Anovulation - does anyone suspect they also suffer from this?

LondonLottie - it's true many GP's don't have a lot of knowledge in this area, past the textbook stuff. My GP also told me every woman's luteal phase is 14 days, it never varies at all. Load of crap.

Anyway, find someone who is knowledgable and sympathetic. Your local practice may well have one Dr (more than the others) with an interest in gynae/womens reproductive health.

Get your day 3 and day 21 tests done firstly, but I would still recommend temping anf noting cervical mucus as well.

All the best to you

I would agree with Londonlottie that temping might be worth a try to familiarise yourself with your cycles. However, I also agree wholeheartedly with Attila that it is more than time you saw a doctor. If you are under 35 and have been trying for a year without success, a gyne will definitely want to see you. If you are over 35, they will want to see you much earlier. The sooner you get answers, the more quickly you will be on your way to that BFP. It will happen!!

Best of luck.

My cycles were like yours although mine ranged from 32 to 67 days. I never knew when I was due on or ovulating. I had blood tests on day 3 of one of my cycles which showed that everything was normal but they weren't repeated at day 21 as one of the other posters suggests they should be.

I conceived my little boy after a year of trying on a cycle that would have been a 28 dayer (an utter miracle) I put it down to checking my temperature every morning (the first month I'd done that) and taking a pregnancy multivitamin instead of my usual folic acid. Not the most scientific advice I know but I wanted to share because I know the agony of BFN after BFN and you never know, it might just work for someone else too!

Good luck, Decaf x

canttouchthis

I would be visiting your GP and explaining this situation to him. Gynaes generally like to see people if they have been ttc for 12 months without success.

As you have also been trying for this length of time I would refrain from using temp charting and such like; they are not completely reliable as methods. At 12 months plus of ttc without success you are beyond those initial stages anyway.

Subfertility is not the sole preserve of the woman. It may be that there is a problem with either one or both of you equally. You should be referred as a couple to the subfertility unit at hospital where both of you should be tested in tandem.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost. A visit your GP asap is in order.

Canttouchthis

IMHO a period which is varying by a couple of days is not really irregular.

Do you experience changes in your cervical mucus? By this I mean the presence of fertile EWCM (looks like raw egg white and is stretchy) which occurs a few days before ovulation. That is a clear indicator that you are ovulating.

I would strongly suggest that you start using fertility awareness methods which will show you clearly if you are ovulating or not. By this I mean symptothermal family planning, where you take your temperature every morning and note your cervical mucus (or lack thereof).

The book 'How to Take Charge of your Fertility' is fantastic, I can highly recommend it. As is the website www.fertilityfriend.com which has an online 'tutorial' to teach you basics about temping. This website is free and easy to use and will teach you so much about your natural cycle.

I have a long cycle, about 31-33 days but have been as long as 35 days and I ovulate on day 19, later than most, I imagine, if you think that the average woman ovulates on roughly day 14. It took me 13 months TTC to conceive dd1 and 5 months for dd2.

I would also ask your GP to get you the basic fertility tests to check your various hormone levels.

ME, sunburn puts her hand up feverishly!!!

Been trying for 2.5 years now.
Time right according to all of the physical ovulation signs described on here by experts.

Do the deed.....nil, absolutely nothing every month.
My periods are like yours, sometimes 28 days, sometimes 26 days, sometimes 35 days.

tis rubbish

disagree away - as you point out the 30 - 35 day range quoted is not something that is worrisome whereas a truly irregular period is worth checking out

I would have to strongly disagree with sweetfall. Having consistently irregular periods is NOT normal and should be looked at by a GP -- especially if you are trying to fall pregnant.

However, a period ranging from 30-35 days does not sound overly irregular to me and I would be suprised if you weren't ovulating --but still this can only be confirmed by your doctor.

Regarding OPKs, I wouldn't use them until you have had blood tests confirming you do ovulate. This is because they rely on one misleading assumption: that there is only one LH surge every month and that this surge is followed by ovulation. This is simply not true. You can easily get a positive OPK and not ovulate at all.

I'm sure everything is fine and I would not worry overly so. You will feel a great sense of relief once it is most likely confirmed that everything is fine!

Every woman has anovulatory cycles.

Irregular cycles are also normal, it is less common to have regular predictable periods.

Have you used Ovulation Predictor Kits to show when in your cycle you are ovulating? This would most probably be the best step to take if you don't wish to consult a GP yet.

Make an appointment with your GP -- testing for anovulation is very easy. It consists of taking blood tests on day 3 and 21 of your cycle to check your progesterone levels.

It is common to not ovulate every once in a while but if it is happenning consistently then it may be caused by PCOS.

Don't hang around here guessing......just get tested. There are several remedies for this so don't start to worry. Women with irregular/anovulatory cycles become pregnant all the time once their condition is addressed.

Btw, I think most women have worried themselves silly about not ovulating -- especially when the ttc process is taking longer than expected. You may be ovulating just fine for all you know.

Best of luck to you.