On Pineapples and Pain

On the subject of pineapple- I’ve been reading a lot about women and their obsession with pineapple during their 2 week wait.

There is some hub-bub about pineapple helping implantation and uterine lining.

There is also counter hub-bub that too much pineapple and too late will increase chances of a miscarriage.

Anyone dealing with infertility knows you will try just about anything to get that BFP.

Since I do believe strongly in homeopathic and natural healing I figured it would help me to look into it and research it myself.

　

Here is the long story extremely short- Pineapple contains Bromelain. Bromelain is thought to be a naturally occurring ant-inflammatory agent and in some of the research I have done I see that its being used in cancer treating research and to slow blood clotting. In cooking its used mainly as a meat tenderizer.

　

So why do women TTC think its used to aid in implantation?

Its also thought to aid in cervical mucus which will aid in implantation.

　

The Bromelain is found primarily in the pineapple core- so if you are testing this out to aid in implantation you should stick to eating the core of the pineapple.

　

I’ve read that it is best to eat on an empty stomach and to not consume to early in the cycle because it can make your cervical mucus too acidic.

　

This article provides their opinion on all things involving TTC and the Pineapple Connection (its my favorite that I found because its not written for a rocket scientist and a stressed out IF'er like myself can follow along)

http://conceivewithpineapple.blogspot.com/

　

　

So what about the miscarriage hub-bub?

According to my research Bromelain can also cause the cervix to thin leading to early labor or miscarriage. Along those lines you would need to eat mass quantity of pineapple AND remember that the Bromelain is mainly found in the core so you would need to eat mainly the core to even consume remotely enough pineapple for this to become possible.

　

Some additional things to remember-

Bromelain from pineapple is only found in fresh pineapple and primarily the core- pineapple juice and pre- packaged pineapple will not have Bromelain in it.

　

There really isn't a ton of research on this stuff and its seems like there is a lot of old wives tails out there.

　

Pineapple is super high in sugar- even if its healthy and not a donut so if you are consuming it you may want to avoid it if you are a diabetic or suffering from gestational diabetes.

　Look at me all uploading a picture and everything ;)

　

Soo Kasey what's you "pineapple plan?"

If I feel like eating a bit of pineapple then I’m going to. I really don't think that pineapple alone is going to change my uterine lining enough to have any real affect on implantation-I also don’t think there is enough research into the subject- therefore I'm not going to base my hopes on implantation of eating pineapple core. Which- by the way- how good is the core of the pineapple anyways?

I also will probably avoid pineapple during my pregnancy- when that happens- purely due to the amount of sugar it contains and issues that I have with my blood sugar on a normal basis. I am not diabetic but I do run high on a normal basis and come from a family of diabetics- I will run a super high risk for gestational diabetes and so I will try to avoid anything super high in sugar to hope for the safest environment possible for my littles.

　

　

-Other things going on today -

　

I am 3 days post IUI and I have been having a lot of cramping and pain. I really am 100% uncomfortable. Its all in the area of my uterus and lower back. It almost feels like the start of a possible UTI and if its persists into the weekend I will probably look to getting to my doctor to make sure its not a UTI. For now I am just dealing with it and trying to stretch. I don't want to take anything for pain or use an antibiotic right now. I really want my body to do what its suppose to do right now and not complicate that. Im hoping that the cramping and pain are either purely coincidental or good stuff going on.

　

3 days down 11 day wait to go...