SHORT LUTEAL PHASE help please ??

[misty0]

I'm using Fertility Friend to chart and it seems i have a short luteal phase. I'm on day 21 this cycle and have only just ov'd and my cycles are normaly only about 30 days long. I'm waiting to see if this ones short again and then i want to go and see someone ....

Has anyone out there experienced this and gone for treatment? Was it easy/did your GP know what you were on about/where did you go? (im in the Oxfordshire Northants area)

What did they do?

Did it work???

Please help, i'm realy worrying about this now, as my age clock is ticking and every cycle is so precious xxxx

[joycep]

Hi Misty - you may want to take a read through this thread as all of us on here have a short LP. We have all had different experiences but you may glean some useful info. My GP didn't see my 10/11 day LP as a problem but I've now been put on clomid and progesterone by a gynae as she said it was too short. Some women go on to have healthy pregnancies with a 9/10 day LP but a short one can be a problem for others.

I got all the blood tests done - day 3 LH/FSH test and day 21 progesterone test. I would ask your GP to get these done for you plus any other standard tets. Often a short LP can be due to low progesterone although this isn't always the case. My progesterone levels were a little low so now on cyclogest after ovulation. I would say try and get a referral to a gynae as it's a bit hit and miss at how GPs take it.

Also, even if you haven't been trying long, I would start the ball rolling with tests because I hung around for 10 months before getting tests and speaking to a gynae and I have wasted all that time. It didn't help that when I spoke to a doctor about it early on I was basically told to go away! The longer the LP the better - as implantation occurs on average around day 9...if your womb lining has started to break down by then, you can see that it can be an issue.

Her eis the thread
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1179056-The-Short-Luteal-Phase-Gang

[ShowOfHands]

misty, I remember a few threads of yours from a couple of months ago I think. How are you now?

How long have you been trying? As joycep says, the jury is out as to whether a shorter luteal phase is a problem. 10-16 days is normal (are you falling within this?). The trouble is that because some hcps don't see it as a problem and because there's some argument over what is 'short', it can be quite hard to get any sort of tests done just because of your luteal phase in isolation. But if you've been trying for a year (or 6 months if you're a wee bit older than me), coupled with any other pertinent facts, it's worth going and asking for the tests joycep mentions.

My luteal phase is 10 days and absolutely no bar to conception at all. But it's not technically short and isn't caused by anything other than it being my natural cycle. If there's some kind of progesterone issue complicating the matter then it's less straightforward.

[misty0]

Thank you so much for taking time to answer

Thank you for remembering me show. I 'live' on the results/choices thread, and gain and (hopefully) give alot of support there following my loss in April.

I will read the thread, joycep, thank you, didnt spot that one!

My story (as brief as i can) is that i am 43 and have three daughters concieved easily in my 20's with my ex with no probs. Just happened like clockwork.

Then, 16 months, ago my partner and i decided to ttc. (he has no children of his own) My cycles were regular, but i had no idea if i was still ov'ing. So i spent 4/5 months doing one or two OPK's mid cycle and found a surge each month so was just happy to be ov'ing. Didnt time BDing or carry on with OPK's or temp. Didnt know anything about length of luteal phase, or what it means for fertility.

13 months later (!) i had all but given up and was well on the way to being quite happy if it didnt happen at all ever. (OH was still keen as mustard)
Then suddenly - bang - pregnant in Jan this year.

I was shocked but over the moon. OH was ...... just on cloud nine. Extatic! We were so happy. But sadly my 13 week scan showed awful problems and we terminated 2 weeks later. We've been told we were just unlucky and to try again as soon as we liked. So we gave it a week and started ttc again.

Well - no more relaxed approach for me!! Although still grieving - I'm DESPERATE to be pg again. I've spent 2 months on FF temping, OPKing, CM checking, cups, cough mixture, preseed - you name it. I've looked at my notes i kept those first months we were trying and with the info i have now i recon i mostly have a 9/10 day LP. Thinking this is why it took 13 months...

I've googled till i'm blue in the face and frankly got rather confused about the treatments for SLP, hense my post. So thats me! Thanx for reading all this xxxx

[Mmmmcheese]

I would definitely go to your GP and ask to be referred. In my experience, GPs know little or nothing about fertility (I had one who looked me up and down and said that I looked healthy and he was sure i could get pregnant on my own - despite the fact i wasn't even having periods!).

I also have a SLP of 9 days, so a bit borderline, but I was given progerone pessaries (Crinone 8%) to take from 2 days after ovulation and this lengthened my luteal phase enough for me to get pregnant.

[misty0]

Really? Thats interesting, thank you Mmmmcheese. Who gave you the pessaries in the end? How did you get past the GP's ignorance? Did he refer you or did you/can you go to a fertility clinic without a referal?

Groping in the dark here a bit, sorry.

[blacktreaclecat]

Hi misty,
I have a luteal phase defect- left to myself I start spotting 7 dpo. It is related to my endometriosis. I had treatment through Napro- Lifefertilitycare. This involved clomid, hcg trigger and cyclogest post ov. Within 3 months it worked but as you know we lost the baby at 13 weeks.
Napro don't know the full circumstances of our loss for obvious reasons.
Will be back on the clomid again with fingers crossed next cycle.
My GP and NHS fertility consultant were very dismissive of luteal phase defect. I would ask for a day 21 progesterone test.
Xx