Rachael Ray has been talking about agave nectar and how it doesn’t spike blood sugar like other sweeteners. A couple of weeks ago I went to a supermarket that I don’t usually frequent and some agave nectar caught my eye. It was organic, natural… why not try it? I fell in love with the taste! I’ve been using it in my decaf coffee each morning and in my yogurt. (I buy huge tubs of plain yogurt so I can add in whatever I fancy at the moment.)

I’m currently in my two week wait. I had my transfer four days ago. This morning I decided that I really should do a google search to see if agave nectar is safe during pregnancy. Wouldn’t you know…it’s not. IS ANYTHING??? Supposedly, it causes uterine contractions, brings on menstruation, weakens the uterine lining and causes miscarriage! HOW CAN THEY NOT PUT A WARNING ON THE BOTTLE? I once read that herbal supplements are like the wild west- there’s not enough regulation… but this is a FOOD product sold in supermarkets!

Am I going all neurotic because of where I am in my cycle? I have been having some serious cramping. Sunday night the cramping was super strong (woke me up out of a sound sleep) and that was after I had the most agave nectar- like two and a half big spoonfuls in a giant bowl of yogurt. Prior to googling about this sweetener, I had convinced myself that I was experiencing implantation cramping. Now I’m worried that after spending thousands of dollars on this cycle and jeopardizing my future health with all the drugs I’m putting in my system, I may have erased all chances with something small that costs less than four dollars. No more agave nectar for me. At least I’m not bleeding yet, but with all the uterine contractions I’ve experienced, it’s hard to imagine that the embryos are nestling in. This time I was determined to do everything right (I’m being very careful about keeping my activity level low). I have already failed.

Many people say that we shouldn’t google during the two week wait. Maybe. But if I didn’t do a search on this, I’d still be ingesting something that could be harmful. Ugh. Can someone please create a special haven for women during the two week wait/1st trimester where everything is controlled down to the ions in the air we breathe? Where someone else is responsible for all the details and for helping us to relax? Please. Then we could at least blame someone else when something goes wrong!