Some advice needed please :-)

[DesperateDannie]

Hello all, i am very new to this and this is my first post,i have been reading some of the threads and it seems like a very friendly, helpful site. Just wondered whether anyone has any advice or is in a similar position to me. Me and the hubby have been ttc for 7 months now, (which in comparison to some others isnt very long i know) I was on the pill for 8 years before stopping last July, since then my periods have been very irregular, each month a few days to a week late and i have now not had one for 2 months. I have excitedly done pg test after pg test all negative. We have purchased a clearblue fertility monitor but can not start using it until my cycle starts so i do not even know whether im ovulating. Is anyone in a similar position or been in this situation? TIA :-)

If it were me I would go to the doctor and tell them you have been trying for 12 months. Ask for some blood tests to see if you are ovulating.

DD

I would fully agree with the previous poster, visit your GP asap and ask for blood tests to be done. You need a day 2 blood test to start with (as your cycle is irregular this can be done on the second day of the month. What needs to be done on that day is to compare your LH level against that of your FSH level). Both of you should have simple tests done in tandem (semen analysis for him).

LH and FSH are very important as these two hormones kickstart the ovulation process. If these two hormone levels are awry then ovulation is affected.

BTW there is no real evidence to suggest the pill is responsible for failure to ovulate. What it can do though is mask symptoms of any inherent and underlying hormonal imbalance.

Irregular periods have underlying causes; often hormonal imbalances are to blame. This can be sometimes down to an imbalance with your thyroid or a condition called polycystic ovaries. Both can cause irregular periods and PCO in particular is very common (think 1 in every 5 women have PCO). With consistenly irregular periods as well you are less likely to be ovulating regularly if at all.

Do NOT therefore use the monitor; it is a waste of time using this when periods are irregular in nature. I would return it and get a refund if you can. They are only of more use if the cycle is regular in nature and even then usage of this is not without its problems.

agree with all the above. In addition you may want to start charting your cycles yourself as you may be able to 'see' the problem - you will need this book and there is a "temping buddies" thread but can't find it at the moment...

If your periods are irregular like this there is no real point in temp charting either as you have no real cycle to chart.

Also gynaes and many GPs do not take much notice of these charts anyway primarily because they are so unreliable.

thanks so much for the replies, will get to the quacks asap. Thanks again