Short luteal phase?

[JuniperandI]

Hi ladies

I have a short LP, about 9-10 days. Anyone else in the same boat? Have you managed to get pregnant with a short LP? Any advice would be very welcome!

@Sierra26 thank you! Sorry to hear AF has arrived, it’s so gutting every time 😔 I think I had/have a progesterone issue and I decided mine was caused by stress at work. I looked into it all and in the least scientific terms 🙈 progesterone seems to bind to the same sites (or something) as cortisol so when you’re stressed the cortisol jumps on there, doesn’t let progesterone on and it can’t increase so AF ends up arriving too soon. I was so stressed at work, crying on my way home, constantly on edge, actually taking anxiety medication (beta blockers) just to get through the day without feeling so panicky.. it all came to a head a few weeks ago and I went off sick. Now my first cycle while off with work related stress I have (hopefully) conceived. I don’t think it’s a coincidence! Hope you manage to get some answers to whatever it causing yours but stress does have an actual physical effect on the body

@Carlotta27 @buttercupbee @DesertSnow thank you ladies! 😬 I don’t think il believe it until I get a proper line or a digital. Just hoping it progresses

@Mugascauld how exciting!! 😊 Will you have an early scan do you think? Feel like I’m having so many conversations on here so apologies if I already asked you this yesterday 😂

@BCxx yes definitely getting an early scan! Will be a nice way to start the new year. Will you?

@Sierra26 just to echo what has been said about stress/cortisol and progesterone, it’s definitely true that stress basically stops you producing progesterone - it’s basically one or the other, so I wouldn’t underestimate how stress reduction could help with your low progesterone. Also, maybe some piece of mind, anything I googled when I was googling low progesterone was that it can be an easy thing so solve with some lifestyle changes, once you find the right thing. Hopefully it’ll be easily resolved for you!

Also just for anyone who’s interested, I used the Fertilily this month - it was a bit fiddly and I have no clue if it contributed to conceiving but it’s the only thing I did differently, so maybe!

Just arrived at the hotel we’re staying at tonight and I’ve started bleeding 😭 it’s not a ridiculous amount but is like fresh red blood, can’t be a good sign. Weekend ruined and back to square one I think🙄

@BCxx oh no, i just read this and could almost feel the emotional rollercoaster you have been on these past few days :(

hope you take it easy on yourself and remind yourself there will be more opportunities … takes so much patience doesnt it?! X

@BCxx oh no! Has the bleeding stopped?

@Carlotta27 @JuniperandI its never ending is it, even when you think you’ve got there then you still don’t know what’s happening 🙈 When I saw it I instantly thought it was the start of AF but when I’ve gone to the toilet again it was just a tiny amount of dried brown blood on the paper, I can’t work out whether it’s going to go either way.. I don’t think il know properly until I wake up tomorrow and see whether it’s arrived overnight or not. I’m not buying a test because it would probably have a faint line either way so I’ll wait and see if this comes to anything and (🤞🏼) if not I’ll test on Monday. I didn’t have implantation bleeding last time so really wasn’t expecting any blood, especially not after a positive test! Such a mind game isn’t it 😭

@BCxx honestly this whole TTC thing is awful. I've just spent the afternoon with my twin niece and nephew (toddlers) and it was wonderful but it didn't half make my womb feel empty 😥

@JuniperandI ☹️ It’s so hard, I have a toddler so I think that’s majorly helping this time round. Just trying to think ‘well I’m so lucky to have him’ etc. If it’s not this month at least that gets me out of the lies at my Christmas nights out but still would rather have to lie 🤦🏼‍♀️

@BCxx absolutely! I'm pleased I can eat and drink what I want to over Christmas but I'd rather not be able to. We only managed to DTD once over my fertile period (we've had the flu) and now I'm ovulating today and I'm away from home so I've got 0% hope for this cycle.

@JuniperandI totally! Well when I’ve ‘conceived’ this cycle we dtd 3 nights in a row but stopped over 48 hours before I actually ovulated in the end up, maybe more like 2 and a half days before because I think it was in the middle of the night. So somehow that was ‘successful’ (to an extent) 🤔 Yet the last 3 months it’s been the day before ovulation and it’s been negative

I’ve put a pad on and had nothing since, there’s no blood on it at all but AF does usually start like this at night then arrive full force. It’s the not knowing that’s now annoying me because I’m still not devastated since im clinging onto the tiny bit of hope that it could be weird heavy implantation bleeding 🙄

@BCxx I hope it's just some random bleeding and not your AF ❤

@JuniperandI thanks, il keep you posted tomorrow 🤞🏼

update: just a small amount of dry blood over night. Today is 11 dpo so it looks faint for that I’d say but may only be 10dpo depending on the timing of ovulation.. this is compared to the test from Friday. I didn’t take a picture of yesterday’s but it was somewhere inbetween. I’m now crossing everything that this might not be a chemical 🤞🏼🤞🏼

@BCxx jist saw your post about bleeding! Hopefully it’s nothing! I think a little bleeding in early pregnancy might be common enough? That looks like definite line progression to me. 11 DPO is still so early you wouldn’t expect a very dark line yet, some people might not even have a positive at all

That looks promising @BCxx keeping my fingers crossed for you! 🤞🏻

@LS888 thank you

@Mugascauld im just really hoping now that it’s implantation that just took a few days to come away. It was when I first saw it I panicked because it was a good teaspoon of blood but very quickly went brown and dried up then I went from ‘oh well we’ll try next month’ to maybe this ones okay 🙈 so hard to know but I should probably have hung off til Monday to test!

@BCxx so sorry to hear about the bleeding! How has it been today? Keeping my fingers crossed for you xx

Thanks all for your empathy re my long spotting and AF arriving! And for your advice re stress, it’s definitely something I’ll consider. Spoke to DH too so he knows my plan re Axa etc. Just hoping I’ll be taken seriously as I can’t be done with ignorant GPs - spoke to one last month who clearly had no idea!!

@Sierra26 i think that’s the problem sometimes with the GPs, it’s just a lottery as to who you get. Maybe try and ask for one you know might be more sympathetic? The bleeding had pretty much stopped completely, it’s just gone very very dark. Taking another test tomorrow so just hoping for a more definite line then, can’t quite believe this is possibly going to be okay after fully coming to terms with the fact I thought it was a chemical yesterday 🙈 It’s just made me way more grateful though I think

@Sierra26 so sorry AF arrived. I think of you can wangle some private tests that would be good! Knowledge is never a bad thing. Good luck with it. Deffo talk to DH, you need support and it's his baby too, even if it is a bit technical!

@DesertSnow how did telling your mum go?? Hope it went smoothly.

@BCxx aghhhh!! That sounds very stressful. I started bleeding the day after my BFP too and thought it was game over too. My bleeding sounds similar to yours and my tests looked really similar too. I didn't get a dark FRER until about 13/ 14 DPO. I have everything crossed for you.

@JuniperandI oh I'm sorry you've been feeling sad it's so bloody hard isn't it. 2023 will be your year. Enter the new year thinking positively. Sending strength!

It does seem hit and miss with GPs and luteal phase stuff @Carlotta27. Sadly more miss than hit. Glad you're going to see a specialist - good way to start the year with a plan of action.

@Sierra26 I definitely think stress is a huge part of this issue. When I conceived, I was so relaxed and happy on my minimoon, and took a whole week of exercise the week before the wedding which may have been contributing to my body's stress, as it doesn't diferentiate between 'good' stress like exercise and bad stress.

@BCxx sorry you went through that - but it sounds like it's all settled now as I've just said hello to you on the August thread! I've heard implantation bleeding can take a little while to make its way out, so perhaps it was that.

@JuniperandI Sorry you've been having such a tough time with it. Fingers crossed for a New Year's BFP.

@EmmRach It was actually nice telling my mum, though I got myself all nervous beforehand. She came over for lunch and brought some smoked salmon so had to tell her I didn't think I could eat that...

The nausea has hit me hard. Not been sick (thankfully!) but the feeling is constant and horrid. Don't want to eat anything or even drink water! And I have so many social events coming up - before I was worried about just getting away with not drinking, now worried about getting away with not vomming! Also have a constant headache that paracetamol just won't shift and some other symptoms that I won't bore you with. But overall, everyday feeling grateful and just hoping hoping hoping that everything is ok in there.

@DesertSnow i couldn’t face water last time either but I could manage squash. I had aversions to tea and coffee last time too and I think that’s starting to kick in now. Also feeling nauseous for most of the day. Ginger ale helps me. I’ve bought some little cans to help keep the nausea at bay! Also slightly salted crackers. Eating little and often helps too. I’m hoping this nausea passes soon too! Bit taking it as a good sign too!

@EmmRach @DesertSnow yes totally! I’m in disbelief that things actually appear to be okay now.. got a really good line this morning but if you’d seen the initial blood you really wouldn’t think this would be the case! Crazy! I think because I had none last time I obviously thought I wasn’t someone who got implantation bleeding 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’d probably of been even more confused if I hadn’t tested because I would have assumed that was AF then not knowing what was going on when it just stopped again! Fingers crossed that’s all my drama over 😳

@DesertSnow ahh so pleased things went well with your mum. Makes it all feel more real doesn't it. I was nervous before I told my mum / family too!!
Sorry the nausea has hit you!! I still seem to be still dodging that one. And the headache sounds rough too.... to be honest my lack of symptoms other than fatigue is a bit worrying. But I know some people are just lucky and it doesn't mean anything bad necessarily. Fingers crossed anyway. Counting down the days till my scan on the 22nd!!

@BCxx yes drama over now pls 😅😅🙈 excellent to hear you have good line progression. It seems to be good news!!! 🤩

@DesertSnow @EmmRach thank you ❤ it just stings because I had every hope that I'd be pregnant again by the end of the year. I'm not looking forward to 2023 that much at the moment because I know it means more tests, starting sperm testing etc for DH. Just nervous about it all! Ho hum, I must try and enjoy the rest of the year though.

@BCxx how are you getting on now?