help required please - cycle question

[daisydotandgertie]

I need a bit of help with keeping track of my cycle. We've been TTC no1 for a few months but haven't been really planning the trying IYSWIM.

I'm 40 now and aware that time is def not on my side so want to maximise my chances of making this much wanted baby.

I had a mirena removed in July and have made a note of the length of my cycles so far, but haven't done anything to check for ovulation yet. My cycles have ranged from 22 days to 44 days but I'm not sure if you should count day one from the first sign of spotting, no matter how small or whether it is from the first day of decent flow.

Can anyone help?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Generally speaking, gynaes like to see women over the age of 35 if they have been ttc for six months without success.

I would therefore seek medical advice from your GP sooner rather than later as well because your menstrual cycle would be seen to be irregular (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). Both of you should be further evaluated by the gynae.

Blood tests can be done to see what your hormone levels are like. If periods are irregular the blood tests can be done according to calendar days (i.e the 3rd and 21st of the month).

Would count the first day of proper red flow as being day 1. You are beyond using temp charts and the like and these are pretty much useless anyway if the cycle is irregular in nature.

[angel1976]

Hi daisy,

Why not join Fertility Friend? The basic membership is free and you can do their online charting course, which would really help in you understanding your cycle. All you need is a thermometer.

I disagree with Attila that charting is useless for you. Even if it doesn't help you pinpoint your ovulation day etc in the beginning, it will help you to establish at least whether you are ovulating at all. Through charting, I found out basically that I was annovulatary (sp? Means I don't ovulate) and was able to embark on investigations that helped diagnose my problem and get on suitable meds. DS has just turned 1 and I'm pregnant with no 2! Good luck!

Ax

[sarah76]

My cycles were irregular (due to PCOS) and I found charting extremely helpful in determining whether or not I was actually ovulating (usually about 3/4 of the time, but never on the same day). But if you chart, make sure you are taking into account not just temperature, but also cervical mucus.

As you say, time is not on your side, so I wouldn't say this is the only thing you should do. Definitely talk to the GP and get some advice, and perhaps a referral to fertility services. It can take a while (IME), so sooner is better.

Also second the recommendation for Fertility Friend.

[daisydotandgertie]

I hadn't even thought that I might not be ovulating .

For the first 3 months after mirena was flung over a nearby hedge we mostly used condoms (impending wedding made me quite sure I didn't want to be newly pregnant and in the last couple of months of wedding planning).

So I suppose that makes it 5 months so far which might well mean there's a problem of some sort.

Angel - if you don't mind me asking, what did you find out was wrong?

[angel1976]

No, don't mind at all... I have/had a pituitary tumour. It's benign but it messes up your hormones (I had a very elevated level of prolactin - the hormone you secret while bf-ing that actually stops bf-ing mothers from ovulating and getting pregnant!). I agree with sarah that you should try and get a doctor's referral asap. It took 6 months to convince my doctor that he needed to do some tests (blood test showed my elevated prolactin level) and then I needed an MRI to confirm the cause. So 8 months altogether. But once I got on the medication, I got pregnant the next cycle!

I don't think 5 months will indicate you HAVE a problem... They reckon that 60% of couples conceive within 6 months while 80% of couples conceive within a year (or something like that!) so you are still within normal limits. BUT age is not on your side so I would push for some basic tests asap if I were you while starting to chart and understand your cycle! It really helped us conceive knowing when to have sex as DH and I aren't the most active in that area!

[BuckygoLucky]

If it weren't for your age I would be unconcerned that you have not concieved in five months. However, as you get older the quality of the eggs that we produce degrades. That is as everyone has suggested, if you are ovulating regularly. The varied cycle length would suggest that if you are it isn't around the same time each month as your LP should remain the same.

I am 37 and have been trying for 3 years. I have only concieved twice, on both occassions I MC'd, so it is worth considering that time is of the essence. As Attila suggests I believe once you reach 40, and probably depending on your PCT, your doctor will do the day 3 and day 21 blood tests. This will confirm whether you are ovulating. You could temp at the same time if you think it would be useful to you. I have several friends that have concieved between the ages of 40 and 42 so everything could be fine, but it is worth taking control of the situation. Sorry to harp on about the age thing though.

[daisydotandgertie]

Right. I've opened an account with Fertility Friend - which looks v, v complicated. I'm sure it'll become clearer as I look into it more.

Age is a horrible thing! Not only is the trauma of reaching 40 quite daunting but it also means my eggs are on the turn.

I am concerned about my age and making a baby and although I know there are many women who have successful pregnancies at 40+ I don't think it's something I can take for granted. I think it'll take a bit of work.

My mother wants me to book a visit to the GP because she is convinced I have an underactive thyroid so maybe I can wrap it all up into one visit.

[sarah76]

best of luck to you. When temping, make sure you're doing it at the same time every day. I found the Boots fertility monitor to be a huge help with this. It has an alarm that wakes you, and it records your temperature so you can just go back to sleep rather than fumbling around trying to write it down.

Don't think you'll remember what it was and write it down later---you won't!

Feel free to come back and ask questions about FF--used the bloody thing for three years, had a VIP membership for most of that time so I know it pretty well, and would bet there's loads of others to answer questions!

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

I would still look into having blood tests done at your GPs as these will be accurate. Generally speaking as well fertility does decline with age and it is worth seeking advice now after 8 months of ttc without success. Your age could also be a factor here hence me suggesting you seek advice now (rather than say in another six months time). Whilst temping can in some cases be useful for those with a regular cycle yours is not and it could well become an exercise in frustration (its certainly of no use if PCOS is an issue). Many gynaes as well do not take any notice of such charts primarily because they are so unreliable.

[sarah76]

Sorry, I have to completely disagree with the statement that charting is 'of no use' for someone with PCOS. As I've said earlier, I have PCOS, and found charting VERY useful in finding out a) if I was ovulating, b) how often I was ovulating, c) whether there was any pattern in cervical mucus.

I also had the 3 and 21 day blood tests and fertility investigations. They said I wasn't ovulating. I wasn't, not during that particular cycle when they did the tests. Had I not known I WAS ovulating sometimes, I would have completely despaired.

As it happens, I've managed to get pregnant naturally twice (1st miscarried). Along with all the other benefits, I felt a lot more in control of the situation. TTC is hard and emotional enough, without the sense that you can't do anything to help yourself. Because of charting, I knew exactly when I conceived (unlike others with irregular cycles).

So I don't think blanket statements saying charting is useless are helpful or accurate.

[daisydotandgertie]

I've started temping this morning - and have spent a long time working my way around the FF site. It seems quite straightforward to record info, but possibly more complicated to pull out results and interpret them. I hope it'll become clearer as I input information!

Angel - thanks for the info about your problem. Although rationally I know there are lots of reasons for failure to conceive and many of them are curable it is hard to apply that rationality to myself. I am quite, quite convinced my eggs have atrophied! Your story has really helped.

I'm going to post my cycle length because it does seem to have a pattern (of course I have no idea what the pattern means!)

cycle 1 26 days
cycle 2 26 days
cycle 3 22 days
cycle 4 36 days
cycle 5 24 days
cycle 6 44 days
cycle 7 24 days

The last 2 periods have been (sorry if this is unnecessary) have been really pitiful. Hardly any bleeding, most of it brown and a teeny bit of proper red blood. Both of them have lasted for a day and a half at very most.

Before these, they've been pretty normal.

I'll temp and book a trip to the doctors I think.

Sarah, I'm with you on this, a little bit of information equals a bit of control and rationality for me. Charting can't possibly be completely useless, even if it proves no ovulation, at least it's proved that!