How did you conceive with irregular periods?

[maddiie]

Been ttc for a while, currently having some tests then and if all ok starting clomid next cycle but part of me obviously wants to avoid all that. Dr doesn't seem to think there's a medical reason behind my irregular periods, and says it's more common than you think but as I'm obviously struggling we will start trying to track my ovulation and using the clomid. Just running tests to be 100% sure before we begin.

Just wondering if anyone who had irregular periods, not for any specific medical reason and who otherwise was fertile managed to conceive? I've tried using OPKS but with cycles ranging up to over 100 days it was a bit exhausting and never that useful. Did you just DTD every other day? I try to but it's hard to find that stamina.

I almost feel guilty using nhs resources when I may well be fine and fertile and just having sex at the wrong times due to have no knowledge about when I ovulate due to these irregular cycles. Happy that I do have help on the way but would obviously love to just conceive naturally and wondered as one last effort if anyone had any advice

It might be tmi but mucus is your friend. My periods ranged from 6 weeks to 5 months but when you ovulate the mucus gets thicker and stringier.

It was pretty obvious for me but your body might be different.

@buttyblahblah Thank you I did try and monitor this but don't seem to produce enough of it to really monitor and struggled to sort of identity it but perhaps due to not thoroughly researching it enough so will look into it again

"Dr doesn't seem to think there's a medical reason behind my irregular periods, and says it's more common than you think"

What doctor is this, is this a GP?. That person is right re the last part but wrong re the first. Why does he think at all that there is no medical reason behind your irregular periods?. What tests have you had done to date, particularly blood tests?. Have your LH and FSH levels been compared against each other on a day 3 test?.

I have a long history of irregular periods due now I know to PCOS. It led me to having a year's worth of fertility treatment and I would not have conceived without medical help.

What has your menstrual history been like to date, have your cycles always been irregular in nature for instance?. Such things are often caused by hormonal imbalances. Polycystic ovaries, polycystic ovarian syndrome and problems relating to the thyroid gland are but three causes of irregular periods. It can also cause ovulation to stop and it is quite possible to have periods without ovulating. A "normal" cycle too is a cycle of between 21 and 35 days.

If you are given clomid ensure you are monitored whilst on it. You will have no way of knowing otherwise whether it is doing what its supposed to (clomid's main job is to make the ovaries work harder). It is often a first line of treatment in women who present with ovulation problems. It is often only used for 6months maximum.

Have you had blood tests to diagnose that you're actually ovulating? if not please insist. My cycles were inbetween 32 days and 3 months. They always had been and my mum's were similar so my GP wasn't that concerned but I still had the bloods done.
We then had sex every other day!! well from day 14. After one year DS was conceived (on day 35!) we were still doing it every other day when I got nausea and achy boobs and was actually 5 weeks pg!

2nd DC happened month one using this same method.

We used Ovusense to track bbt...it was a lot less stressful than manually taking it every day and getting up at the same time etc. My cycles ranged from 27-88 days and we fell pregnant first cycle after ovulating on cd33.

@AttilaTheMeerkat @Chosenone Had blood tests last year to check for thyroid and other issues like that, but had just come off the pill so they weren't too concerned. Before pill I was like clockwork with periods. But that was 13 months ago and it's still so all over the place, fertility specialist said because of coming off the pill albeit over a year ago, those tests being ok last year and lack of other symptoms that she doesn't suspect there is a medical reason and thinks that might just be the new normal for me. She's running tests again to be sure that was just what she advised, going back next week for them.

It was just a quick summary and she said we'd go through it all and the recommended plan after the results of my bloods and DH sperm are back, but I'm sure she said she wants to run tests to see if I'm ovulating but something about it being difficult cause of how irregular I am, then she mentioned doing a few cycles on clomid and then if were still struggling to go from there. If this makes no sense sorry I was quite emotional and trying to take it all in, will get her to go through everything again when results are in and write it all down whilst I'm there.

@SpadesOfGlory Thank you I will look into that now