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Pregnancy In A Pill?
Woman says supplement worked where IUI, IVF failed
POSTED: 2:30 pm MDT April 8, 2009
UPDATED: 6:49 pm MDT May 1, 2009
DENVER -- Lynette Barnes, 37, said it was a long, painful road.Barnes and her husband spent seven years trying to conceive. She said they would drive from Northwest Montana to Denver for visits to the Colorado Reproductive Center for Medicine.The process was costly. In the end, she said they spent over $70,000 on gas, hotels, IUI and IVF treatment.
In late 2007, doctors told her she should probably consider other options like adoption. To make matters worse, her sister had just had a beautiful baby and it was the holidays."That was devastating for us. It was probably the lowest point in my life," said Barnes.Barnes said before they left the clinic for good they asked their doctor if there was anything else she hadn't tried. The doctor recommended a supplement called FertilityBlend that had shown promise in a small clinical trial."I ordered the FertilityBlend. We both took the supplements and one month later I was pregnant," said Barnes.Barnes said there is no way to know if the supplement is a miracle pregnancy pill but said after all those years, it's the only thing that worked.Her daughter, Hannah, is now six months old.Dr. William Schoolcraft runs one of the nation's most successful reproductive clinics in Colorado. He said there is some interesting data done by Stanford University School of Medicine to suggest the pill isn't just "voodoo.""There are a few ingredients in this product, particularly the L-arginine, that have been linked to affecting egg development and ovulation," said Schoolcraft.Schoolcraft said a few of his patients have become pregnant while taking the drug but establishing a cause and effect isn't easy."I don't see a downside to it. I think the studies are too limited to say it's clearly beneficial," said Schoolcraft.Dr. Robert L. Page, associate professor of pharmacy at University of Colorado Denver, disagreed and said there are a few downsides for people who suffer from cold sores and allergies."L-arginine can actually increase your risk of allergies, problems with asthma," said Page. "L-arginine also flares up cold sores. It could be a problem for people with herpes simplex," said Page.Page's advice is to consult a physician before taking FertilityBlend. Page said the ingredients all help with fertility and the doctor behind the research, Dr. Lynn Westphal, is well respected."I have faith in the study. Not sure I have 100 percent faith in the product," said Page.Barnes said she had no adverse affects, just a positive one -- Hannah.Is this product really the miracle drug? Pregnancy in a pill?"Who knows? No one can explain it," said Barnes.
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