Luteal phase defect - when to go to the doctors?

[MistressKatherine]

Hi everyone.

I'm on my fourth cycle ttc #1 (i know, very early). I'm 28 and have always had difficult periods which are irregular (usually 27/28 days but spot from day 24 onwards and my period can sometimes stop for a day and start again). I'm using the digital ovulation tests, which are showing me i'm either ovulating on day 17 or not at all. There are other signs (dryness-sorry!) which are pointing me to thinking I may have a luteal phase defect.

I know you have to wait a year ttc before you consider going to the doctors and don't want to pester them. But is it worth me going now to get it checked out? I'm doing everything I can to help it along myself (no alcohol, cut back caffeine, trying to eat better and taking vitamins) but feel a bit helpless. I want to give myself the best chance possible, and not ovulating/lack of progesterone is making me think there's not much point carrying on in the same way for eight months. Or is there?

I'd love to hear from anyone else who's been through it and what you did.

Thanks for reading!

This is all so frustrating! Lindsay81 what did your doctor say? Have they offered you clomid and have you tried anything like vitamins which have helped? I'm starting to feel hopeless about the whole thing, which is silly as it doesn't help.

They won't give me Clomid because they took my (equivalent of) day 21 blood tests and it showed I ovulate well. I've taken up to 200mg B complex and also Agnus Castus for around 4 months but nothing changed. I've also tried a few other vitamins but it just got so tiresome when nothing seemed to work.

I'm sorry I don't have a success story for you! What I will say though is that my luteal phase was 7 or 8 days consistently for the first year I was off the pill and it is now somewhere between 9 and 12 so it is improving naturally VERY slowly!!! I think my body knows what to do but is maybe a bit screwed up after taking the pill for so long (also something docs don't agree with but I'm sure taking hormones for 15 years is going to negatively affect some women's cycles).

I was on the pill for 9 years and i think you are right Lindsay that the pill has screwed up our hormones, just hope they get back to normal

I identified my short luteal phase quickly but the GP was v dismissive of it. I was eventually referred to a fertility clinic after the 12 months of trying. The fertility nurse was sympathetic to what I said about lpd but said that the nhs won't acknowledge it. However, she agreed that my day 21 (equivalent) bloods showed too low progesterone levels (I think it should be over 30) even though the GP had said they were fine. I was given 6 months of clomid and after they upped the dose from 50 to 100 mg, I conceived on my 3rd cycle and I'm now 20 weeks pregnant.

Congratulations Strawberry! At last, a bit of good news.

See in my case I don't think the problem is the pill. I was on the pill between 17 and 24 on and off. I stopped and everything was fine until I was 27 and started having these problems. I went to see a specialist who said my body was out of its natural whack (sorry, my word) and needed to be reset. So they put me on dianette for nine months. It's done bugger all. The only thing I don't have any longer is extreme pain during my period. But the irregularity and spotting is still there.

Congratulations Strawberry. You give me hope!!

I was on the pill for a good 6 and a half years solidly, and before that for a year or so too. I remember my periods always being regular, and very painful too, and that it was good to be on the pill because they were less painful and heavy. I came off the pill in January 2012 and since then my cycles have varied from 24 days to 32 days. The spotting is more recent, just since late spring, and since then my cycles have been consistently shorter. I began to chart to get a better idea of what's going on. So far I've charted 3 cycles and my lp has been 6 days, 11 days and 8 days I'm going to stick it out with the Boots conception support because it contains 100% RDA of B6 and B12 and I think I'd rather talk to a Dr before taking more. Not going to wait 12 months though!

It does make me wonder about the pill. The benefit of the pill that appealed to me was 'the hormones come straight out of your system as soon as you stop taking it' - and obviously that is the case for some people who get pregnant whilst on the pill if they've missed one, or immediately after stopping.... I think this is more than just about conceiving a child - I think it's also about having confidence in my cycle, that it's not going to beat me up every month, and that it's going to be reasonably predictable and reflect a good level of overall health. And not come every 3 and a half weeks, but more like every 4 weeks!

Good luck ladies x

Greenwolf how long have you been taking the boots conception support?

angelaham about a month and a half - I'm halfway through my second packet - each packet is 30 days.

Thanks Greenwof, will be interesting to find out if they work, i have heatd that it can take upto three months for the pills to work, fx they do, may have to invest in some

Sorry just jumping into this thread but a friend got pregnant taking progesterone on a natural cycle for a short luteal phase. It would be worth checking out - this was after a couple of cycles of IVF

angelaham there is an offer in Boots at the moment, 3 for the price of 2 on supplements.

What ways do you all stay sane and relaxed (y'know, it'll happen if you are less stressed grrrr) during this time?

Thanks il have a look, I don't stay relaxed think that's my problem one thing that did take my mind off of it was watching the great British bake off, lol

Haha love the bakeoff. I think fertility issues are stress-making tbh. I'm also job-hunting, just to ramp up the fun ;)

Hi ladies, a relative newbie here, but am having similar problems in irregular periods and random spotting, which I'm sure is getting worse. We've been trying for 9 months now and nothing, went to the drs last week as although I know they won't do anything til you've been ttc for a year, I thought I'd get them to check out the spotting and see whether it's causing problems- dr did a cervical inspection and has sent me for an ultrasound. My sister has a partial septum in her womb and has had 3 kids, but the septum meant she bled throughout each as half her womb was still sort of having periods, if that makes sense? Thought it was worth me going to see if I had a similar issue and that's what's causing the spotting? Waiting for the ultrasound appointment to come through now.

Greenwolf and Angelaham - stress is evil. Apart from horse riding and decent music (and GBBO!) nothing de-stresses me. I think we need to come up with some ideas. I did read that time spent with your girlies apparently works a treat! Must be all that giggling and slagging off.

Sammy89 - good luck with the doctors! I think we're all having a bit of a problem with them and it seems to depend on how nice yours is. So hope you get a goodun!

Oh and re period watch - I came on today. DAY 24!!!! I have reached a new low. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

sorry to hear that Mistress, i came on too , day 23 for me, i think you are totally right stress is a major cause for probably half of our problems, its just so hard not to stress, its on our mind all of the time,

Green wolf hope you find a new job soon

Ah yes, stress is a great one. Don't you love it when people say, "Don't worry about it-don't think about it and it will happen!" Er yup, don't think about it.... might as well tell me not to breathe!!

Hi ladies,

I ovulated on cd 21 of a 28 day cycle and I thought I was screwed . I told dh I had something wrong with me and it would take months. However, on Tuesday I got a bfp so it can happen!

That's great news ellstor may I ask did you always ovulate that late or was that a one off? Xx

Wow congratulations ellstor that is fantastic news :) Thanks for sharing and giving me some hope :) And yes, it would be interesting to know more about why you thought there was something wrong with you (!) - as that's basically how I feel right now!

.......Having said that, writing that makes me feel a bit weird - just because our cycles are a bit screwed or we don't get upduffed as quickly as other people, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with us!

I feel your pain mistress and angelaham. It is quite distressing when your period comes so early - I think when it is part of a hormonal imbalance, it just feels so wrong, somehow.

I'm thinking about what I do to de-stress. I made a list of all the things I enjoy doing, or use to treat myself - going for walks is a big one, or going for a swim - herbal teas - I love pukka tea and I bribe myself with it - if everything else in my shopping basket is healthy, then I'll treat myself to some (it's the small things eh?).... I agree that spending time with girlfriends definitely gives me a boost - but I don't know what to tell them sometimes. I think my friends know I'd like to start a family, but I haven't told any of them of my worries about it. I did tell my mum about luteal phase defect but I now wish I hadn't because she just didn't seem to know what I was talking about in terms of hormones. I think also she's a bit too close - she really wants grandkids and I think the thought that I might not be able to provide them just upset her. There's just one friend who I really talk to about it - she was the one who introduced me to FAM and Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I always feel better for talking about it with her. She's been through similar things recently so her experience helps.

And, thank goodness for this forum. I really do feel better for being able to pour my rants out here!

ps angelham keeping my fingers crossed that the Boots conception support will begin to take effect soon.

pps. sorry for ultra long post, well done for making it to the end x

congratulations ellstor on your fantastic news, gives us all hope,

I think coming onto this forum also helps me as speaking to people that are going through the same makes it feel less scary and knowing your not the only one that is needing support, , i have a close friend that has had cycle problems too and is expecting, i can talk to her about my fears and she is very reassuring but you want to keep telling them the same stuff, end up sounding like a broken record, i am trying seven seas trying for a baby, as that contains all the vitamins we need to see if that helps with the spotting, i did take pregancare and when i took it i had not spotting but i felt so sick and rough on it and it also delayed my period so i have looked at the seven seas and the have the vitamins we need but not in such a high dose, i feel when i am taking things like that, that makes me feel that i am trying to do something about it as when i don't do anything i feel helpless

we need to remain positive, and have hope and don't give up, we will get there one day!!!

sorry for such a long rambling post!!

I has this- lengthened my LP using a high dose of b6 but was still ovulating late. Had Accupuncture which seemed to bring ovulation forward- that month I ovulated the day of the accupuncture on day 12 (as apposed to day 19) of a 29 day cycle. That month I concurred, DD now 10 weeks old.

Huge congrats ellstor! Lovely news. And definitely gives us all hope.

Greenwolf, you're totally right. It does just feel so annoying and wrong when you have a hormonal imbalance cos there's so little you can do. And Sammy89 I am tired of hearing people going on about 'relaxing and trying to forget about it'. As if! I try to do that all the time. Doesn't work.

Staircase - thanks for sharing. I've heard some good stuff about acupuncture so may have a try.

Vitex arrived this morning so have popped a pill. It smells gross!!! But if it's going to help then I don't mind in the long run.

I don't know about the rest of you ladies, but what really annoys me about all of this is that I am a fairly healthy individual. I exercise, have a BMI of around 22/23, eat lots of fruit and veg, have cut out coffee and alcohol, plus all these tablets. I feel like I am doing everything right and yet I see people not taking care of themselves get pregnant and just don't understand. Sorry, that sounds incredibly selfish. I'm not trying to say I begrudge their happiness, just that I marvel at how it can't seem to happen for us too.

Yet another long post. Sorry!

Oooo my vitex just arrived too but I'm on the 2ww (well bloody 9-10 day wait) is there any point popping them now ? Or just wait for this cycle to end either with evil witch or BFP?