anyone else with irregular cycles ttc?

[feb]

hello, this is only my 1st month ttc but have been off the pill for a few months.
even when i was on the mini pill my bleeds were erratic.
ds was conceived while i was on the pill.
just wondered if anyone else is struggling with this? are ovulation sticks worth using if you are really irregular? and when should i test?
x

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

OPK's are not worth using if your menstrual cycle is irregular.

If your periods are irregular it is worth having a blood test done by your GP to see what your hormone levels are like. If they are out of sync then ovulation will be affected. The GP must compare two hormones; these are LH (luetenising hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulation hormone).

It can be treated but you need to find the cause of the irregularity.

[izzybiz]

Dont know if this helps but ive always had terribly irregular periods but have conceived 3 times with no trouble.

[pixie04]

AttilaTheMeerkat Glad to see you on here, I also have irregular periods, I have endo and other issues. My last cycle was 71 days so have been to see the GP 4 times in the last three months about periods and each time been given a shug of shoulders and a "what do you want me to do about it" kind of response. I also got told that they won't investigate until I've been ttc over 12 months or my period is over 12 weeks late. Is this right? Should I be pushing for something more? I have managed to get an appointment with an endo specialist by shouting at my GP about a misdiagnosis, should I ask the specialist to look into things for me? Sorry I know this is a lot of questions and Feb I'm sorry to hijack your thread. I started using OPK's this cycle but not sure its worth it.

[nh101]

Just thought I'd share my story. I have always had long cycles but fell pregnant first cycle after coming off the pill (it took five weeks to release an egg after coming off the pill, so it would have been a seven-week cycle). That was in January. But I miscarried at 13 weeks in March (baby died at 10 weeks but I didn't start bleeding till 13 weeks).

I had a D&C after my MC and then had a bleed (very light, didn't feel like a proper period) five weeks later. My next period was six weeks after that (which did feel like a proper period). My next cycle was very long and I went to the doc 10 weeks into it (there was still no sign of it). He sent me for blood tests (FSH, LH, thyroid and prolactin) but they came back "normal". But my period still hadn't come so I went back to see him and he basically just said it was probably stress causing the long cycles. I didn't agree cos they have always been long so I asked to be referred for "Amenorhoea" (I have private medical insurance and it covered it because Amenorhoea is not "fertility").

The GP didn't want to refer me and I got the impression there was no way he would have done on the NHS.

Anyway, I went to see the same surgeon who did my D&C and he told me that long cycles rarely end in pregnancy because by the time the egg is released it is not viable. This may also have been why I miscarried.

He gave me progesterone to make me have a period and then prescribed me the fertility drug Clomid to make my cycle regular.

He also sent me for more blood tests (they have to be done on day 1-3 of your cycle so the ones the GP sent me for were irrelevant - he was probably just trying to get rid of me).

So now I am on Clomid, CD19 of my first cycle and my temp charts show I ovulated on Day 14!

So my advice to anyone with long periods is just keep going back to the GP and demand to be referred. If you can afford it - go private. I only needed one appt with the gynae which wasn't expensive although he did say that as I had been pregnant before it was obvious my tubes etc were OK. If you went to see him cold he may wish to do other tests before prescribing Clomid.

If you are under 30 then I would imagine they want you to be ttc for a year before doing anything. But it doesn't hurt to ask - and keep asking!

[digitalgirl]

nh101 - what's a long cycle? my last two were 37 and 41. Had booked a dr's appt but didn't go because AF turned up two days before. I have been 30/31 days so am hoping that I'll go to back to the shorter ones. But if I have another 6 week-er do you think I should go to the dr's?

[digitalgirl]

ps. I consider 29, 31, 31, 37, 41 as irregular. Am I being paranoid????

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi pixie04

If you have already had a diagnosis of endo you ought to be seen sooner rather than later. Normally gynaes like to see people after 12 months of ttc without success but you already have an endo diagnosis.

Some GPs are pretty much useless when it comes to dealing with gynae problems like irregular periods. These are often caused by hormonal imbalances; in this regard a condition called polycystic ovaries is a common culprit (if thyroid problems are ruled out). A 71 day cycle is extremely likely to be an anovulatory one - it is quite possible to have periods without ovulating.

Would not use OPK's at all if your cycle is irregular - these are a waste of time in such circumstances.

HTH

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi digitalgirl,

A "normal" cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days OR with less than 4 days of variation from month to month.

If your cycles continue to lengthen I would ask for a blood test to be done to see what your hormone levels are like. As mentioned before such problems are often caused by hormonal imbalances.

[digitalgirl]

thanks attila I'm hoping that things go back to 'normal' this cycle and that the last two were just a blip. but yes, if it's another long one I'm definitely going to doctor to ask for a blood test.

[pixie04]

Thanks attila really appreciate your reply. I'm getting a bit of a list of questions to ask the doctor, hopefully i'll get some tests done.

[nh101]

Hi digitalgirl, as Attila has already said, a long cycle is probably more than 35 days. And I would say yours are irregular looking at those figures!

Pixie, my advice when you go to your GP is not to expect too much but go in with a firm idea of what you want out of it ie. a referral to a gynae. Just keep on pressing and have firm reasons for your wish and keep on repeating them calmly. Take your DH or even your mum if she is any good at this sort of thing for moral support.

[digitalgirl]

thanks nh101, after some fuzzy reminiscing back to my pre-pill years I've now accepted that I'm irregular and always have been. Am giving it another 'au naturel' shot this cycle, taking plenty of grapefruit juice, brazil nuts (to ease stress) and booking massages and fun trips away with dh so I'm not lurking about the house constantly checking my calendar for ov/af dates. if, as attila suggested, this cycle turns out to be another longer one I'll be off to the docs with my own list of questions and gently but firm demands to be referred to a gynae. hopefully they won't pat me on the bum cheek whilst I'm legs akimbo and say 'there you go, all done, beautiful' (embarrassing teenage experience).
how's the 2ww for you? any symptoms yet?

[nh101]

Good luck digitalgirl! Hope the next cycle is a lucky one. I am on 8DPO right now and goingfor3 was my cycle buddy (a couple of days ahead of me though) and she just got a bfp! I was going to wait until the weekend to test but fear I just won't be able to hold out!

I have some soreness in my boobs and a bit of cramping/pain but all these things are AF signs as well as maybe PG signs so I know not to read too much into it.

[feb]

pleased to see i'm not the only one who doesn't conform to the 28 day 'norm'!

[digitalgirl]

nh101 or attila I know you're both quite knowledgeable in irregular cycles and hormonal imbalances. As you know, I'm hoping that the last couple of month's long cycles were just blips and that this month will return to normal. I've bought some opks so I can know when to expect AF.

Atilla I know you've said OPK's aren't worth using, is this because there's such a wide window for when I could potentially be ovulating, or is it because I'm unlikely to be producing enough of the Luetenising Hormone for it to register on the OPK? I've had some EWCM on Friday, but no postive either today or yesterday...just wondering if I could be waiting for a postive and still miss it, or if the negative tests really do mean I'm not ovulating.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi digitalgirl,

Re your comment:-

Atilla I know you've said OPK's aren't worth using, is this because there's such a wide window for when I could potentially be ovulating, or is it because I'm unlikely to be producing enough of the Luetenising Hormone for it to register on the OPK? I've had some EWCM on Friday, but no postive either today or yesterday...just wondering if I could be waiting for a postive and still miss it, or if the negative tests really do mean I'm not ovulating.

OPK's work on two misleading principles; namely that women only have one rise in LH every month and that such a rise is immediately followed by ovulation. Both of these are simply not true.
Also if you are one of many women producing higher than average levels of LH the kit will read that excess.

If your cycles remain over the next couple of months like the last two I would have a blood test done to see what your actual hormone levels are like. This would give a far more accurate picture than an OPK. If you were to have a blood test done though it should be done early in the cycle (e.g day 3) and both LH and FSH should be compared when the result comes back.

HTH

[digitalgirl]

Thanks for the reply attila. I've only just read about the multiple LH surges on another site, so a positive isn't necessarily an ov. I think I might have had a couple of surges on my last cycle looking back at the symptoms. I'm hoping a week of negative results is an indication that I don't have PCOS as I can't have an excess of LH.
But yes, still got it in mind to get those blood tests done. Thanks for the tip, I'll try and book in with the docs in time for CD3.

[zez]

Hi
Only just joined today so am trying to get used to all your abbreviations.
Anyway I could do with some advice on this.
I have been trying to concieve for 2months not long I know.
My last AF was about the 4th of august since then my AF appears to have gone AWOL.
I have never missed my AF before this has only happened since TTC.
I am so confused as I have done numerous pregancy tests only to get BFN.
My cycles range anywhere from 32 days to 43 days.
I did visit my doctor who didn't seem concerned about it and just stressed to me that I need to give it a year of ttc before they would conduct any tests.
I feel as though I am goung crazy thinking about this as surely I need to be having regular cycles to concieve in the first place as am I right in thinking that ovulation hasn't occured if AF is absent

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

digitalgirl,

If you do get a blood test done ensure that the GP compares LH against that of FSH. If this is not done the test is meaningless. Ideally these two should be the same; an imabalance of LH to FSH is one possible indicator of PCOS.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi zez,

What were your cycles like previously?. If they were irregular in the past chances are they will revert back to being irregular.
Would lay off doing any more pg tests; seeing repeated negatives can be very disheartening.
Your cycle would be seen as an irregular cycle as there are also more than 4 days of variation from month to month.

Many GPs are not all that great when it comes to dealing with such problems. Its often outside their own remit.

You can ask for a blood test to be done to see what your hormone levels are like. If a blood test is done it should be done on day 3 (use calendar days) of the month. The levels of two hormones crucial to ovulation, LH (luteinising hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) need to be compared.
Ideally these two levels should be the same.
Hormonal imbalances are often the root cause of irregular and or absent periods.

"I feel as though I am goung crazy thinking about this as surely I need to be having regular cycles to concieve in the first place as am I right in thinking that ovulation hasn't occured if AF is absent"

Exactly. Regular cycles certainly help and ovulation won't happen if AF is absent.
It is also quite possible to have periods without ovulating. If your cycles continue to be this irregular over the next three months then I would ask for a referral to a gynae at a subfertility unit. Bearing in mind you can wait up to six months to be seen by such a person, this would not be unreasonable to ask at that stage.

[digitalgirl]

attila I went to the GP yesterday as I'm now on my longest cycle (cd43 today). I told her I didn't think I was ovulating, as I had a positive opk test 22 days ago but no AF and no BFP either. She said 'anxiety can delay your periods'...but I thought it only delayed ovulation?
I asked if there were any tests to check my hormones and she's referred me for a day 19 test, but didn't mentione day 3. I felt so stupid for not asking her, but as I'm only on my second cycle I didn't feel as though I had the right to push it. Should I call up and insist on a day 3 as well or is the day19 test sufficient?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

attila I went to the GP yesterday as I'm now on my longest cycle (cd43 today). I told her I didn't think I was ovulating, as I had a positive opk test 22 days ago but no AF and no BFP either. She said 'anxiety can delay your periods'...but I thought it only delayed ovulation?
I asked if there were any tests to check my hormones and she's referred me for a day 19 test, but didn't mentione day 3. I felt so stupid for not asking her, but as I'm only on my second cycle I didn't feel as though I had the right to push it. Should I call up and insist on a day 3 as well or is the day19 test sufficient?

Hi DG,

Hmmm re anxiety can delay your periods. Well they can but its not always the cause. In my case the cause of my irregular periods was nothing to do with anxiety (apart from me wondering where the hell my AF was - on a long holiday!).

I am wondering what a Day 19 test will actually measure?. Were you advised what hormone level would be tested?. If not this is poor on the GPs part - you should be told exactly why such tests are being done. I would imagine that progesterone will be measured; no point measuring LH and FSH at that stage as they need to be done earlier (day 3). I would look into having a day 3 test done at a later date particularly if the day 19 (if progesterone is being measured) shows a negative result to ovulation.

HTH, any other questions just ask

Attila x

[digitalgirl]

Thanks attila that does help. the test slip says progesterone, so you're right. Will ask for day3 if it's negative.