Please help am I about to do something very silly?

[Ilovebeingamummy]

This is my first month of using a clearblue monitor and I have now had 3 high days (no peak) from CD22-24- today is CD24.

As I have a regular 34 day cycle and have still not had a peak to show ov i am now panicking that i have an LP defect. I had two early mcs in sept and dec last year (5 days post bfp on CD34) and this seems to be adding up.

Or could it be that I have ov during my high days but the monitor hasn't shown the peak?

I am just about to go flying off to the pharmacy for progesterone cream in the faint hope that it will help. Does it delay AF? What dosage? What make?

I am feeling very desperate about this. Any thoughts please?

Also should I now stop taking the EPO?

I wish I could help you ilove... I'm a total thicko when it comes to these things, I hope someone comes along soon to help you out.

I'm having day 21 bloods done next week to find out if my two mcs (same time as yours - both at 6 weeks) were connected to low progesterone as I've had some spotting before af starts as well. Have you had anything like that?

yes the last 2 months I have, but not before the mcs.

The monitor hasn't picked up def day of ov though so when do I need to have test? Can you request over phone or do I need appointment?

Will using cream change the result do you think?

Not an expert but did not want to leave you panicking!
I have used CBFM in the past and had some odd results on some cycles eg no peak shown on a month when i def. ov'ed because got pg!
I think it takes a couple of months to get used to your cycle too.
Can undertsand your feelings of desperation - I had 2 mcs and a cp in 2008 myself - but really i wouldn't rush into anyhting on basis of CBFM. Have you seen your GP? MIght be worth making an appt if you are worried...

my GP is totally useless.

She actually phones me after my mc to apologise that she hadn't known what to say.

Oh goodness, doesn't sound like that is an option then...Is there another GP you could see at your practice? So you could get bloods done etc as HF suhhested

Don't panic, sometimes in the first month you just get peaks so it's worth trying for another month to see what happens. I wasn't ovulating until CD 19 on a 24 day cycle at one point!

The clearblue monitor isn't always suitable for people with long cycles so if I were you I would press your GP for tests if you haven't had any already

what tests do i need to ask for (I am on Cd24 of 34)

Also what progesterone cream do i need to buy?

Hi there,

Don't panic about the monitor! I know this is easier said than done but the first month I used mine it made me test for 20 days and never gave me a peak (got 8 days of high though!). Turns out it was just getting to know my cycle and from then on it gave me the proper highs followed by two peak days.

I'd agree with Roquefortlover that there's no need to panic on the basis of the monitor alone. Though am to hear of your m/cs and at your rubbish GP.

The basic tests are a hormone profile on day 3 of your cycle (testing lutenizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone - the ratio of LH to FSH can be an indicator of polycystic ovary syndrome) and a progesterone test on day 21 of your cycle (the mid-luteal phase test) to check whether you've ovulated based on your progesterone levels. A good GP will organise this to be done in conjunction with a sperm analysis for your DP/DH (as the SA is so non-invasive that it's good to rule it out early).

Sorry to ramble but I really think there's no need to panic about luteal phase defect on month one of using the monitor.

Hi Caitni

Thanks - i am calming a bit. Just suddenly clicked into place with my mcs

With the tests - i need to ask for a test on day 31 which will be approx 7 days post ov? Not day 21 because that was pre ov? in which case this will not be mid luteal phase for me as af due cd 34.

Confused and got to ring gp back at 1,30!

an lp defect seemed to to tally with mcs is what I meant to say - and terrified me that I will have another this month if i do get pg due to short lp....

Ilove, I'm having the cd21 test on cd24 (partly because it falls over Easter, and partly because I ov slightly later than cd14, so cd 24 would be roughly mid LP) but my gp said it doesn't have to be mega accurate, but roughly midway between when you think you ov and when you start your period. so long as it's somewhere near the peak progesterone levels, it doesn't need to be actually at the peak as it peaks quite slowly. Hope that makes sense.

With the day 21 I was told that it needed to be mid-luteal phase. "Day 21" is used as shorthand as the "average" woman ovulates on day 14 with a 28 day cycle so mid-luteal phase is day 21. My luteal phase is 12/13 days so I was told to book in for 6 days after ovulation. Your GP should know (though best to be forearmed with info!).

Have managed to talk him (on the phone) into giving me a form form day 21 bloods. but I said that would be 7 days post ov which would be approx next wed (CD31)

Should it actually be before then of af due cd 34?

God this is a nightmare

What exactly will it tell me anyway - the test results?

I would try and get it midway between when you ov and when af starts, you might miss this cycle, but it might mean doing it on cd 18 or something for you if you have short LP.

I think what it tells you is if your progesterone is high enough for a pregnancy to implant. From what I've read, progesterone is needed to sustain the uterine lining until a pregnancy is fully implanted. The reason it can cause spotting before af is because the uterine lining starts to break down before the end of your cycle, and it can cause early mcs because the embryo doesn't properly implant as the uterine lining isn't sufficient to maintain pregnancy. That's what I understand about it, but I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.