stopping bf to try concieve

[lily2403]

hi
im 42 and have a 16 month old. I breastfed exclusively until 10 days ago when i finally stopped the bed time one. my period returned to normal when my baby was around 6 months and when solids were introduced. We have been trying for another nothing was happening so i was advised to stop bf....i am now in day 40 of my cycle no sign of period and neg pregnancy test. I am a little concerned about this. Any similar stories or explanations for this would be greatly appreciated

Once your periods are back to normal, it's usually a sign your fertility is back, after a month or so. But it's more complicated when you are older, and periods may be unreliable in the perimenopause. You could ask on the conceptions board - I bet the advice would be to get your hormone levels checked pronto, as time is not on your side as you know. Good luck!

I stopped breast feeding my first son when he was 2.5 years old because for 10 months me and DH had been trying and failing to conceive a second pregnancy. After 10-11 failed cycles I decided to stop breast feeding to see if that helped and I fell pregnant straight away.

It’s not clear from your post whether your periods have been regular whilst breast feeding?

What I did notice with my own cycle though was that after I stopped breast feeding I had three positive OPKs at varying points over the course of a fortnight whereas on all previous cycles I’d have the one positive OPK on CD17.

Stopping breastfeeding undoubtedly messes with your hormones as demonstrated by my strange OPK results.

Are you using OPKs?

Maybe the reason your period hasn’t arrived yet or why you are getting BFN is because you ovulated (if you have) later than you expected to?

hi my periods came back to normal when my baby was 6 months old. i stopped breastfeeding and period didnt come until this morning almost 12 days late which worried me. Must have just been the sudden hormone change..it is typical i finally ask a question about it then period makes an appearance.
heres hoping it was just a blip

thanks for your reply. yes my periods were normal i was getting high fertility and peak days with my monitor but pregnancy was not happpening. i am now hopefull after reading your comment
thanks so much