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[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
If you’re not familiar with FertiliTea, it is a tea that can be found here on Amazon. Although FertiliTea consists of Chasteberry (Vitex), Red Raspberry Leaf, Green Tea, Lady’s Mantle, Nettle Leaf, and Peppermint, for this review I am going to focus almost exclusively on investigating vitex and the role it plays in fertility (according to the research + my own experience). So does Fertilitea (or Vitex) actually work?
The short answers:
—Medical research: The majority of the research focuses on vitex only, but there was one study done that focused on a “fertility blend” (similar to the FertiliTea, I would imagine). In both cases, it has been shown to be effective, especially if you have mildly high prolactin levels or short luteal phase (or suspect low progesterone). Vitex has been shown to lower prolactin, lengthen luteal phase, and increase progesterone levels. Scroll down for specifics on the research.
—My experience: I did not get pregnant (although I tried the tea inconsistently + definitely not long enough). If my doctor had not already prescribed a different medication, I would have definitely tried this more consistently for my elevated prolactin levels — now that I’ve done the research on it.
–How to do it: Ask your doctor what he/she thinks about it first! According to the FertiliTea instructions, you are to drink 2 cups daily. This FertiliTea is loose-leaf; I tried these bags of FertiliTea instead. However, it’s worth noting that there are only 16 bags — that would only be 8 days if you drank it twice a day! And this probably takes about 3 months to be effective soooo…you do the math. (I’d recommend the loose-leaf if you really want to try this! Otherwise it’d get real expensive!) OR, as an alternative, you could ask your doctor what he/she thinks about vitex supplements (the research below mainly focuses on the how effective taking supplements is).
Continue reading below if you’re interested in finding out more details + the research (the long answers)…
*Or, click here for more answers to your other TTC questions!
Now, for the long answers…Does Fertilitea Work?
The medical research
–What is it? Vitex is as a dopamine (neurotransmitter) agent. Dopamine keeps your body from producing too much prolactin. Prolactin is the hormone created by the pituitary gland — it helps you produce milk when you are breastfeeding. If your prolactin levels are high, you may have a harder time getting pregnant. That’s why women who are breastfeeding don’t get pregnant easily. High prolactin is a widely-accepted medical cause of infertility, although it is not well understood, says Kaiser.
–One study by Kilicdag was done on patients with mildly elevated levels of prolactin. One group was prescribed bromocriptine (a medicine) and the other group was given 40 mg of vitex. The study found, “Patients on vitex showed better compliance. Vitex had a lower cost and no side effects.” (Worth noting that women were re-tested for prolactin levels 3 months after starting treatment…this was not a “pregnancy study,” per se.)
–Another study by Milewicz found that a 20 mg tablet of vitex lengthened the luteal phase (phase between ovulation and menstruation). It also increased progesterone (helps thicken the uterus lining & maintains pregnancy). The changes were significant. Again, this was after 3 months of treatment…and it was not aiming to test pregnancy rates, either. No side effects were reported.
–A study by Westphal with 30 women showed 5/15 women were pregnant after 5 months of using a “fertility blend” (including vitex). In the group not using the blend, 0/15 were pregnant after 5 months. Progesterone levels were also higher in the group using the fertility blend, as well as days with elevated basal body temperature. Again, no side effects besides some slight nausea reported when taken on an empty stomach.
–For a summary of all of these studies and findings, check out Table 12 (actually fairly easy to read & informative) in this article by Lans.
My experience
–I actually HAVE mildly high prolactin levels, but did not know that vitex could help before I tried it…so I drank FertiliTea kind of inconsistently. I WISH I would’ve known this earlier before my doctor prescribed me with cabergoline (similar to bromocriptine). In that case, I would have made an effort to drink this every day for 3 months. Based on my research, I do think Fertilitea can work. My prolactin levels are just slightly above normal, so originally my RE did not even think she would treat it.
—This likely takes a few months to take effect (at least 3 months, according to all of those studies above), and I probably only drank it for one month.
–As far as the taste goes, I actually liked it…but I like tea in general.
–*Update: My functional doctor thinks the underlying cause of my slightly elevated prolactin level could be slightly an underactive thyroid. I’ve stopped any medication for my prolactin level and am now trying a thyroid support supplement she recommended instead. Check out another update on how I think that got me pregnant here!
–One more note: If you do try the FertiliTea or anything with vitex, it IS important you talk to your doctor about it first. Studies have not generally been done to know if vitex is okay to continue during pregnancy (the studies I read like this one had women discontinue use when 5 weeks pregnant + then supplementing with progesterone, but I think that would depend on the doctor). You don’t want to start taking it, get pregnant, and then not know what to do — ask your doctor first!
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