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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

Can you get pregnant without having periods?

27 replies

CHUNKYMUNKEY · 18/12/2004 13:40

This might make me sound really stupid, but was wondering if you can get pregnant without regular periods. I havn't had a period since July! my dd is nearly 3.5 and i didn't have a period after she was born until she was 16 months. Iv'e been for ultrasound to see if there's a problen and nothing wrong. longing for no 2 and dp agrees the time is right. can anyone help. thanks

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geekgrrl · 18/12/2004 13:52

how's your weight chunky? If you're underweight your periods can stop. I had anorexia nervosa in my late teens/early 20s and completely miraculously conceived my dd1 even though I hadn't had a period in six months. Everybody was stunned though and it seemed like a bit of a biological fluke, but it can happen.

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 18/12/2004 14:22

im 3 stone overweight after having dd. could this be a factor? have tried diets on and off since she was born but cannot stick to them for more than a couple of weeks.

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dustercember · 18/12/2004 15:27

Yes, is the short answer, I think.
I had no periods for several months, then they started -irregular and very light an short.
Or so I thought.
I was, in fact, pregnant. Embarrassingly, I was over halfway pregnant Oh, and I was, ahem, a little heavier than I could have been, so to speak.
have you tried using an ovulation kit/tester (Persona?) to see if you're ovulating? Do you think you might be pregnant?

hoxtonturkey · 18/12/2004 16:41

my periods stopped earlier this year, due, i am fairly sure, to being overweight. i lost 16kg (about 2.5 stone i think), they started again, albeit with quite a long cycle, & i'm now 11 weeks pregnant with no. 2. so i think that could well be an issue. good luck.

ItllBeLonelymumThisChristmas · 18/12/2004 16:59

You never know when you are ovulating so yes you could get preganant seemingly without a period.

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 18/12/2004 19:09

I've done two pregnancy tests and both negative. With my first pregnancy i didn't know until 24 weeks! so not very good with early signs, but im pretty sure im not. I will try the ovulating kits. my periods were regular when i went on the pill after dd, but have stopped since summer and ireggular again. thanks for the advice.

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aloha · 18/12/2004 19:29

I'd go back to the gp for some investigations into why you aren't having periods, personally, before spending a fortune on ovulation kits. I find it hard to believe you would be ovulating regularly if you haven't had a period for 16months.

posyhairdresser · 18/12/2004 19:31

Yes you can get pregnant but it is probably less likely than if you have regular periods. Why not get some professional advice if you are serious about trying for no2?

Good luck!

dustercember · 18/12/2004 19:43

Chunkymunky, I was 22 weeks when I found I was pg - nobody believes I didn't know!
Were your periods regular before you had your daughter?
Good luck with no 2.

christmasstuffing · 18/12/2004 19:52

you can very definatly get pregnant without having periods! i've had about 3 in my lifetime (im 21) and i have 2 healthy sons now aged 2.5 and 9 months. just seen the doctor after having a scan of my ovaries and it seems that im making eggs but sometimes they get stuck to the ovary and sometimes they dont - its pot luck with me.
never had to have any fertility treatment and it took me a year to concieve ds1 and 13 months with ds2.

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 18/12/2004 21:40

Just to clear up if there is any misunderstanding It took me 16 months to have a period after dd was born. Then a couple of days before my scan low and behold i had one, but went for scan anyway and there was no problem. I went on the pill and then i was having periods regularly. Since i stopped the pill in the summer as wanting to try for baby no 2, i havn't had one since July, and the last one before that was May. I am trying to see if i can get appointment with GP either before or immediately after christmas, i just wanted some advice about all of this first, as my first child was unplanned i have never been through this. By the way dustercember nobody believed i didn't know i was preggers either, i have had a so called "friend" cut off all contact with me since she found out i was expecting as i was supposed to be a bridesmaid at her wedding and she said i got pregnant deliberately to take all the attention off her!

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dustercember · 18/12/2004 21:55

I got pregnant to make a fool of my exhusband, according to my ex MIL,may she rest in peace. She isn't dead, but here's hoping.... Aren't some people charming.
Anyway, yes I think you can get pregnant without having regular periods. I'm sure I'm not the only one it's happened to. Obviously, it's harder to guage when you are ovulating, but it's the ovulating that's the crucial bit, I suppose - periods only tell you you have just ovulated - don't they?!. I imagine it must be very frustrating. Hopefully your gp will be able to shed some more light.

hoxtonturkey · 18/12/2004 21:57

the periods you have whilst on the pill aren't 'real' ones chunkymunkey, they are due to the lack of hormones in the pill-free week. does that make sense? did you breastfeed your dd, as that will have affected how long it took for your periods to come back. i do think the weight might be an issue though. hope you get things sorted.

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 18/12/2004 22:24

Could only manage to breastfeed for a couple of weeks, then dd took a bottle. Im sure my GP will say something about my excess weight, i'll see how it goes. There are times of the month,when i feel more agitated, stressed and impatient, then all of a sudden i feel normal again,could this be a sign of ovulation? All of you who have been able to conceive without regular periods have made me feel more positive, I have been very broody since dd was 4 months old, but have gone through two house moves in two years, and wanted things to settle down first, I really don't want to wait too much longer. Thanks again to all of you.

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feastofstevenmom · 18/12/2004 22:29

one thing you might want to look into is polycystic ovaries syndrome - as that is connected with weight gain/scanty periods etc

muppetmentality · 19/12/2004 16:48

Chunky Munkey,

Know exactly how you are feeling makes you think if you know how the body works at all !

I had a miscarriage at 8 weeks in August and haven't had a period now for 80 days. Desparately ttc to no avail. Would just be nice now to have a period - let a lone the pregnancy bit - just to feel normal again would be good. You also kind of feel like you need a period after a while.

I have been crazy about doing pregnancy tests and in the beginning saw it as a good thing that i hadn't had a period (hopeful it meant i was pregnant) but each months negative test (and even a blood test by GP) brought me crashing back down to earth that i was just taking ages to settle down.

I bought the ovulation tests off the internet and tested 10 days ago and was ovulating - don't know if i was ovulating all the other months previously - however (assuming normal cycle) should have a priod or find out i'm pregnant (here's hoping) Wednesday 22nd December.

Would be nice as my sister has just had a baby (Friday 17th ) and I was about 3 months behind her in my first unsuccessful pregnancy.

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 19/12/2004 21:35

Good luck muppet mentality, i hope it all goes well and you get some good news. For me its the uncertainty of not knowing what is going on and the feeling that everything is in limbo. i don't want too big an age gap in between my children and this is praying on my mind as well.

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Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 19/12/2004 21:37

By the way im off to get some ovulation kits tommorow.

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muppetmentality · 21/12/2004 21:23

Well Chunky Munkey - I think I'm now proof that you can get pregnant without periods.

Was feeling really ill - headache, sore throat, neck ache when woke this morning - as did my husband.

Went to work and it didn't shift at all - felt like a head cold - so decided couldn't put up with the headache anymore and wanted to take some pain killers - but didn't want to if pregnant.

So I did a test (not due until Thursday) assuming 28 day cycle which I'm sure is not me - since day 84 today since last period.

Anyway, the test was a weak positive - suppose it would be weak as not due until thursday at really earliest.

I'm hoping this is a definite pregnancy.

Spent last night at my sisters house with her newborn baby (four days old) and tried to absorb some maternal vibes so I would become pregnant.

Made sure I held the baby all night and only gave it back to it's mum for breast feeding - woull've had a go at that myself is i could've.

Even if she was holding it - i made sure i was as close as i could be - appears to have worked though.

Bloody sore head and throat - but i'll put up with any amount of pain if i get a bay at the end of it.

Hope you get your ovulation kits soon and you get good results. I ordered the ones off www.earlypregnancy.co.uk 25 ovulation tests and 10 pregnancy tests for about £22.00 and they came in about 2 days. (Obviously a bit slower over Christmas period i would imagine)

Wishing you every success - I will let you know what my preg test in a couple of days is like - hopefully darker pink so I am certain.

BikerChick · 21/12/2004 21:29

If it makes you feel better, i had two periods last year, and a baby daughter 7 weeks ago, despite taking the pill!! My periods have not yet returned, and to be honest I now know that even without periods/regular periods, you can still have a baby!!

Good luck

xx

Original poster
CHUNKYMUNKEY · 22/12/2004 17:41

Thanks everyone for your messages, i felt a bit silly asking the question, but im so glad i did as i feel much better about my situation now and i know there is hope. I never made it in to town unfortunately as dd was ill, so thanks for the website address for the ovulation kits, i shall do it straight after xmas and new year. Fingers crossed for you muppetmentality, let me know and hope everyone has a great xmas and new year.

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merrymarthamoo · 22/12/2004 18:45

Yes you can, chunkymunkey, but it's very hit and miss as you're not ovulating regularly. Before I had my children I had a "cycle" which varied between 5 weeks up to 10 months between periods. I thought it would take me forever to conceive yet, amazingly, got pregnant immediately (and I mean immediately - like first time!) we started ttc no.1.

It was harder the second time - it took two years to conceive (and I miscarried ) and then another 6 months ttc after that. But we now have ds2.

I did have investigations to see if I was ovulating regularly (I wasn't) and had started on Clomid. Clomid at the lower dose didn't work - but I got pregnant "by chance" (ie., we just happened to be seized by the urge at the right time) with ds2 before I could start the higher dose of Clomid.

Ovulation testing kits are a waste of money if you aren't ovulating regularly - I spent a small fortune on them and not once did I test at a time when I was ovulating.

Good luck.

littleweed · 23/12/2004 09:47

if this isn't too silly a question - can you hvae periods if you're not ovulating? how would that happen? I thought you got a period if teh egg wasn't fertilised, so how could you have one if ther's no egg being released? Apologies if this should be on a new thread, but thought it was sort of related.

muppetmentality · 23/12/2004 19:28

Well Chunkey Munkey,

I have Good Tidings - I did a normal test at the hospital which I work and a glaring big fat blue line appeared immediately !

Really excited but also got some reservations following my previous miscarriage.

I found the ovulation kits worked for me and I had no idea when to test as hadn't had a period for 80 days. My testing on 7th December was pure luck.

I did put in my last period 31 st September on an ovulation calendar i found on the internet and it said i would ovulate on 9th december - but i found that out after i'd done the ovulation test anyway.

I think the more clues you have that you are ovulating the better.

Found out loads of people had been praying for me - so maybe that had an effect too.

Best of luck to you Chunkey Munkey - hope you have a new year success

MeerkatsUnite · 03/01/2005 13:36

Hi Chunkeymonkey,

The problem with using opk's is that they can give false readings especially in women with ovulation problems. These measure the amount of LH hormone present. Many women with ovulation problems have excess levels of these; I am concerned that if you use these kits you will keep getting false positive readings. In your circumstances I would not use them at all but push for an accurate diagnosis instead. Your GP is a good place to start and I would seek to have a blood test done to properly ascertain your hormone levels. They need to compare your LH and FSH levels. As your periods are irregular anyway, a likely cause is hormonal imbalances - PCOS is a possibility here. I see that someone else has mentioned PCOS as a possibility - I have to say that this also sprang to mind when I was reading your initial postings.

The pill only gives you a bleed every month; this is not a period in the usual sense of the word so you would be having regular bleeds whilst on this.

With regards to the ultrasound the cystic follicles associated with polycystic ovaries are very small and it can take a highly skilled operator to spot them. Also such cystic follicles do disappear (this is infact why they may not have been seen) - only to be replaced by further follicles.

Littleweed - yes you can also have periods without ovulating.