If your period is late, does that mean that you ovulated 'late' too? Confused about luteal phase!

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Hello all you conception experts! I have a quick question, don't know if you can help. I've read somewhere that the luteal phase is never longer than 16 days. Is that right? Or wrong? I'm just basically trying to work out when I might have ovulated this month. AF is late (not preg very unfortunately) and I'm thinking that if I count back 16 days from today, then I definitely missed my fertile window. But does ovulation move with your AF, if you see what I mean? ie if you have a late AF does that mean that you ovulated 'late' as well? Does this make any sense at all? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

I think people can have luteal phases of all sorts of lengths (12-16 days being average), but that for most women their own luteal phase does not vary by more than a day or two. So mine was 12-14 days long, and I get the impression that mine was more variable than lots of women's.

If your cycle is a different length then that often means that you have ovulated on a different date. So I tended to ovulate somewhere between day 16 and 19, but if I was ill, or going on holiday or stressed out then ovulation might be delayed and it might happen on, say, day 24, making my period correspondingly late.

Hope that makes sense.

I think 16 days is at the extreme for a luteal phase, they are more usually 12-14 days (mine was always 12). I would go for 12-14 days as a guess at your luteal length.

as mrshappy said - I ovulated anywhere between day 9 and day 21 (when I was checking! I only check when TTC and have now finished that thank goodness!)

It's wrong.

Luteal phase can be any length. Average (statistically is 14 days), under 10 days can mean problems conceiving. 16 days is well within the norm.

Usually your luteal phase stays the same length each cycle (may vary by a day), so the reason cycle lengths change is because you have ovulated earlier or later than usual.

Even when I wasn't ttc I tended to keep an eye on my CM and other fertile signs so that I knew roughly when I was ovulating so that I knew when my period was due (as I tend to ovulate at different times each month anywehre between day 14 and 20 but my LP is always 12 days)

SparkleandShine, if your luteal phase was always 12 days but you ovulated between day 9 amd 21, does that mean that you had quite irregular periods?

I think I can tell myself that I missed my fertile window this month as my normal cycle is 31 days and this month I'm on day 33 with no AF so however long my luteal phase is, that suggests that I ovulated later than I thought! And also I was very stressed this month which might have delayed ovulation? That makes me feel better about not conceiving this month . . . whether it's true or not!!

Re: CM, this month I had EWCM slightly earlier than I would have expected it ... but it seems like I didn't ovulate until later. Could everything just have gone a bit haywire because I was really stressed? ie got EWCM and then my body decided not to ovulate for a bit after all. Sounds a bit unlikely but you never know....!

Definitely - if you are stressed you body might gear up for ovulation and then not go through with it.

I'd really recommend you get hold of a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler - it will really help you figure things out.

Thanks everyone, that all makes me feel a bit better about it not happening this month as now I feel fairly sure that we missed the fertile window (would BD regularly normally but DH went away straight after what I thought was my fertile window). But where on earth is AF?! I'm going to chart this month and BD frantically (well, as far as DH is willing and available) until the temperature rise. And then have a bit of a rest ....! Will def get the book!

yes basically! I did have some long and short cycles but I was also checking using the Toni Weschler book and supplementing it with a bit of Zita West's expertise... So in an effort to TTC (which was taking a few months) put me and DH on loads of vitamins, avoided caffeine, fizzy drinks, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and a few other things, had lots of sex and bobs your uncle a really short cycle then a was PG next cycle which was also a short one... Zita West Website

Thanks SparkleandShine (and not sure when you got pregnant but congratulations!). Will have a look at the site too, that all sounds doable ... just looking at the large glass of wine beside my PC though! Will get on to that ....

DS2 is 5 months (DS1 is 3.5yrs) I charted with both, it is a faff but I found it worthwhile as learned a lot about my body which embarrassingly I knew nothing about!

With Zita West I just read through and did the mens and womens vitamins (well I did a boots combo but frankly I'd probably stump up for the Zita West ones as they aren't much more expensive and are all in one pill! I did struggle to get DH to take 5 vits on a daily basis). She recommends sex 15 times a month (which frankly takes a bit of dedication particularly with a toddler around ) BUT just doing those two things really altered my cycle, shorter and more EWCM... etc.

I conceived around 2/3 days after my late period😅 my period was a week late and so I thought I would conceive late too. But I ended up pregnant just a few days after