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!

That's good to know. Yeah mine said that rarely prescribe clomid due to the cancer risk.

Ha. Yes he does need to brush up on his bedside manor!

Thanks

Hi all, I know this is a really old thread but if any of you are still active on here, I would love to hear an update of whether any of you managed to conceive with or without medical help.

The situations you describe in terms of suspecting LPD and having doctors dismiss the notion are exactly what I experienced back in 2005/6 so it's very disheartening to hear nothing had changed in 2014. In my case, after much arguning I eventually got a doctor to prescribe progesterone and I got pregnant the second month I was on it. I now have two happy and healthy teenagers, both conceived with progesterone support.

The reason I'm asking now is that I am medical scientist and finally at a stage in my career where I am able to consider doing something about this lack of knowledge of LPD. I am trying to devise a research project which might bridge the gap between the lived experiences of women like us and the current medical wisdom. But I only really have my own experience to draw on, so I would love to hear from anyone else.

Gosh this brought back memories! The bfp I so happily got is now in year four and I had two more bfps after that , youngest in reception. I had my last one, naturally conceived, aged 41. The consultant who gave me the progesterone for number two did quite graciously say to me you did actually identify it was a short luteal phase yourself before we did any of the tests didn't you.

I wonder now, given I had had conceived no 1 in first month of thinking about trying aged 33, and pregnancies no 3 and 4 also came without intervention when I was 39 and 40/41 the difficulty with conceiving the second was possibly due to breastfeeding no 1 well into her second year though I'd stopped early into the TTC year. It felt like I'd never have a second.

Good luck with the research .