Short Luteal Phase Gang!

[Beau20]

I started a thread a while ago asking for success stories but now I would love to get all the girls together who are struggling to conceive with their short Luteal Phase!

Here's a little bit about me -

TTC #1
Cycle 7
28 years old
Luteal phase average 9-10 days longest being 11 days.
Ovulation CD17-18 cycles 26-28 days long

I have had 2 pregnancies before (both termination please no flaming) both conceived without even trying, one with my current partner of 6 years. I also had a chemical in January. My last contraception was Nexplanon for 1 year and before that I was on the pill for 10 years or so (which was when I conceived previous). I have been taking 50mg sertraline for 6 months then 100mg sertraline for 6 months after that and have just stopped completely today. This is the only thing I have been doing differently since I conceived last time so part of me thinks this may affect fertility.

I'd love to hear about everyone else's journey! x

That's the diet plan she sent me. Unfortunate I do not like fish at all 😂

Hope you are all keeping okay. I'm CD 13 today and praying ovulation does not fall on Wed for appt as that'll be an opportunity lost this month 😭

It's DH's birthday this wkend and so we are getting a big take out from a place that also delivers cocktails 😍 So looking forward to that. Hope you are all havi g a lovely wkend and aren't feeling too stressed xxx

Wow that’s intense! I’d really struggle with that with me not being a big egg fan but I could incorporate a few things from it.
Nothing really to report for me, I’m 9/10DPO with sore boobs!
That sounds amazing, anywhere that sells cocktails for delivery sounds like a good idea!

Yeah I agree. I will try to incorporate elements of this into my diet but the lack of prosecco and cocktails is upsetting 😂😂😂

Fingers crossed for you this cycle 🤞🤞🤞

Wow so detailed. Ive been tempted by seed cycling before but never done it properly. Seems so much effort when some people get pregnant without even trying. How many days before acupuncture are you not allowed to DTD? Enjoy your weekends. Cocktails sounds lovely xxx

@whilstwewait you can dtd anytime round but we have appt at fertility clinic on Wed and dh has to provide Sperm sample so need to. Have 2-5 days of no dtd. And I'm. Due to ovulate wed which is a bummer. But I think the odds may be in my favour and ov may be delayed until thurs/Fri 🤞🤞🤞

Hope you are keeling well. Got acupuncture on Wed before fertility clinic so hopefully that'll chill me a bit lol xxx

Sorry for poor spelling #cocktails 😂😂😂

@Proseccoprincess33 aw I get you now because we just had tests on NHS we timed the sperm test so it didnt fall during FW so took us ages to get it done.

Ive found someone locally who does acupuncture so going to message them tomorrow and see if they're still practising even if it just helps me chill it will be worth it

Hope you had a lovely weekend x

Hi all!
@Proseccoprincess33 pleased to hear acupuncture was good, I think I'll look into it next week. I know very little about it but will try and look out for a fertility specialist one.
The menu plan looks fairly intense haha I'll struggle to reduce my caffeine intake 😐 I need to lose weight for sure and was doing well until DH health scare (we find out tomorrow hopefully what we're dealing with) but it's just meant I've struggled with focus. Have been definitely stress/emotional eating this week!! Trying not to be too hard on myself about it and tomorrow is a new day.

I've never heard about a cold womb, another thing I'll go and read up about! I love learning all the new stuff that's spoken about on here. Knowledge is power after all isn't it!

Fingers crossed for you all this cycle! We obviously didn't try this month and I'm due af in like 2/3 days and I completely get the whole 'wasted month' feeling, it feels like a lifetime for the next month to roll round doesn't it!!

@whilstwewait were your results all okay if you don't mind me asking? Re: acupuncture if you say to them you deem it as urgent due to anxiety they should see you and once you are there they can do a bit of fertility stuff as they have been given go ahead for same. Let me know how you get on.

@sausageface hello, I am sure you are really not in a great place tonight. I hope tomorrows results are good news for your and your DH 🙏 sending many positive vibes your way. As for diet, when there are so many emotions going on you are right in not giving yourself a hard time. I'm a very emotional eater so I get that. Diets can wait, plus unless people are v overweight I'm not sure how much it affects ttc tbh.

Fertility appt looms for tests this Wed. We did bd tonight and so if ov is wed there is always a slight chance. I don't want to push appointments and scans back even though it pains me to possibly miss a month. I don't think I'll get anywhere with my short luteal phase anyway 🙄

And yeah short luteal phases are a sign of a cold womb apparently 😳 hoping this acupuncture warms it up a bit lol Got appt wed before fertility appt.

Hope the week ahead is kind to us all. Thinking of you all ❤️

Managed to push DH's appt back to Tues next week so chance to try for this month is back 🙏 xx

@Proseccoprincess33 my tests all came back fine. Showed i was ovulating and my tests at start of cycle showed normal levels of all hormones.DH showed super sperm so no issues at all which is frustrating. My scan to check fallopian tubes has been delayed because of covid. Looking like 5 months till I have one. That would just rule out blocked tubes. I dont notice any CM really which concerns me so thinking that may be causing issue. I have a tilted uterus as well but google says that shouldnt cause any problems the sperm will know where to go. So we are in limbo really. Maube we just haven't got lucky yet.Great news you got it changed. Hopefully this is your month. Xx

@whilstwewait that's fab news re your results although I can understand your frustration. In relation to lack of cm, I notice some Months I have quite a bit and some Months barely any. Have you tried a Sperm friendly lube like pre seed? I've heard good reviews on it and I used it the month I got pregnant but sadly had cp... (not a great selling point I'll admit).

I am currently getting a lot of cm (tmi) so I had to change DH's appt or I'd have been raging at myself. I am going to try a new technique this cycle and wait for my peak ov stick and bd that day and one after.

Usually we do every other day until I get peak and then stop. Hoping it'll help build up DH's Sperm and might be the trick we have been missing. Who knows 🤔 It was just when clinic advised that 3 to 5 days gives best sample it got me thinking....!

@sausageface thinking of you today. Really hope results are all okay ❤️ xx

@Whilstwewait that’s great news. At least it can put your mind at ease in that sense.
I don’t really notice EWCM either, I use conceive plus and preseed to help. (If it actually helps! 🙈)

@sausageface thinking of you too ❤️ Can’t imagine how difficult it must all be xx

Thank you both. We found out he has non Hodgkin's lymphoma, so our ttc journey is going to change now 💔 heartbroken for so many different reasons of course. I suppose we'll be looking at having his sperm frozen before chemo starts which I've heard is a available on the nhs in these situations. Of course my priority is him getting better but I can't help but have that in my mind too.

I'm still gunna hang around i think if that's ok, keep an eye on your progress and really hope you all get your answers and bfp's soon xx

Oh @sausageface I’m so sorry. It really puts life into perspective when things like this happen.
I do think you can get sperm frozen on the nhs in these circumstances fortunately.
Of course stick around here! It does you good speaking to people anonymously. My mum has cancer and I struggle speaking about it irl but find it easier to have a vent online sometimes.
Sending lots of love xxx

@sausageface I am so sorry to hear that. Both my parents had cancer twice so I understand how devastating cancer is. Lymphoma is one of the most treatable types of cancer though. My father first had it was I was very young and he and my mum went on to have my two brothers.

You will of course want to give all your love and attention to your DH but it will be a hard time for you too, especially with your thoughts gravitating towards fertility which is only natural, don't forget to take care of yourself and talk to someone if you need even if its just having a vent on here.

@sausageface I am so, so sorry to hear this. Such a difficult and uncertain time for you both. And it is totally understandable your thoughts would move to ttc and the implications this will have. Thankfully the NHS do provide freezing service and may do same for you if you were worried about a long wait time before you can ttc again.

I'm sure your mind is all over the place. Cancer treatment has come on so, so much over the years so much can be done. Hopefully his treatment will be short and will not make him too unwell. Definitely keep in touch via this forum and like the girls have said if you need a rant or some support come on here anytime. There is definitely something about taking to people you don't know on these forums that gives great comfort and allows you to speak. Ore freely. It's good for the soul!

I'll keep you both in my thoughts 😔 Massive hugs to you xxxx

Thanks so much everyone, it really means a lot! @KateMCL it's really positive to hear about your dad so thank you for sharing. I'm too scared to google now that we have a diagnosis incase I stumble across the negative stories, I've no desire to hear them ones! I've heard so much that this is usually really easily treatable so definitely praying that's the case for us.
I've only really read a small amount about chemo and it's affects on sperm and so I didn't realise things could just go back to normal potentially once treatment has finished, that's good to know. Apparently we'll be given a nurse as our point of contact soon so I'll chat through it all with her I guess.
Life deals some shit cards sometimes doesn't it! It all feels so unfair.

Anyway. Enough about me. Back to our problematic luteal phases haha! Xx

@sausageface sorry to hear about your DH. Im glad you now have a diagnosis and a treatment plan in place. As everyone has mentioned previously treatment has come on so much over the years and im sure you will have a positive outcome. Definitely keep away from google. It does more harm than good. Lots of love to you both

@Proseccoprincess33 @Nat4392 ive tried preseed before but still not got pregnant. I did read a study that you should only use it if you've always used lube. Apparently it does kill sperm, just not as many as normal lube and isnt actually a good substitute to CM. So im avoiding it from now on and hoping my CM is all in my cervix where it counts xx

Id definitely try the day after your peak as well incase its the full 36 hours after that you ovulate. I must admit by then we are always knackered. Id always like one more go but some months the pressure to perform is too much for DH that we would be at it for hours 😭 and by that point I've given up xx

AF arrived for me today 👎🏼 Onward to cycle #11! At least it’s another cycle closer to seeing my GP

@whilstwewait we are the same. By time I get peak dh is done lol and so am I tbf and it is a lot of pressure. So we usually only dtd every other day up until peak. Everything you read says dtd days before ov is best way but here I am at Month 7 so I'm not so sure. I reckon if I wait until peak day then we will be fine for peak day 2 and see how we go. Worth a shot 🤞I hate the planning and regimented way it has to be. I now hide the fact I use ov sticks from dh and it seems to be working much better 😂

Awww @Nat4392 I'm sorry to hear this. Look after yourself and treat yourself. It's a good way to view it that if it hasn't happened you're closer to answers why. Here's hoping this will be the month... Lucky number 11 🍀

I have blood test and scan tomo. Not looking forward to it 🙄 got acupuncture in the morning to help me relax before it. Not loving thought of the dildo cam 😂😂😂 but needs must. I'll be interested to see if they can tell if my womb lining is thick enough as I'm right before ov 🤔

I'll let yous know how u get on xxx

It’s weird I honestly don’t feel upset this month. Obviously I’m gutted but emotionally I feel so much better than last month.
Good luck with your tests tomorrow. I really want to give acupuncture a go. I enquired at my local acupuncturist but hey didn’t specialise in fertility so I’ll have to look further afield I think

Lol at dildo cam 😂

Hello all. I hope you don’t mind me joining, I posted right back at the start of the thread and have been getting on with things since!!
I’m 36, TTC #2 and I have a woeful luteal phase. I’ve tried everything (AC, B6, Vit 6, multi vits) and nothing works - in fact last month reached an all time low at 6 days. FFS
So I’ve started investigations and had day 3 and day 21. Day 3 showed high FSH (12) so it’s looking like an egg quality/quantity issue.
Today I’m having a scan and AMH privately.
So it would be great to have somewhere to vent - I’ll happily share what I learn!! I’m not hopeful for anything other than ‘have IVF’ - which I desperately wanted to avoid

@Kitte321 wow 6 days is very short! Good to hear you’re getting investigations done though. Did you have a short LP when you conceived DC1?
Good luck with your tests today, keep us updated x

@kittie321 welcome back. I am having my amh bloods and scan today too. An fsh of 12 does not mean poor quality eggs it just means your reserve might be a bit on lower side so don't wait around. So don't panic about that. When will you get your results from amh. We are meeting with consultant via zoom or some such platform Thurs 18th. I'm dreading it all. Seems a life time away. Let me know how you get on today and I'll keep you posted too.

What was your day 21 result for progesterone? Mine was just over 13 which is pathetic 🙄 I know niw I ovulated though as temp rose consistently for 7 days. I'm taking B6 this cycle and doing accunpunture to try and lengthen luteal phase but I'm doubtful either will work. If it even gave me one more day I'd be happy. I have an 8/9 day phase which never waivers 🙄

I got my positive opk today so waiting to dtd until after appt but the wait is stressing me out lol

Hope you're all keeping well today xxx