Luteal Phase 11 days but spotting from day 8 - is this normal? Been ttc for 13 months so desperate.

[Beena]

Hi girls

I really hope someone on here can give me some advice. I think I might have a problem with my luteal phase or my progesterone levels. I have a luteal phase of about 10-11 days and I start soptting on day 8 onwards. I have been ttc for 13 months now. GP has referred us to fertility specialist for more tests but won't get an appointment for at least 3 months.

What can I do?????

Beena xx

We had a similar problem but as soon as we were referred we paid to see the consultant privately for the initial appointment (about £150.00 if you can afford it) and were seen within a week.

We then went back to the NHS for the tests (well actually we paid for them as well in the end but we didn't have to we could have waited). I think we would have had to wait about 3-6 months for the tests but at least we saved three months (iyswim).

Hi Willmouse

Thanks for replying to me. that is a great idea. i have just phoned the consultant's private clinic and we have booked an initial consultation for one hour a week on Friday! Costs £160 but better than waiting 3 months to see him. Hopefully if we need any treatment we can get that done on the NHS though as don't think we couold afford to pay for it. Could I ask what tests you have had done and how much they cost? It would be so helpful to know what we are going to be in for along the line.

Hi Beena - glad you were able to get an appointment. I remember by the time we were able to have a referal I couldn't cope with waiting another three months.

When I first had an appointment I left with a number of blood tests to take to my GP to have. I think they were to test hormone levels because as a result of them I was told that I had not released an egg on that particular cycle.

I was then told that the next step was to have a laperoscopy and a hysterectomy which involved a general aneasthetic but was a day case in hospital. This is what we were told we would need to wait 3-6 months for and they wouldn't do anything else until I had it.

I think it cost about £1,300.00 - we were very lucky as we paid 1/3 as did my parents and DH's parents.

The consultant came and gave me the results on the same day and basically said I had endometriosis and that my womb was a strange shape.

I was then told that I had to wait for some sort of a dye test on my womb just to check that I would be able to carry a baby should I conceive. You have to have this done on a certain day of your cycle which for me landed on boxing day so I knew I was going to have to wait until the end of Jan to have it done so went hysterical. I remember the consultant phoned me at home (while we were putting up the Christmas tree) and told me to relax and enjoy Christmas.

By New Year I had a positive pregnancy test and the consultant said it was probably as a result of the laperoscopy/hysterectomy as aparently the prodding and pulling about can make you release an egg.

To cut a long story short I now have two lovely boys and had no problem at all second time around.

I really hope that it goes as well for you.

Hi Willhouse

Thanks for all that info. I am so pleased it all worked out for you. I have heard that after a tube test you often get a BFP afterwards as it kind of gives you a pipe clean. Will see what the consultant says next Friay. I didn;t know they could refer you for blood tests at your GP - that would save some money too wouldn't it.

Beena x

Beena - i have the exact same luteal phase problem as you. When I conceived ds I had no probs and was pg 2nd cycle. This time around I have a short lp and have been ttc for 10 months. My nhs gynae was useless and prescribed me clomid which didn't help. I saw a friend last month who was pg with her 2nd and when talking it turns out she has the exact same problem - some months not even getting an 8 day LP but less. She gave me her consultants name and I got referred to see him. That was last week. My consultation cost £150. Next cycle they are going to scan me every other day about 5/6 days before I ovulate. When the egg reaches a certain size the will inject me to release the egg and then I will have a 2nd injection 5 days later to stop the womb lining shedding too early. This is the same treatment that my friend had and as I say she has one ds and another lo on the way. We think it's going to cost about £300 per cycle.
I've been through a really crappy time trying to get various doctors to help me lengthen my Lp and I completely sympathise with you it is horrible month after month ttc and getting nowhere. I really hope that this info can help you in some way as I have felt so much more optimistic knowing that something can be done. I'm just keeping everything crossed now that this method will work for me too. Good luck and let me know if I can give you anymore advice.
Ps have you been temperature charting? It was the info from my charts that showed the consultant what's happening.

Thanks buttercup that sounds really good and so great to know something can be done to help. Where is the specialist based? Can I have his name? I will definitely mention this to my consultant next week. Do you know what the injections contain by any chance? It is HCG? Any info you could give me on this would be brilliant as then I could ask my consultant to do the same for me.

I was temperature charting for about 5 months but then I gave up as got tired and frustrated with doing them.

Also, how long is your luteal phase at the moment?

Sorry for the spanish inquisition but I can't believe I have met someone who has the same thing and is getting someone to hep them finally!

Beena

I'm glad to help! Up until a month ago I thought I'd never get pg again but I'm now very hopeful. When my friend said she also has a short LP I actually cried because I've known for months why I wasn't getting pg but no one seemed to be able to help.
Yes the injections are hcg, apparently they are the pregnancy hormones and so after you have the injection your body thinks it's pregnant and so your lining doesn't disintegrate the way ours do, leaving us with a short LP. I usually start to spot 8 or 9 after ov'ing for 2 days then start to bleed properly. Also I don't ovulate until day 18 onwards. This months a weird one though as I was taking clomid for the last 2 cycles and then stopped and I actually ov'd day 14. I'm assuming I'll start spotting around day 22 or 23 unless the coming off the clomid changes anything. How about you what cycle day do you tend to ov on?
I live outside Reading and I'm seeing a Mr Williams. Where do you live? If it's a distance I'm sure there will be a good consultant in your area.
Btw when my friend went to see him she didn't know why she wasn't conceiving so she had to go away and temp chart for 3 months and then come back. That's how she was diagnosed. It might be useful to dig those old charts out....

No worries. I know that I'm so lucky to have ds but I am desperate to give him a little brother or sister and these last few months have been so horrible. Dh and I have felt like we've had to argue with gp's to get anywhere. It was a relief to see someone who finally said 'yes I think this could be a problem, we'll try this..' I just want to let people in our situation know that there are things that can be done to help.
I would say that if you are going to see someone privately that you should perhaps put the info from your opk's and observations onto charts so that you have something to show, or even chart for one month just to see what's happening. Otherwise you might spend £150 or more seeing someone who asks you to go away and temp chart for 3 months. That is what happened to my friend.

Thanks Buttercup that is so useful to know and so reassuring. I am going to print this off and ask my consultant about it all next week. I charted for 5 months before so can take those charts with me. What did your charts show then after OV? I OV on anything from day 12 to day 22 and I srat spotting between 8 and 10 days later and then spot for 2 days and then start period for about 2 days then spot some more for about 3 days after that. It's all such a nightmare. After a year and a month I really am at my wits end. All I have ever wanted for as long as I can remember is to be a Mum and now I don;t know if that is ever going to happen. Sorry to sound negative but that's how I am feeling at the moment.

It sounds like we're very similar. I ovulate anywhere between day 18 -21 and get no more than 8 high temps. Then I spot for usually 2 days but last cycle it was 3 days, and after my period finishes I spot for a couple of days too. I was on clomid for 2 cycles and have just come off and actually ovulated on day 14 this cycle which I was amazed at. I'll probably start spotting 8 days after ovulating though.
I'm sorry to hear that you are at your wits end. That was me about 6 weeks ago. I'd just been told by the useless gynae that I was ovulating and there was nothing more he could do for me, and told by another gp that 'the menstrual cycle doen't work like that' when I told her I have a short LP. There are various things that can be done. I tried the vitamin B6 but it didn't work for me although I've heard some girls can successfully lengthen their lP with it. I tried clomid which other mn users have also had success with. The HCG injections are another way of helping. I've had weeks where I've felt as though it will never happen again but I'm sure it will. The first step is now done - you are being referred - things will get better because you will feel as though you are doing something about it. We too had a 3 month wait for nhs but decided to pay and see the same person privately. We just felt that we'd been mucked about so much that we wanted to see someone sooner. I wish you lots of luck and if I can help let me know; I've done a lot of reading/research on this over the many months! You'll get there in the end!

Hi girls,
I too had a very similar short LP and it is really getting me down. I had a ds (born July 06) and was lucky enough to conceive in the 2nd month of trying. Have been trying for the last 3 months (which I know is not long and I shouldn't moan) to conceive again and, from watching my ov patterns, I've realised my LP is around 8 days and my periods are really odd (they were totally normal before having my ds). I seem to get light brown / pinky spotting for a day or so (which I have been stupidly thinking could be implantation bleeding) and then I get really heavy bleeding.

Went to my GP last month and she did bloods on day 3 of my cycle which came back totally normal - apparently my oestrogen, LH, FSH and egg reserve are all spot on. So I felt really good, for about a week! Then she did a progesterone test on Day 24 of my cycle (I only ovulated on day 23 so I thought it was odd as prog tests are normally done 7 days post ov aren't they?) - the result came back as very low (apparently it was 14 or something) and she thinks I have a prog problem. I'm on day 31 of my cycle today and getting light brown spotting - if only it was impl bleeding but i know in my heart it isn't. I don't understand how to fix having such low prog a day post ov. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm taking 50 mg of B6 this cycle which doesn't seem to have worked. Am thinking of trying accupunture. My GP said the next step is Clomid as she doesn't think prog supplements work and she is reluctant to use Clomid on me until a few more months have passed. She said she is confident I'll conceive in the next few months as my early cycle bloods were so good - but I don't understand how she can be confident with such a low prog blood test. She told me to relax and throw away OPK test sticks - am I being silly but I can't seem to relax?

And I feel totally selfish moaning as I already have a ds and the more time I spend fretting about conceiving a 2nd, the less time I spend focusing on my son which seems so wrong of me.

Guess I need to stop overanalysing! But this site is soooo good - to be able to connect with people in the same boat.

Please let me know if anyone has any advice

Hi rocketdog. As you'll se from this thread I've gone down the clomid route and it didn't work for me. I have a friend who has a ds and is now 20 wks pg with 2nd and she too had an 8 day LP. She had follicle tracking and hcg injections both times. I am just about to start this treatment. My consultant was horrified when I he discovered I'd been prescribed clomid when I ovulate on my own. I've also been through the blood tests and like you everything fine but once or twice the prog was too low. I think this was down to the fact that the tets wasn't done at the right time. If you have a prog test too soon after ovulating the prog won't have reached it's peak level and could make it look as though you haven't ov'd yet. Also if it's done too late the prog level could be dropping and again the result might look like ov hasn't happened when it has. It's a tricky business.
I too have ds who is 2 and would really love him to have a brother or sister. My best advice is to you is to try and get a referral to see a fertiltiy doctor. I discovered my short lp after about 3 months ttc no 2 and I'm now 10 months down the line about to start some treatment that I so hope will work. Good luck and if I can help anymore let me know.