Confused about period lengths

[Confused101687]

Just looking for some help as everyone seems to know so much on here about conception! Looking to TTC in the near future and now I’ve started to panic. I’ve tracked my cycles for a couple of years now and thought they were relatively normal until I saw a post about short cycles!

The clue app puts my average cycle at 26days which until I saw this post I thought was normal (google says it is too) but I then read some articles that 26 was classed as short and that I may struggle to conceive. Looking back on the data I have most are 26s and 28days, a couple of longer ones last one was 31 and a couple of 25’s. Now as an adult woman I am now even questioning my period length (gone into some worm hole here) when do you class your AF as starting and ending? Never really thought about it until now again Clue always puts mine at 4 days. I usually have a light day, then 1-2days of heavy flow and then light again. What point do you class it as being over when your tracking these kind of things?

A shorter cycle isn't the problem, it's a short luteal phase so you need at the very least 10 from ovulation to the time your period would start for implantation to happen, I think 12-14 days is ideal so if you start tracking your ovulation you'll get a better picture.
Day 1 is the day you get your period, you count until there's no more discharge..

Thanks I’ll start tracking that too. Will probably get OPK when I’m trying properly. Maybe it puts it at 4 as I tend to stop tracking before I get to the end of discharge.

Yea shorter cycles are ok if that's regular for you and as pp said you ideally want a good luteal phase of 12-14 days. So if you have a 26 day cycle and ovulate CD12 then you will have an ideal length luteal phase for implantation etc. When I was ttc#1 I had 26/27 day cycles are conceived on my 4th cycle. Ttc#2 now and in my 3rd cycle. Last month was 25 days and ovulated CD11. Currently CD11 but not had my peak OPK so might be a slightly longer cycle this month.

I don't have much to add other than the above, I also have 26 day cycles which my tracking app says is normal. As above maybe trying tracking ovulation using tests if your worried but a 26 day cycle is generally nothing to be concerned about, you'll most likely ovulate a little sooner than the usual day 14. I ovulate generally between day 11 & 12 for example leaving around 14 days until my period is due.