Irregular cycles/late periods/negative pregnancy tests

[IsLarryFromSomething]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of support and advice if you have any.

We have been TTC since Christmas, when I came off the pill. We knew conception in the first few months after that was unlikely as my body gets used to not being on birth control. I had 28-30 day cycles until April, and then in May I was something like 10 days late, all negative pregnancy tests. When I got my period, it was 3 days of spotting and then a regular period.

I then had a cycle of normal length and a normal period. I assumed the long cycle was a blip.

This cycle started in the middle of June. This is also when I started using OPKs. Before, I had been trying not to stress myself out too much, but the unknown was killing me. According to the OPKs, I ovulated a little later than my app predicted, but didn't think too much of it. However, when I expected my period to arrive 2 weeks after ovulation, it just didn't. I had a few days of spotting and then nothing. Ever since then, I've been kind of on high alert waiting for my period, taking both pregnancy tests and OPKs with regularity trying to figure out what is going on. This past Wednesday, I had heavier than spotting blood so figured this was like my first long cycle - a few days of spotting and then a period. However, no proper period has arrived.

My mum thinks "periods are variable" and that a lighter one isn't much to worry about. Is this possibly a period and I'm in a new cycle now?

Does anyone have any advice, hand holding, a similar story, anything? The NHS website says to contact my GP if I miss 3 periods, so I'm still a month away from that (unless sometimes periods are light?). I had spoken to her during my first long cycle and she wasn't worried about it at that stage.

Thank you to anyone who made it this far in my very long post 💕

If the amount you are bleeding doesn't feel normal to you then yeah I'd be asking the GP about it, especially when trying to conceive. I also had a few "normal" cycles coming off the pill and then got progressively more irregular. If there is an issue (not saying there is!) then it's best to get on it sooner than later with the length of waiting times at the moment. Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your reply. Previously my GP said that there is nothing to worry about until we have been trying for a year, so I'm a bit concerned that I'll just be dismissed as it's not been 9 months yet.

It very well could be the case that you would be told to wait until its been at least a year, I waited until about 10 months or so but by the time I'd been actually seen it had been 19 months total! And I'm still waiting on follow up investigation and support. It's a slow and frustrating process for sure! As long as you're not really worried by your symptoms I'd suggest just keeping track of them so that when you do call you can list what's been going on.

Thank you very much, I'm sorry it took so long for you and that you're still waiting. I am definitely keeping track. I am worried but I think worry is my natural state!

I have irregular periods and conceived easily first time. Remember opks only tell you if your hormone level rises not if you ovulated. You’ll need to start monitoring your temperature after a positive opk to see if you ovulated.

if it took more than two weeks to get your period after an positive opk then it suggests you didn’t ovulate.

Thank you! That's something I haven't done and probably should.

With your irregular cycles, did you get high levels on the opk several times in a long cycle, and then used the temperature to see if you ovulated after?

Yes exactly. High opks and also period like bleeding but no temp spike so I hasn’t ovulated.

@IsLarryFromSomething you need to take your temp every morning first thing so that you can see the shift in temp, not just after you get a peak on OPK, that way you'll know if you ovulated! Temp should drop during period or just before it

Thank you very much! I will.