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

I hope so @Molly3456 ... I've been a bit vague tracking my bbt too, but I have seen a rise today.
DTD yesterday and today, but I think I did actually ovulate yesterday.

@Boc86 I'm not quite sure how much I take of the B compelled, it's the boots one and I just take 1 a day

Hello all, I hope you are keeping well. I just wanted to pop in and let you know I had my early scan today and baby is measuring 8 wks and 1 day. Saw little heart beat and everything looks like it should 😊 xxx

Aww amazing news @Proseccoprincess33 !! So glad you can be reassured now that everything is going well! 😊😊

@blossom428 thank you. I definitely feel more assured but no doubt I'll be back to panicking next week again 😂😂😂 I hope things are going okay with you? Xx

Haha! I don't think it ever stops! But so nice to see the little heartbeat 😊 @Proseccoprincess33
I'm 6dpo now, so just waiting to see how long LP will be after taking the B6. Although it maybe quite good not to get pregnant this month as we've got a camper van booked to go around wales and a few drinks would be quite nice along the way!
But still wouldn't mind it of course haha!

@Proseccoprincess33 wow, congratulations!

I'm on 8dpo and I think the b6 is def helping with my luteal phase. So much so that I think I might stop taking it tomorrow, so that it won't delay af too much (as there is currently not a sign of it at all). (Although fingers crossed af just won't show?! At that odd turning point this weekend where I haven't a clue.....)

Great news @Proseccoprincess33 so happy for you

I’m now taking b6 and b complex as the b complex only contains a tiny amount of b6
It’s doing nothing from my LP and it’s been 2 cycles
It (or something) has brought my ovulation forward though and then in turn shortened my cycle because my LP has stayed 9 days

My gp won’t prescribe me the progesterone suppositories I need for my low progesterone and short LP 😭😭
I’ve been referred to hospital but that could be flipping ages

I’m right in think short LP causes low progesterone right? Doc thought not ovulating causes low progesterone but I know I Ovulate from the pain and opks!
I’m so worried the hospital will say the same and just presume I’m not ovulating when I know I am!

@Boc86 I'm sorry to hear that : ( My dr also assumed I was not ovulating properly when I mentioned my short luteal phase, but like you, from the opks etc I know I am; and he then agreed I probably am, but also did not want to take any further action! I am regretting saying ok fine we'll see; and thinking now, if af turns up this weekend, I am going to try and contact gp again next week to see if there is any way I can insist on a scan (I still think it could possibly be cysts, without the hormonal imbalances; would really like a scan to make sure it is or isn't!).

Thank you all so much ❤️ I feel so sad at how difficult the system is in dealing with short lps. My Gp was next to useless and I knew the only way I could get my hands on prog in a timely manner was to go private. And it shouldn't be that way!

@blossom428 camper van trip sounds fab 😍 see you just never know when your last drink will be for 9 months 👀 I was so worried as I love a drink but thankfully the thought of one makes me feel ill right now. Hope your lp has extended 🤞🤞🤞

@AnonymousXXIX thank you so much ❤️ that is great news about your lp. So glad that the vitamins have helped extend it. Hopefully this will be all you need to get your bfp. I would still push for scans with gp just for your own piece of mind. If you tell gp you are experiencing pain and are concerned they won't deny you a scan. I had one when I came off the pill as I experienced ovulation pain for the first time and was convinced there must be something seriously wrong lol

@Boc86 thank you ❤️ And yes a cause of a short lp can be low progesterone. Mine was low but I was clearly ovulating due to opks and bbt temp shift. So I would push for the prog. Just say you'd like to try it, my consultant didn't need much persuation.

If you guys don't already bbt is really good for evidencing you have ovulated. Beciase opks can peak a few times in the cycle on occasion. If you do bbt you'll get a temp shift after ovulation and it'll prove you ovulated.

Thinking of you all xxx

@Proseccoprincess33 aw so happy for you amazing news. Must be an overwhelming feeling glad you're doing ok

I have had an nhs and a private referral this week and both consultants have said a polyp could be causing my spotting before AF. Not something I'd even considered before. So thought I'd mention it to you all incase it is something. You could perhaps go to the doctors for inter mittant bleeding throughout your cycle and they could arrange a scan.

@AnonymousXXIX id probaby carry on till 12 dpo as will be considered a normal LP then just incase stopping starts AF

@Boc86 a short LP is caused by low progesterone not the other way around. So basically progesterone rises after ovulation to support implantation and a healthy pregnancy. If no egg fertilises progesterone drops causing your period. A short LP means progesterone is falling too soon. So could be that your body just struggles to produce it or could be because you haven't ovulated. I have read that even if its low you can still get pregnant. As a healthy embryo will trigger your body to produce more. So the month your egg fertilises and implants your body will know to produce more. You are relying on your egg to implant before it drops though and as you can implant up to day 12 that's why lots of woman are concerned x

@AnonymousXXIX ahh no! It just feels like such an easy solution to prescribe us some progesterone doesn’t it!

@Proseccoprincess33 I started bbt two days ago, mostly to be able to show the hospital I am ovulating when I eventually see them! How do you go about private? How do you even find a private gp?

Ahh thank you @Whilstwewait
Yes makes sense, I come on at 9dpo so I’d need an egg to implant by about 5-6dpo!

Biology question: since I ovulated late this month (a good 5 days later than usual, and I am normally very regular with that), do you reckon my uterine lining has had more time than usual to build up to a good thickness? My gp previously mentioned it was on the thin side, probably due to coming off the pill (but 6 months later still?!), and then combined with a short luteal phase, that was a bit hopeless. But curious if I may have a better chance this month by having a longer cycle. Just don't know if it is the whole cycle that matters for uterine lining, or only the bit after ovulation!

I did keep taking the b6 but last night / this morning had some light pink spotting and my nipples stopped hurting : ( so I think I'm out this month. CD 29 but only 10 or 11 DPO.

@AnonymousXXIX sorry to hear that :( is your luteal phase normally 10-11 days?

I have had nausea since 6dpo quite badly on and off I’m 8dpo and it’s still there I have had some dizzy spells too. No other sickness symptoms which I find odd. My BBT is still up. It’s so hard not to think about symptoms and symptom spot when I’m feeling like this. I don’t want to have too much hope as it can be very upsetting when AF comes.

@Molly3456 my luteal phase has been as short as 8 days so there's definitely some improvement there with the b vitamins.

That said, still just spotting currently. Which the b vitamins (I thought) had sort of fixed for the last 2 cycles. Just want it to start properly already now!

I've also just started spotting this afternoon- which means after taking the B vitamins it's given me an extra day - so better than nothing!

My bbt was still up this morning though, which it does usually drop

Okay kind of properly starting now. Not too bad then, under 48 hours of spotting. And my cycle wasn't short either this time, just the luteal phase again (but also not as short as usual). General upward curve of improvement.

Still bit disappointed though because I thought we might have had a good shot this month as I ovulated late and we did it lots lol. Going to try GP again for a scan, and also see if we could possibly get semen analysis done just to be sure (but it seems our nearest hospital that does the analysis is massively far away and we don't have a car? not sure how to do this logistically!).

Can I join the chat please?

I've got a 10 day LP and have done for years. I conceived DS (4yrs) without any problems, and whilst I could see LP was shorter than desired by my OPK results, at the time I didn't really know much about LPD or that it was a problem.

Now ttc#2 for past 11ish months. No luck at all. LP has been consistently 10days. Last cycle I decided to learn more about increasing it, so I took 100mg B6 and a B6 complex along with Vit C. I managed a whole 12 day LP and was super chuffed! BUT... bloods came back (7DPO) as having a lower than desirable progesterone level (19.5 nmol/l which doctor said was inconclusive of ovulation, and low) so I'm not sure if anything is really helping or working. I have a 31/32 day cycle and usually ovulate around CD20ish. God I wish I was one of those lucky ladies that just ovulates CD14 and AF on CD28 :'-(

This cycle I did a lot more research. I'm CD3 today and I'm upping the B vits - going to take B100 Complex and some extra B6 (won't go over 200mg, don't worry!), 1,000mg Vit C (proven in studies to help) and 600mg Vit E (also proven to help raise progesterone levels).

I'm also a little heavier than normal (I blame lockdown months!) - still in healthy BMI, but nearing the top end these days. I'm eating better now and exercising a bit more too. Hoping shifting a bit of weight might help too.

As you guys are the experts, do you have any other tips for me? The GP has been absolutely bloody awful every time. When I called yesterday for repeat bloods this cycle he didn't even give me a chance to speak before telling me DH must have sperm analysis before they'll see me again as it could be a male factor (I mean, yes it could be... but I've got a lot of reasons to suspect its an issue with me, given that I have short LP plus low progesterone last cycle!). Argh!!!

Hi @MummyOfZog and all of you!

Can I join in too? I am on my 3rd cycle off the pill and my cycles are still a little all over the place:

Cycle 1
42 day cycle
Ov day 32
LP 10 days long

Cycle 2
34 day cycle
Ov day 26
LP 8 days long :(

Im currently on CD5 and I have started taking a B6, B12, VitC, EPO on top of my pre-pregnancy vits (folic acid, iron etc). I would like to shorten my follicular phase and bring my ovulation forward, and obviously to extend my luteal phase by a few days.

I have read through all the previous posts on this thread and I get the impression that the Bvits might help, but I might stop taking them around CD14 for a couple of days (I normally get an LH surge around then, but my body doesn't quite ovulate... hence the late ovulation and really long cycles) to hopefully encourage ovulation. Then stop taking the EPO at ovulation. I also have pre-seed to try

Hi Both! And welcome to the chat 🤗 sorry you are having the LP issue. @MummyOfZog and @kay00

My only real experience with LPD is doing what your doing and taking the supplements to try and bring ovulation forward or extending my cycle. I take similar vitamins so 100mg of vitamin B6, 500mg of vitamin C. I came off my pill in March so in a bit of a similar position to you @kay00. I think our bodies tend to take some while to adjust from the pill sometimes which may be what you are experiencing. @mummyofzog I know a few ladies within this group have been to see private specialists for progesterone.

I have been taking the vitamins 2 months and I have seen a positive with my LP for the past 4 months I had a 8 day LP. However in my current cycle I ovulated on day 16 instead of 18. My cycle is usually 26 days long and I’m on day 25 so I have seen a slight benefit of at least 2 days plus if my cycle extends which is did last month. I did however with the B6 this month stop taking it around CD10 as it delayed my ovulation previous cycle
I hope this helps xxx

Hi @MummyOfZog & @Kay00 : )

I've found that googling made me more stressed (so no longer allowed!), but reading other people's personal experiences makes me more calm. So I hope this thread if useful for you!

Hi @Molly3456 out of interest did you stop taking your VitC at ovulation too? I'm sure I read somewhere that taking it during the luteal phase can make your uterus too acidic for implantation?

AF in full flow today. So back to day 1. But least it means I can have a few drinks next week whilst on my campervan trip!

Welcome @Kay00 & @MummyOfZog - it's good to hear where other people are at in this journey and there is actually quite a few of us with short LP. I've found this thread very supportive and giving hints and tips on what people take vitamin wise and then how to approach the GP if it comes to it!

I got an extra day on my LP this month after taking the b complex, B6 and vitamin C. So at least it is doing something! But like @Molly3456 says I stop the B complex just before ovulation as I don't want it to delay that.

Good morning @Blossom428 many thanks for the welcome . Sorry to hear AF turned up again... but every cloud ! I will certainly be halting my Bvits in the run up to ovulation, as my ovulation is already very very delayed! Im on CD6 and not expected to ovulate for another 3 weeks haha!