Please help !!!!! Advice needed :(

[NewMember]

Hi everyone, hopefully someone can help me out with this concern!

Brief history - I am 27 years old ... I came off the pill last October (I had been on Dianette for 9 years or so! My partner and I are trying to conceive our 1st child (he is almost 33). While on my pill, my period was ALWAYS on time, my cycle usually lasted between 28-30 days! However last month my cycle was only 24 days - I have a feeling the same thing is about to happen again. I use the CBFM, I am currently on CD22, I am starting to have cramp like feelings and also have a very slight, brown discharge - only when i wipe (TMI - sorry. So, I expect over the next 2 days my period will arrive )which would make it 24 days again)!

I really am starting to get concerned about this. The past 2 months my CBFM showed i OV on day 10/11 ... as u can imagine LOADS of BD'ing on those days!

So why still nothing?????

Help needed!

OK, the first thing is that the reason your "period" came on time while you were on the pill is because that bleed is not really your period. The pill suppresses ovulation and the withdrawal bleeds you have are not the same as a period. When you come off the pill, you get proper cycles with ovulation and real periods so your cycles can be shorter or longer than they were on the pill and this is nothing to worry about.

The next thing is that a 24 day cycle is within an average range, and if you are ovulating on day 10 or 11 of your cycle that gives the egg a good 13/14 days in which to implant if fertilsed, so that sounds good.

It is only 7 months since you came off the pill and your cycles may have been a bit messed up to start with. It takes an average couple 12 months to conceive, so really you have not been trying for long. Given good timing and assuming no other problems, each month you have something like a 25% chance of conceiving. You can see why it might take a while!

I do not know how a CBFM works, but it is important to have regular sex througout your cycle (every 2-3 days ideally). This gives sperm time to build up while getting rid of any old crappy ones and also gives you the best chance of sperm being in your reproductive tract waiting for your egg to be released. Sperm can live in there and fertilise an egg for up to 5 days (although 3 is more likely) so having them there ready is a good thing.

Finally, you might want to get hold of a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. She suggests charting temps and checking cervical mucus as a method of identifying your fertile time and also possibly of spotting problems with your cycle. Even if you don't want to go that route the book is really informative and might help you understand how to optimise your chances.

Hope that helps, and good luck.

MrsHappy

Thank you so much for that 'informative' response - I feel so much better knowing that it should be ok!

I am just so desperate for this to happen - I really never thought it would take so long!

Thank you again

xx

Hi NewMember, I can really recommend that book too - in fact I just recommended it on another thread! It's really easy to read and even if you decide not to chart, at least you'll have a better idea of what's going on in your body.

Good luck!

Yep, another recommendation for the book from me.