Last 4 cycles: 35 days, 41 days, 31 days, 31 days - how can i work out the ovulation date?

[lovecloud]

Sil in trying and these are her last four cycles, she has just started her period today but her cycles are all over the place.

Does this mean that her ovulation date is still roughly 14 days from today? I know it is just a guideline but it worked me for me both times but my cycle is 28 days.

Not sure what to advise her.

[Twiglett]

ovulation predictor kits or charting (temperature / cervical fluid .. see fertilityfriend.com or toni weschler's book How to take control of your fertility)

ovulating 14 days before your next period is

1. an average .. hence it applying to you as an individual is kinda doubtful . .you could ovulate 10 days before or 20 IYSWIM
   
   
2. even if it was any help as a figure (that is often erroneously quoted) it would be no help at all if you have irregular periods because it would rely on access to a time machine

[Twiglett]

it is not 14 days from start of your period that is quoted it is 14 days before your period starts you did ovulate

it is still wrong whichever way you look at it

[hunkermunker]

Yes, what Twiglett says.

And if her cycles are very erratic, she should have some hormone tests, perhaps? Is there a chance she has polycystic ovaries? I had this and it makes my cycles v erratic and long (40-50 days) - but I'm pg now and my due date worked out as if I had a 28 day cycle and ovd 14 days into it iyswim.

[Twiglett]

I think she really should chart for 3 months .. either the expensive route of OPKs (it is about £24 for a pack of 12 or so and you can need 2 packs for the first cycle or 2 especially if irregular) or the slightly hassle based method of temping etc

I had to do this and it worked out that I was ovulating 8 days before my period started which meant without clomid I would never have conceived DD because that's too short a time

but then that's me .. until you know what the score is with your own body you cannot pinpoint the optimum time to have sex

[hunkermunker]

Yep, agree. Also conceived on clomid (DS, first pg) but second pg natural and quite a surprise (although a planned one - kind of an it'd be nice, but it'll never happen!).

[blueshoes]

Lovecloud, it varies from woman to woman and in your SIL's case from cycle to cycle.

Without blinding you with science, the part of a woman's cycle before ovulation is called the follicular phase. That part after is called the luteal phase. Generally a woman's luteal phase is quite consistent, usually 14 but generally (though not always) between 12 - 16 days. So for a woman with a regular 28 day cycle, working 14 days backwards from her period meant she ovulates on day 14 from the start of her previous period (ie 28-14). So the standard advice is 14 days after start of period.

In your SIL's case, her slightly irregular cycles means that she could be ovulating between days 17 (taking her shortest cycle of 31 days) and day 27 (taking her longest cycle of 41 days). But that assumes her luteal phase is consistently 14 days, which may or may not be true.

To cut a long story short, there are better ways for your SIL to find out exactly when she ovulates in a particular cycle eg charting basal temperature, monitoring cervical mucous, ovulation predictor kits. Otherwise, just keep doing the deed as often as feasible!!

[skerriesmum]

A fertility drug

[MeerkatsUnite]

How old is your SIL if you do not mind me asking?.
The general consensus seems to be that if a woman is over 35 and has been trying for 6 months without luck then she should seek medical advice sooner rather than later.

If her periods are irregular she could have a blood test done to assess her hormone levels properly. Infact I would have a blood test done. If a blood test is done particular attention needs to be paid to both her LH and FSH levels. These two are key to ovulation happening; if these are out of sync (particular if the level of LH is higher than FSH) then ovulation will not happen.

This result will give a more accurate picture than temp charting as this is not an infallable method of predicting ovulation particularly if cycles are irregular (and your SILs would be seen as irregular in nature).

I would also add that many gynaes do not take any heed of temp charts due to their very unreliability.

Clomid is a drug treatment often given to women with ovulatory problems. However, it should really be given by a gynaecologist rather than a GP as monitoring (ultrasounds and blood tests) should be done whilst on it.

HTH

[MeerkatsUnite]

Hunkermunker also mentioned the possibility of pokycystic ovaries being the root cause of the irregular cycle. This is indeed a possibility (it did cross my mind also) hence the suggestion of having a blood test done. Irregular cycles are often caused by underlying hormonal imbalances.

[Glitterygook]

I don't want to be controversial here, but do we really need to know our exact ovulation time to conceive? Why not just have sex very regularly (every other day or two days) right over the 'middle' of your cycle - so from about day 10 to day 20? That way you probably catch ovulation wherever it happened to be.

[DanceOfThePeachyPlumFairy]

You can tell a lot from physical signs often if you know what you're looking for... vaginal mucus loss immediately before ovulation, that sort of thing.

I wouldn't necessarily panic about the cycle variability: mine often missed entire months and I conceived all three kids fine. It would be very worthy of a mention should the need arise to see a Specialist, but at this stage I would say the every other night approach is pretty effective!

[Artoo]

It's generally recommended that having sex 2-3 times per week throughout your cycle should be enough to get you pregnant. However, it will take longer for some couples than for others. 95% of couples fall pregnant within their first year of trying - obviously that means that some will get pregnant in their first cycle, and some will get pregnant after 11 or 12 cycles.

If your SIL is approaching 35, she should see a doctor after 6 months of trying. If she is younger most GPs will want her to try for a year before they will start fertility investigations.

The most reliable way of spotting ovulation is to look for your fertile signs - cervical mucus and cervix position. There's some good information about how to check these things on the Fertility Friend website - www.fertilityfriend.com/HelpCenter/FFBook/ff_fertility_signs.html#19.

OPKs and temperature charting can help, but as Meerkats has said they are not infallible and can be misleading.

I hope this is some help to your SIL.

Hugs,
Artoo.

[singyswife]

Hi I have terribly irratic periods( can go 6 months without), my GP told me to wait for pd and then count 10 days then go for it, she says that is the best time. Worked after nine months and became pg with dd2.

[notasheep]

Checking my underwear was the obvious sign for me

Goodluck to sil

[MrsBilly]

Just been reading this with interest as I have longer than average cycle, it's been quite consistently about 6 weeks/42 days from day 1 of period to day 1 of next one. Could never work out whether I would be ovulating 14 days after period starts or 14 days before it's due, no matter how many books I've looked at!!! They all give models for average 28 day cycle. I'm probably being dim, but what's general consensus?

[lovecloud]

can anyone MrsBilly?

Mrs Billy - hello, so are you ttc?

[lovecloud]

sorry that should read

"can anyone help Mrs Billy?"

[MrsBilly]

Well I will be soon, unfortunately had m/c over xmas and ERPC so am waiting till next period to start again. It was just something I could never work out. Altho obviously did something right last time!

[lovecloud]

Sorry to hear about what happened.

Wishing you lots of luck!

x

[Luggs]

I also have long cycles and apparently your period always comes 14 days after ovulation and so it is always the first part of your cycle which will be longer - not the second. In other words you are likely to ovulate later than day 14 of your cycle. Hope this helps.

[Twiglett]

wrong wrong wrong Luggs

that's so WRONG .. its total bollocks

in fact I got so incensed by that .. because you hear it from doctors too .. that I just crashed my computer trying to respond

please read thread ... please don't believe it

[Twiglett]

if you read the thread MrsBilly you will see that you need to either

use ovulation predictor kits

or chart (see www.fertilityfriend.com or Toni Weschler's book .. how to take charge of your fertility)

[21stcenturygirl]

Twiglett

I agree with you - I was under the impression that it was 14 days before your period and have spent the last six months trying to get pregnant based on this old evidence (I have an average 31 day cycle).

"Total Bollocks" as you say - I brought some OPKs off ebay - really cheap (less than a fiver I think) and found out I was actually ovulating 10 Days after my period.

Don't believe the hype!!!

[MeerkatsUnite]

Luggs

If you have longer cycles than are what are seen as normal (i.e a range of between 21 and 35 days or with less than 4 days of variation from month to month) you are less likely to be ovulating regularly, if at all.

It is quite possible to have periods without ovulating.

OPK's and temp charting are not adviseable to use if your cycles are all over the place as both can give misleading results.