Hi All,
This time the question is mine. I've been meaning to ask it for quite a while but keep forgetting to do so.
What is the purpose of fenugreek for treating POIS symptoms? (I'm not challenging -- only curious!)
What does it do for some of you -- and, if you know, what seems to be the mechanism?
I know that not all of you have found fenugreek helpful, but for those of you who have been helped by it -- please advise.
My only "medical" experience with fenugreek was with breast-feeding moms who came into the primary care office where I worked. If their milk supply seemed low, or the baby wasn't "interested," fenugreek was recommended for the mom because it literally makes the breast milk sweeter. The babies love it -- their feeding would immediately pick up, which in turn, would increase milk production in the mom.
And the moms all smelled like maple syrup from the fenugreek!! I'd know immediately if a particular breast-feeding mom was taking fenugreek because of that smell (which was pleasant).
So -- I'm interested in what it does for POIS.
Thank you!
Stef
For me fenugreek helps both my cognition and physical symptoms while in POIS and while it is definitely most effective if taken about 30 min before an "o" it is also effective for me if taken the next day. I suppose the best thing it does for me is decrease my eye burning, which I suspect it does by decreasing inflammation in the mucous membrane of my eyes. When I take it with tea the two seem to have a synergistic effect that creates a good energy boost that I could never get with either one alone. Fenugreek and garlic also seem to have a syngergistic effect, but it doesn't produce as much energy as with tea.
Some sites speculate that fenugreek might be one of the reasons for lower amounts of arthritis in India since there fenugreek seeds are used commonly as a spice in food. I know it definitely lowers some of my joint pain.
When I first started taking fenugreek a few times I had "o"s that were about 50% less pleasurable and shorter than normal. Actually I think one time it was almost like I didn't have an "o" at all, but still finished. However I haven't had that effect in about a year. Observer and maybe someone else also reported this odd phenomenon. This points to the fact that fenugreek may be having some hormonal effect as well.