Okay that's it, my reproductive system is officially taking the p*ss!

[CasaBevron]

TTC no 2, DD is 2 and a bit and was really straightforward - 3 months of trying and bingo!

Am now on the first day of cycle 5 since starting TTC no 2. (I had a copper coil fitted before and after DD was born.) For 3 out of 4 of the previous cycles I have had period-type pains 8-10 days PO on the same side as I felt myself ovulate. The pains are accompanied by nausea and sometimes headaches on and off over 2 or 3 days. They will end with a feeling as though someone is poking a stick into my abdomen. This lasts for a few seconds and then nothing else.

When it comes to the day AF is due I get a few mild pains and no period. No BFP either, however. AF will arrive a few days late, heavier and longer-lasting than usual, and the whole thing starts all over again.
My periods were regular as clockwork both before and since DD was born. I always ovulate on day 16, no matter how long my cycle drags on for.

The only cycle where this did not happen was the one where DH was away over my fertile period, so I know we did not have sex at the right time to conceive.

Does anyone have any experience of anything similar? It seems as though my body is going through all the right moves and just not completing the final stage. I know this has been quite a short time TTC in the scheme of things, but it's starting to get a little bit depressing now and I daren't get my hopes up now because I just feel like I know what's going to happen

Any experiences/opinions welcome!

Am 35 by the way.

[Loujalou]

My cycles went all do lally after DS was born and have only just settled in the last few months and he is 2. I was the classic 28 day cycle with ov at day 14 before and it went down to 25/26 days. Not its a steady 27 days.

I conceived 3rd month with DS and am now on cycle 12 or something like that, so am well aware of all the tricks your body can play.

[lucybrad]

flippin bodies! sometimes i wish we were see through and then we'd know what was happening!

[CasaBevron]

Quite.

Just wish I knew what all these apparent 'symptoms' are every month. It's worrying me that I may be able to fertilize an egg but I can't keep it implanted, IYSWIM!

[BabyValentine]

Hi Casa,

I sympathise with the weird cycles! I am having a bit of a time of it myself with random timings....

...however, this means that I have read up a little about hormones/ovulation etc. and as I understand it, the time from ovulation to period (the Luteal phase) is fairly constant from woman to woman i.e. mine is 14 days, yours could be 12 days or 16 days, but will only vary by 24 hours or so.

This means that the variation in cycle length is due to a variation in ovulation day. For example, I ovulated on Day 20 this cycle, so had a 34-day cycle (20 + 14), whereas last cycle I ovulated on Day 10, so had a 24-day cycle (10 + 14). Told you my cycle varied !

Am I making sense? I know when I ovulate as I am taking my BBT (basal body temp.).

Sorry for waffling, but the good news is, that perhaps you are ovulating a little later than you thought, which might explain the lack of BFP (?)...

[CasaBevron]

Hi BabyValentine

Thanks for the info, that certainly makes things clearer. Strange that I would get what I thought were ovulation pains on day 16 every month - it must be my body gearing up for it rather than actually doing it. What I find frustrating is that it's only since starting TTC again that my cycle's been all over the place - for the year leading up to it, it was spot on 28 days every month! It's certainly keeping me on my toes

[JustShaggy]

Hi Casa,

Have you tried charting? I'm new to it myself, but started because I had the same sort of concerns you do. I basically wanted to know if I was ovulating and I also wanted to be able to spot extremely early miscarriages.

Apparently (according to my 'Take Charge of Your Fertility' book by Toni Weschler) 18 days of consecutive high temperatures after ovulation (which is identified by a temperature surge the day after ovulation) will indicate a pregnancy. If those highs start to drop, it indicates a miscarriage - which most women would probably write off as a late period.

(Having said this, I was told by a doctor yesterday that 20% of women ovulate without getting high temps and that charting was a waste of time........ ho hum..... I'm continuing though, and if I get a surge, I am assuming I'll be in the 80% of women for whom it is not a waste of time.)

(I am new to this though, so more experienced may set me straight...)

[BabyValentine]

Casa, I understand exactly how you feel! Since starting TTC DC#2, I have had cycles of 27, 17 (anovulatory), 24 and 34!

I have had hormone tests as I was concerned about the irregularity but the results came back normal. Perhaps I am more stressed than I thought...

Shaggy, I have just read TCOYF - 20% is a bit worrying - perhaps that includes those women with underlying problems such as PCOS? I have only been charting for the last 3 months and first of those was anovulatory. But the last two have shown clear ovulation (according to FF). Fingers crossed...

[CasaBevron]

To be honest, I have consciously steered clear of charting, as by nature I am very a little impatient . Knowing that this is something that will always be beyond my control to a certain extent, I have tried to stay quite relaxed about the whole thing because I know that the moment I take that route I will just end up completely obsessed! I have promised myself that I will give it 6 months and if nothing has happened by then I will start to get a little bit more proactive.

Having said that... charting sounds quite a complicated business - would someone mind explaining the basics of how it works?

[BabyValentine]

I'm no expert (although I have read TCOYF) but it is just taking your temperature every morning when you wake up and plotting it on a chart. And taking notice of things like cervical mucus and position.

I started it because of my irregular periods, so it gives me some idea of when (and if) I have ovulated. TBH, if I was as regular as I was when we concived DD (28-31 day cycle) then I wouldn't have bothered. But due to my ramdom cycles, it gives me some semblance of control/reassurance.

[CasaBevron]

Thanks

It's only a matter of time now before I'll be digging out the thermometer! Can't do any harm I suppose...