Does an irregular cycle mean that you'll definitely have trouble conceiving?

[emkana]

Just asking for a friend of mine, she has very irregular cycles and is worried that it will mean it will take her ages to conceive.

How irregular?
I have always been irregular (between 28 and 45 days), but it took me only 4 months to conceive.

Hi, I have irregular cycles and it has taken me between 1.5 years and 3 years to conceive. In fact, it has been quite stressful as I also miscarried after the birth of dd1 and it had taken 2.5 years to conceive that one in the first place. If it's what your friend really wants then persevere. There are some really good kits on the market to help tell her when she is ovulating, I didn't use them but there are people on mumsnet that have. Hope that helps.

I had very irregular cycles and was told that I had a chance in a million to get pregnant by accident. Obviously, that's not exact statistically but I went through 3 years of unprotected sex after marriage and nothing happened, however I did on the first try with clomid.

The problem of being irregular is that you never know when are you on your fertile days, in my case it could have been tomorrow or sometime in the next 3 months.

My sister was also successful on Clomid, but had tried unsuccessfully for 2 years prior and the doctor told her she was unsuccessful because she was overweight!!!

oh no, I was skinny as stick before DS, but then maybe that was part of the problem at some points.

If irregular periods are an issue then it is unlikely you are ovulating regularly if at all.

It can therefore become problematic for some women when trying to conceive - it certainly was in my case.

One possible cause of this is a condition called polycystic ovaries.

Ovulation predictor kits are not of any use if periods are irregular as these measure the amounts of LH (luteinising hormone) present. Many women with hormonal problems produce an excess of this hormone so the kit reads that instead.

It is in your friend's interest to determine exactly why her periods are irregular to start with. She should seek medical advice from her GP in the first instance and have a blood test done to see what her hormone levels are like. In this regard the doctor must compare the level of LH against that of FSH (follicle stimulation hormone). It is only if these two are compared that any abnormality is seen.