Long cycle / short luteal phase

[Bows85]

Hi all,
I was just wondering whether anyone might be in the same boat as me and can offer some advice/success stories?!

My DH and I have been ttc for several months now without any success.
Unfortunately my cycles have been really irregular (ranging from 31 days to 51 days) since coming off bcp last summer.

I have tracked ovulation and I do appear to be ovulating on my own but to add a big spanner into the works, it looks as though my LP is only 9/10 days.

I can find a lot of info about short cycles with a short LP, but not so much on long cycles with short LP. Anyone able to help?

Thanks for the reassurance, they come and go in waves. Never checked my knickers so much in my life

Wonder if I could get a sneaky test in this afternoon before dh gets home....

WOW! Just catching up on all the news - 2 BFPs!!!!

Congratulations boatrace and sundaylunch :) such great news! Really thrilled for you both. I hope as the days tick by you can begin to relax and enjoy the pregnancies (though i totally get that it's a scary time!) And boatrace - I hope you don't miss the wine in france too much ;)

Boatrace30, Bows85- I hope that you both have fantastic holidays! and take the time to enjoy yourselves and RELAX :D

I think I am having a super silly cycle this time, that cold certainly got in the way if things- no + opks in the last few days and I definitely don't think i ovulated after last weeks +. Maybe tmi but I usually get sore nipples after o, but nothing this time! Looks like it is going to be one very loooooong cycle :(

Thanks @cinderrose and @CatMum87, how frustrating. Any updates? Maybe lack of usual symptoms is a good sign??

So I have no idea what's going on with this cycle... im 12 dpo with a BFN. I've never gotten as far as 12 days before and don't know whether to be happy my luteul phase is so long this cycle or disappointed about the BFN

@boatrace30 hope you are having a fab time in France and getting used to your happy news

@catmum87 how are you doing?

What sort of test did you use @cinderrose ? Maybe it wasn't sensitive enough? Getting to 12dpo is great whatever happens. Got my fingers crossed for you!

Thanks bows85 I was wondering how you were doing :)

I used a first response, it wasn't with an early morning sample, I only managed to get hold of a test this evening. But I figured they were so sensitive (And I was pretty dehydrated) that a positive would show up. time will tell I guess!!

@cinderrose , you definitely need early morning wee with any early testing, even a frer. Can you try again in the morning? Great that your luteal phase is longer anyway. I'm hoping this is a lucky cycle for all of us.

France is a bit rainy (we're in Brittany so have English weather) and no it hasn't really sunk in. I'm still feeling very nervous about it all. Seems a bit too good to be true!

Another BFN this morning with first response. Not even a hint of a line! So maybe by some freak miracle I'm heading for a 14 day luteul phase

I can imagine it hasn't sunk in boatrace it feels equally crazy and amazing that just one cycle something clicks and it happens! Hopefully the nerves will settle before long!

Well I am definitely not pregnant. I just got thrown a random curve-ball 14 day luteal phase!! Unfortunately I also got the results of the day 21 blood test and my progesterone was a low 14. Which, reading back on the thread, seems to be the lowest of us all

To be honest, I am pretty upset and it's making me very nervous about the results of the day 3 blood test, which I will have to have tomorrow (on day 2) as I am away with work on day 3. I spoke with the GP today and she has already suggested repeating the day 21 test before referring us.

So many ups and downs even in one week!! TTC is exhausting!!

Oh sorry @cinderrose . That's rubbish but good about the 14day LP.
Was the day 21 test on day 21? As in do you think it was seven days after ovulation? The tests are fairly meaningless if not 7dpo or close to it.

Thanks boatrace. Unfortunately it was 7 dpo.

I was a little confused whether it was suppose to be 7dpo or 7 days before your expected period (which would be 3 dpo with a 10 day LP) but I went with 7dpo and ended up having a 14 day LP so I am pretty sure the timing was right :(

Hope you are feeling good and happy, and you didn't miss the wine in France too much! Have you told anyone your good news yet or do you feel as though its too early?

@cinderrose TTC definitely is an exhausting, it is an emotional roller coaster, and it is very hard not to get consumed by it all. I'm not entirely clued up about progesterone levels as google seems to tell me so many different things but fantastic news about the 14 day luteal phase- that's certainly a step in the right direction! If it is low progesterone that is causing the problem then there are definitely ways forward with supplementing etc. My GP referred us without even having done the day 21 tests, they do all seem to differ in their approach which is frustrating.

So it would appear that i did ovulate despite my horrible cold although i really thought I hadn't. Surprisingly what i now call 'the brown sludge of doom' appeared at what i guess was 7dpo and continued until af arrived at 10dpo. So earlier ovulation, shorter cycle and same lp. Not sure what causes the pre af spotting, some research suggests it could be progesterone declining rather than having a sudden drop but I'm not really sure. Still waiting for our referral to come through and its been nearly 5 weeks.

@Boatrace30- hope you are doing well and trying enjoy this precious time :)

So sorry both of you. My consultant seemed very uninterested in the short LP and was just convinced that I effectively wasn't really ovulating so I do wonder if it's similar for you. I think you can have effectively a "weak" ovulation. I'd have been really interested to see what impact Clomid had. But equally pleased that (fingers crossed) I don't need it.

As it's still so early I'm feeling a bit disbelieving about it all. I was initially excited but now just feel a bit like it's not true!!

We've told parents and a couple of close friends who knew I was going to be taking Clomid and they are the kind of friends I'd want to talk to if it all went wrong. Xx

I am glad you have told some people boatrace I'm sure that makes it feel a little bit more real. I was going to ask if you had many symptoms yet? But perhaps it's still so early. Each day seems to be going slowly at the moment, as time tends to when you are waiting on test results and doctors appointments!

catmum what a weird frustrating cycle you had. How many days was it in total this time? Are you still doing acupuncture, do you feel like it has helped in any way?

I will get the results from my day 2/3 blood test early next week, trying (and failing) to not catastrophize! I think I struggle most with not knowing how this might play out. But I think you are right boatrace, and the PCOS means I'm not ovulating properly.

Sorry to those feeling the exhaustion of TTC. It's such a stressful time, isn't it? Not sure people quite appreciate it unless they've been through it themselves.

@cinderrose that's great news about your LP. 14 days is definitely a good sign and hopefully your repeat bloods will show a better result. Fingers crossed your 2/3 day bloods show good levels. Mine were within normal range so it meant I could forget about that and concentrate on the other potential issues.

@CatMum87 hope your referral comes through soon. It should definitely help you to focus on something and give you something to aim for.

@boatrace30 hope you've been enjoying your break away!

@cinderrose ,, try not to worry too much about pcos. The fact that you are having periods in a vaguely regular pattern is very positive. I hope you get to see someone like I did who is happy to prescribe Clomid. I'm sure the utter relief of that is what made me conceive. Unfortunately that feeling isn't something you an fake (as I've tried to tell DH who has been very smugly saying "see I told you you needed to relax!".) I'd basically not even really considered conceiving that cycle due to wanting to get started on Clomid and DH being away when I actually ovulated!

@Bows85 , good holiday thanks, though weather a bit mixed. Currently wrapped up in a tent freezing.

@CatMum87 - I'd echo what the others have said. Fingers crossed for a referral soon.

As for symptoms I'm at the stage of not being 100% sure if they are real or imagined! Nothin definitive though some nausea but often when it could have been caused by something else or it could be in my head. It's weird desperately wanting to feel sick!!

I definitely can't shake off the negativity so can't quite belief it's going to work out and the days are crawling by!!

Hi ladies,

How is everyone doing??

I got my day 2 results back today and everything was in normal range. I was shocked (and relieved) to be honest as I had prepared myself for awful results after the scan and progesterone level were both so bad. The GP was a bit rubbish today in terms of advice or explaining what might be going on but has agreed to refer us once my husband has a semen analysis.

Catmum87 how long have you been waiting on your referral now?

Hello @cinderrose, sorry I've been missing for a while......we have put our house on the market so it has been pretty manic and scary! So not only are we ttc, we are also house hunting, nothing like doing it all at once!!

That is great news about your bloods! It could be that your progesterone results were just at a bad time, when they were'nt at their peak. Are you repeating them? My doctor wasn't even bothered about doing one, only did it because my appointment happened to fall on 7dpo!

I have been waiting about 6 weeks for my referral. I'm tempted to ring up soon just to check it got sent! DH has just done his semen analysis. Although the doctor didn't say she wanted that before she was referring us- as far as I'm aware it was basically ticking the box that we had been trying for long enough!!

Sorry that your doctor wasn't particularly helpful, mine wasn't either tbh! Offered no advise- i mean she wasn't unpleasant or anything but like i say it was just like she wanted to 'tick the box'

So here i am CD 10 again waiting for ovulation, yay!

What cycle are you on now?

Hi everyone, @cinderrose , great news about the day 2 results. Mine have always been normal so sounds a lot like me. I wish gps were better? But to me it does sound like mild pcos. Do you have excess hair or are you overweight? I've never been overweight (though since my late 20s I've been on the cusp) but I so have issues with hair. I really think you just need Clomid so let's hope you are referred soon. Weirdly at no stage with me have they ever checked DHs sperm!
@CatMum87 , six weeks sounds like a long time to me. I'd be tempted to give them a ring. Xx

Hey everyone!

I'd agree with @boatrace30 6 weeks is a long time to not hear anything. It won't harm giving them a ring to check you're on the system @CatMum87

@cinderrose that is a relief that your bloods have come back ok. Mine seem to be the same as you as well. It's good to know that you can tick that one off. My DH's SA came back ok as well. Think it's a bit weird for them to go through but needs must! That's odd that your DH wasn't asked to do one @boatrace30 Doesn't seem fair that they assumed any issue was solely yours... I guess it doesn't matter now though

Thank you ladies! There's something very reassuring about knowing that other people are having similar issues and experiences. Not that I would wish this confusion and upset on anyone of course!

catmum you sure have had a busy year, wedding, ttc, and house hunting practically all at once!! Did you chase up your referral or have you been ok to wait on it given how busy life has been for you?

I think perhaps I do have mild PCOS. The testosterone result didn't came back from the lab with my recent bloods so I am repeating that along with my progesterone this cycle. I'm not overweight but like you boatrace I have issues with hair - keeping on top of it has been the bane of my life unfortunately so you very much have my sympathies if this a problem for you also.

I came off the pill July 2016 and I'm just into my 10th cycle now. Honestly, we haven't even tried 'properly' every cycle. Having said that, I am glad I got the ball rolling with the GP when I did as it's taken 3 months just to get this far.

What cycle are you ladies on catmum and bows85?

How are you doing boatrace? have you booked in for scans etc? Is some of the anxiety passing for you? x

cinderose - chin hair is a particular bane of my life. I spend far too long with tweezers... hope to one day have the money to laser it! (Though is have to be a hermit to let it grow).

I'm 6wks+3 now and have terrible nausea which is comforting (and horrible!) I'm booked for a scan next Wednesday just for reassurance. Will let you know.

Fingers crossed you all get a lucky month like me! Xx

Ugh, chin hair is the worst! Especially the prickly little hairs that you can feel but not actually see. Horrible! It's only really been a problem since I got into my thirties. Or since coming off the pill. Not sure which!

Great news about the upcoming scan boatrace I bet you can't wait!! X

Scan done! All good news. Healthy little heartbeat, 7w+1. My ovulation tracking was super accurate!

Hope everyone is well. Xx