Irregular cycles - ovulation Q

[stinkymalinki]

We're planning on TTC in the New Year, and i'm after a little advice.

With DS i was on the pill then came off for medical reasons. Within a month of stopping, i was pg (completely unexpected, we weren't trying at that time!)

This time i'm not on the pill (haven't been since pre-DS, letting nature take its course...), and having looked back through my diary, my monthly cycle can last anything from 29-39 days (the commonest being 31 days). So at what point am i likely to be ovulating (if at all!)?

We did try again for a few months earlier this year with no luck (then had to stop as i prolapsed a disc in my back, hence the waiting now till after xmas!), which is why i wonder if i had my ovulation timings wrong, although i'm aware that it can potentially take a long time to succeed.

Thanks for any advice. SM x

Hi SM

Irregular cycles can make ovulation prediction hard. So I really wouldn't know what to advise you.
If you have sex 3 times a week then you're bound to hit the jackpot sooner or later. However I know that if you already have one little one that might not be a practical plan!
Have you ever noticed egg white type mucus (EWCM - as it's called on here) you tend to get this as you are gearing up for ovulation and you should get down to it as soon as that appears.
Good luck

stinky - get yourself a copy of Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I have learned so much reading that book and I wish I'd read it when I was 13!! I am now charting and can recognise when my body is trying to ovulate as well as the temperature rise confirming that ovulation did indeed take place. Also, becuase the luteal phase (time from ovulation to period) is pretty much the same each month, you will be able to tell when you are due to start your period which I guess is a bonus when cycles vary in length as much as yours. Generally, the luteal phase is 10 - 16 days, so if you are ovulating, it will be 10 - 16 days before your period. Not easy to guess when you have an irregular cycle, so this is why charting really is a great help.

HTH

Thanks for the replies. The 3 x week thing is all very well in practice but DH and i work shifts and can literally go days without seeing each other at all so it would be nice to be able to narrow the timing down a bit if possible!

I'll definitely hunt out a copy of that book Mawbroon - it sounds like just the thing i need. As i say, we're not even planning on starting TTC till the New Year, but i like to be prepared!

I really do recommend it stinky. If you were to start charting soon, then by the beginning of next year you will have a couple of cycles worth of charting to give you the info as a starting point. I remember seeing a section in the book about how to adjust your chart accordingly if you are doing shiftwork because you won't be taking temps at the same time each day, but I didn't read that bit as it didn't apply to me. Helpful eh?!!

Thank you

I've just ordered the book from Amazon, should be here next week.

I'll let you know how it goes

Temperature charting is of no real use if cycles are irregular. A "normal" cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days OR with a variation of 4 days or less from month to month.

Please do not think of rigourously timing intercourse; this can do more harm than good.

Even normally fertile women have the occasional anovulatory cycle. This in itself is nothing to worry about but if your cycles return to long gaps and stay like this then I would seek medical advice sooner rather than later. A blood test can be done to see what your hormone levels are like. Irregular cycles are often caused by hormonal imbalances which can be treated.

AtillaTheMeerkat - why do you say that charting is of no use with an irregular cycle? It gives a wealth of information about the cycle.

I agree that knowing what happened during last month's cycle isn't going to enable you to predict precisely what is going to happen next month, but charting in conjunction with checking cervical fluid and also checking the position of the cervix can give you a very good idea of what is going on.

Checking cervical fluid can tell you when your body is gearing up to ovulate. A thermal shift will confirm that ovulation has taken place, or a lack of thermal shift will confirm that ovulation didn't happen. The information gathered also can confirm whether monthly bleeding is a normal period, or anovulatory bleeding, or even an early miscarriage. All useful information to have whether your cycles are regular or not.

One problem with charting if you have an irregular cycle is that you can have a temp rise in the second half of the cycle when an egg has not been shed.

Am not knocking charting completely but I still say it is of little to no benefit if the menstrual cycle is irregular.

Many gynaes do not take any notice of such charts primariy because they are unreliable. In my case it would have been a total waste of time bearing in mind my very irregular cycles (no regular menstrual cycle at all despite seeing ewcm!).

So what causes the temp rise that you describe if not ovulation?

Progesterone plus estradiol causes the endometrium to change in character to what is known as a secretory epithelium. In layman?s terms this optimally prepares the uterine lining for implantation of a fertilized embryo. If the egg is not fertilized or does not implant, the production of progesterone by the corpus luteum ceases and the uterine lining is shed ? menstruation. On the other hand, if a fertilized egg implants the human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) released by the implanted embryo sustains the corpus luteum and allows it to continue producing progesterone. The progesterone maintains the uterine lining and the pregnancy. progesterone production is taken over by the placenta in the second trimester of pregnancy.

OK, I understand that, but exactly what causes the temperature rise?

Waaaaay over my head

I shall try the book, and when it comes to TTC, see how things go. If after a few months i'm having no joy, then i may go down the route of hormone testing etc.

DH half-suggested i go back on the pill beforehand, as he's come across several cases of women in his nursing career falling pg striaght after stopping taking it ?a 'hyper-fertile' state as it were (nb. have no idea if theres any scientific fact to this), and obviously we have DS courtesy of my stopping the pill last time! Time will tell!

Exactly stinky. Charting isn't going to do you any harm whatsoever and it only takes moments each day to do. And who knows, you might be lucky enough not to have to do it for long.