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

@Proseccoprincess33 haha awh, well it'll all be worth it in the end 😀 Glad symptoms aren't too bad so far x

Will do @Proseccoprincess33 I’m excited for these blood tests!! Really hope my progesterone is ok

Is it worth having them done again a few days later if I am pregnant? To see if they remain high? How long should they stay high for if you are pregnant?

AF arrived properly today... so CD 1 for me.

I'm going to try call the doctors now and book I for the 21 day bloods. Hoping they will let me with only 4 months of trying. 🤞🏽🤞🏽

@Boc86 most peoples should stay high for 10-14 days and if there has been no conception it falls pretty quick and af comes. Once Implantation happens your body continues to produce the progesterone and so your womb lining never breaks down. So there would be no need to get further bloods done as if af doesn't show its likely you are pregnant and your prog is at a good level 😊 if your levels come back on low side after day 21 bloods you can be prescribed prog from point of ov or from getting bfp to help sustain the pregnancy incase your levels aren't high enough. Could you speak to your gp once you get bloods and say you're concerned your prog could be contributing to cps? Your gp seems a bit more on the ball than others xx

@blossom428 lie and say its been a year. They don't know and may make you wiat until year mark which would be 8 months away. And sorry about af 😔 xx

Thanks... ive got a telephone appt on Friday.
Only thing is I requested more contraceptive pills on 20th March. But then I realised I wanted to TTC so I stopped taking them mid April. So they will have that on their records annoyingly.

I'm hoping that it'll be a nice doctor and they just let me have the bloods! I have got an appt booked for that on the 25th (which would be cycle day 22 at 8.10am) does it have to be CD21? My cycles are about 25days. @Proseccoprincess33

@Blossom428 it has to be 7DPO so whatever cycle day that is for you
They say cd21 because it’s based on ovulating cd14, halfway through a 28 day cycle

@Proseccoprincess33 so if I were to fall pregnant this cycle my progesterone at 7DPO should be over 30 and then should continue to rise? But if I weren’t pregnant it should be over 30 and then fall then af arrives?

@blossom428 I would say you ordered the Contraceptive pill just incase but decided against using it so its been over 6 months. That's what I did as I had a recent prescription also.

No CD 21 is different for everyone. They base CD 21 on an average person who ovulate on day 14 with a 28 day cycle. So day 21 would be 7 days after ovulation. So for you if you ovulate day 17 you would want to get bloods done around CD 24. I'd say CD 22 would be okay for you. When do you ovulate usually? Xx

@Boc86 pretty much. Your prog should be at its highest at that point in lp. Like I say mine was only 13.3 and af came next day so when most people have a high prog level at that point mine was v low and dropping way before it should. Xx

Ahhh thank you @Proseccoprincess33 @Boc86
I usually ovulate CD15/16. Then my cycle can be 24-25days. So I would get the test on CD23?

Would the doctor ever prescribe the progesterone or would it only be the fertility clinic?

Yes cd23 fine just judge it when you next ovulate so yesterday I knew I was going to ovulate today so I phoned and booked my bloods for next Tuesday which will be 7DPO
My GP just wrote this bloods form no problem x

Ehm interesting development: GP called and said my day 2 blood-test came back perfect. (Which I suspected it would to be honest.) They now think I do not have PCO and do not want to do a scan. The 'symptoms' this GP described on the phone though sounded like he was discounting PCOS, not PCO. But what can I do, question his medical expertise?! Can hardly press for a scan when they do not think it is necessary.

He said it is normal for some women to have short/less regular cycles, and if we have issues conceiving to only check back in at the 12 month mark to both have tests done then. (I guess the advantage of short cycles though is that we could potentially have those tests done sooner? 12 cycles rather than 12 months?)

Somewhat relieved to (presumably) not have cysts? But also frustrated because now I have no explanation for anything?

Would anyone recommend that my partner call his GP? (Different clinic as we moved to this town at different times / in different houses.) Or is that just totally unnecessary right now? Any anyway, that would just address the TTC part of this mystery, not my short luteal phase!

Do they need to be 7DPO bloods or can it be 6dpo? I’m ovulating a day later so my bloods on 7DPO will now actually be 6

How long have you been trying @Boc86 ?
I think I will try lie a little bit and extend how long I have been trying. Good idea @Proseccoprincess33

@Boc86 6 dpo would be absolutely fine 😊

@blossom428 your gp might prescribe progesterone but it is so rare. My gp just straight up said 'no you need a specialist to do that' she referred me to NHS fertility (only because I asked) but wait times are crazy so I went privately. In my exp GPS have very little knowledge about ttc and sadly many fertility specialists don't believe short lp is an issue 🙄 But as you are paying privately for appt they are more open to giving you prescriptions. I said to my fertility consultant 'is it true most people implant on day 9?' he said yes and I then said 'well if I'm bleeding by day 9 how will I ever conceive?' He said if it was a good strong ovulation my lp should increase which is horse shit as people's lps are fairly static give or take a day. It was at this point when he could not convince me it was not an issue that he said he could give me prog if I really wanted it to which I said 'yes gimme' 😂

It's so unfair that its such a battle to get access to such a cheap drug that could help so many people 😔 I feel v strongly about it as u was tortured for months by my short lp and a real feeling of hopelessness.

I might start a campaign 🤔😂

Ahhh yes!! Okay this is very handy to know for when I speak to the doctor on Friday.

Yes I feel it's unfair, as like you say it can easily be sorted with a little help. It's frustrating how so many people have to wait years before allowed to try anything. They really don't realise the affect it can have on someone's mental health.
I know I have only been trying for 4 months but it's driving me crazy already. So anything that will help the process is defo worth trying!!

I've also emailed a fertility clinic near by just to ask how much a consultation would be and see what they suggest.
@Proseccoprincess33

I read earlier that you started to take ubiquinol @Proseccoprincess33 - when do you take this jsut up to ovulation?
I may order some now and start it straight away.

This is only my third month @Blossom428

@blossom428 yeah I got unbinquol as it supports egg quality and can help give them more energy for the division that is required for pregnancy. I got nature's best and took 2 a day. They aren't cheap but so many people swear by them. Ubiquinol is q10 in the more absorbant form, so it's less effort for your body to use and absorb it. You take it the whole way through your cycle and only stop when you get bfp.

That's great news re fertility enquiry. And yes 4 months doesn't sound long but every day feels like a life time when ttc, you wait for ovulation, wait during ttw (or rather one week 🙄) wait for af to be over to then wait again for ov... Its torture 😭 esp when you put so much effort and timing in and the a short lp wrecks your chances anyway! But you are taking positive steps and that is great 😊 xx

Thank you... I shall look at ordering some 😊 @Proseccoprincess33

I know, constant waiting. I am a patient person, but when it comes to TTC, that's a completely different matter haha!
At least we know with groups like that that we aren't the only ones that go through what we go through.

@Boc86
That's good that so early on your Gp has agreed to bloods too! Fingers crossed mine will be like that on Friday!!

Hey ladies, can't remember if I've been on here before. I have 25 day cycles and usually ovulate on CD 15...on CD 24 today and bbt temps still high... Is this usual for short luteal phase or does temp usually drop below the cover line the day before? Have had cramping and sore boobs but all normal af symptoms really... Will see if af comes tomorrow.. if not when do I try and test?

@Blossom428 yeah I’ve been really lucky, he was a young locum and I think I terrified him with my conception talk haha