Not Ovulating - Advice or Buddies?

[TheDaydreamBelievers]

Hello Ladies,

Was wondering if anyone had any advice, or even just wanted to buddy up?

My story

31 years old, overweight (BMI 28).

Came off the combined contraceptive pill in March 2020 and I've not had a normal cycle since. Had withdrawal bleed then cycle 1 was 141 days long (no ovulation); proper AF; cycle 2 I conceived on a CD33 ovulation (September 2020). I then had a MMC in November 2020 (fetus died at 11 weeks). It took 8 weeks until my pregnancy tests were negative and 9 weeks until AF (only a couple of days long).

The next cycle was 49 days long (maybe ovulated, app not sure). I'm also not even sure the AF after this counts as it was one day of v v light bleeding.

I'm currently on CD42 of this cycle with no ovulation. Have had 2 episodes of spotting through it.

GP has referred me to gynaecology, but that will take at least 6mo.

What I've tried

I've put myself on conceive plus ovulation support (myo-inositol and D-Chriro Inositol) and vitamin B complex (to strengthen luteal phase). I take folic and vitamin D. I'm also sort of trying to lose weight.

Any recommendations for what else to try?

Sorry, meant to say I have been on the ovulation support/vitamin B for 3 months now.

The GP also has done bloods twice in my journey, which they believe look okay apart from showing I am not ovulating.

Bump

Do you have or think you could have PCOS? Those cycles seem very similar to what mine were before I started taking myo-inositol. I also do Keto/very low carb. Both have these have worked wonders for me!

Thanks for replying @ApplePie86! My confusion is that I don't have any other PCOS indicators - no facial hair, hair loss etc; and when the EPAU scanned ovaries they didn't mention any cysts.

That said, I reckon low carb is probably worth a try.

If you don't mind me asking, how are your cycles now?

@TheDaydreamBelievers my cycles went from around 6-9 months down to 40-55 days (usually 40-45) and I went from not ovulating at all to actually feeling ovulation and getting positive OPKs (although when I ate junk food my cycle would be towards the longer side and I'd not get a positive OPK. So Keto has helped (but it's awful...I just want to eat pizza and pasta!!! 😂)

@ApplePie86 yikes, so no junk at all? I'll try my best!

Are you TTC at the moment?

@TheDaydreamBelievers nope, Keto is basically 20g of carbs a day. Think on average most people would eat about 200-300g a day. I personally could easily eat more than that.

Unfortunately I've done it unhealthily because I'm getting married in the summer and wanted to do it quickly. On an average day I would probably eat 600-800 calories.

I've been TTC for 5 years. Coincidentally I got a BFP yesterday - HOWEVER not counting my chickens yet as I also got a BFP last year but I was bleeding from ovulation and for the next 5 weeks. The pain was also indescribable (worst I've ever had). I actually phoned doctors saying I thought it could be ectopic. Eventually blood tests showed HCG disappear however timing doesn't make sense so I believe I possibly had a corpus luteum cyst which can cause a false positive.

This time is completely different and no bleeding, today is 16DPO and I normally only get to 10/11DPO. Pain is only normal AF cramps.

Just woke up and know I need to test again but putting it off (I'm like the opposite of a POAS addict!)

@ApplePie86 I really hope this is it for you!

Hi @TheDaydreamBelievers

Thank you for sharing your story so far. I am sorry you have had such a crap time with this process, it just feels so unfair :(

Here is mine.

I am 29, I came off Microgynon in June 2020 to TTC. Had a withdrawal bleed and then absolutely nothing after - was slowly losing my mind obsessing over it. Had blood test and ultrasound where all was confirmed “normal” and an ultrasound showed no cysts or anything of concern, GP confirmed then no PCOS (I have none of the other symptoms other apparent lack of ovulation). Was referred to gynaecology and had an appointment booked for early March.

Got a positive OPK early February and sure enough two weeks later had my first - very light - post pill period - 8 months later! I very naively thought “ahh all is fine now I can cancel that appointment.”

Ovulated again early March and had a very light period, less than two days bleeding and barely enough for a tampon. Now on CD42 and nothing, I temp too so know nothing had happened yet.

If it’s of any relevance to all this I have never seen EWCM, barely seem to get much fertile CM during the times I know I did manage to ovulate, that along with the really light bleeds I’ve had I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong somewhere. I’ve asked to be re referred to gynaecology which they have done and so waiting for the first appointment again. Reluctant but at the same time tempted to go private to speed up getting some answers as nearly a year off the pill now and have ovulated twice...

I did go through various stages of trying different supplements and vitamins but I was just spending a load of money and seeing no results so I have stopped all of them now.

Sorry for the essay - it feels good to write it all down!!

How do you know you’re not ovulating? Have you had day 3 and 21 blood tests? Have you had any other investigations for PCOS or thyroid problems?

@Mm17 you and I seem very similar! I cancelled my first gynaecology appt because I got pregnant! Now re-referred.

@TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet I use BBT, and OPKs and track mucus etc too. It's not that I never ever ovulate, more than I seem to have managed maybe twice since coming off the pill over a year ago. Bloods at CD33 showed no ovulation had taken place but no one would agree to day 3 and 21 bloods (GPs seem to think this is down to the fertility clinics). My thyroid and blood sugars have been checked and seem normal. I've had no other investigations for PCOS (again, assuming this may be the fertility clinics role) but dont have any symptoms, also the miscarriage clinic looked at ovaries and didnt see any cysts.

Fair enough. You can’t say for definite that you’re not ovulating without having the day 3 and day 21 bloods compared. Day 33 alone wouldn’t tell you much really.

It’s good you don’t seem to have any symptoms of PCOS, but it’s usually investigated by GP or endocrinology, but can also be done by gynaecology. The cysts for PCOS are not like usual cysts, these ones are usually within the ovary rather than the periphery and look like a string of pearls rather than a growth.

With regards to BBT and mucus monitoring etc, it’s not always accurate so you may be ovulating more often than you observe. After coming off the pill it can take a few months for your cycle to regulate and then the same after miscarriage (sorry to hear this by the way, I’ve been there and I feel for you).

Hopefully you’ll get some answers from gynaecology or similar soon.

Thank you for the knowledge @TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet :-)

Certainly ovulation is very delayed given the super infrequent periods. Im hoping gynaecology can tell me more, but I think Im unlikely to get an appt for 4 months or more.

The pill was stopped over a year ago, and now 4 months since miscarriage surgery, but I agree this could still be having an impact.

Thanks for your replies!

You’re welcome. I’m many years in this journey and have PCOS so have a lot of regular investigations for it.

I was also thinking earlier that if you (this is just a loose example) had a 49 day cycle, with a normal literal phase of 14 days, then a day 33 blood test would have been too early to show ovulation anyway. For a 49 day cycle, you probably ovulated on day 35. You only ovulate at day 14 for a regular 28 day cycle, and if your cycle is longer than you’ll be no where near ovulation then. For a 35 day cycle you’d ovulate at day 21 for example.

My day 3 and day “21” blood tests are often much further apart, and I’ve had to explain many a time to nurses that there’s no point in a day 21 blood test if I know for a fact my cycle is going to be 50+ days and so can they please just take the blood now as I estimate it to be roughly 7 days post ovulation. One month I had repeated blood tests every 7 days from day 21- day 52 when they finally caught the ovulation. My period arrived 6 days later.

Literal phase = luteal phase, sorry.

@TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet I think it is probably fair to say that for me ovulation is very infrequent/delayed rather than never. Im hoping that once I see gynaecology they will be willing to do more bloods to work that out. Just feel a bit low that we did get lucky once and it didnt work out, now it seems we dont have much chance.