Panicking!

[TaniaLl]

So... been TTC and decided to take Vitex since it helped me with my 2nd. Longs story short, ovulated early, CD 14 and read to eat pineapple core for 5 days after ovulation, so I did. Was very merrily going along my way and decided to test and got a huge dark OPK day 21, so I think I either had a second surge or didn't really ovulate the first time. I just read that pineapple not only sways boy! But that it prevent your chances of getting pregnant. Does anyone have any info on this???? Please help! I'm panicking!

[atomic sagebrush]

What can happen is that at about 7 DPO, your body releases a big surge of estrogen to help maintain the lining a little longer to allow any pregnancy that is there, to have a little longer to burrow in and get established. This can register on OPK as positive. So that's the most likely explanation. There's also the possibility that your body surged but didn't ovulate the first time, and now it's having another surge and will ovulate this time. I would have another attempt.

As for the pineapple, firstly, you DO NOT NEED to take or eat any food to make your body implant a baby. It doesn't work. Now, does eating pineapple HARM you - no, probably not just eating the fruit (even the core) and especially 5 days past ovulation.

BUT. (and please do not panic reading this, I"m trying to be thorough and not scare anyone here)

I do not want to see anyone eating MASSIVE amounts of pineapple core in early pregnancy (like 3 pineapples a day or more worth) OR taking bromelain supplements because that concentration of bromelain may be harmful. Bromelain is used to induce labor because it trigger the release of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are at their lowest in very early pregnancy and high amounts of them are used sometimes as a DIY miscarriage inducer.

Additionally, bromelain is a blood thinner, and we have reason to suspect that blood thinners (including baby aspirin and cranberry, too, BTW) may be causing or contributing to miscarriage by making people's blood TOO thin (so when the baby tries to implant, it triggers bleeding and implantation is interfered with) OR too thick (when people have been taking blood thinners and then suddenly stop them, like they do when using cranberry and bromelain/pineapple core, the body starts making more clotting factors to compensate for the blood thinning effects and when they are stopped suddenly, the blood has too many clotting factors in it and clots can form). This is why I never have recommended cranberry or bromelain and have stopped recommending baby aspirin for anyone who does not have a proven clotting disorder.

So, long story short (too late) I do not recommend doing anything to "aid implantation" as it is not necessary and likely causes more harm than good.

[TaniaLl]

Great Info! Thank you! So is the second surge a good sign for implantation, or does it always happen regardless. Ok, I only ate 1 pineapple in 5 days, and not even all of the outside so I don't feel that bad. Lesson learned! No more pineapple for me!

[atomic sagebrush]

It always happens but you can't always detect it on OPK. Just happens sometimes and we don't believe it has anything to do with successfully conceiving or not.

That amount of pineapple is totally safe! No worries at all (and yum!) LOL