kids next year! Keep a good thought on both accounts, if you feel so inclined. <3