Conceiving with irregular periods?

[Nancy10]

My cycle has always been very irregular. With my first child we weren't using any contraception but weren't frantically trying to get pregnant when I conceived. My second pregnancy was a completely different story. I was going for about 6-8 months with no period. I eventually was prescribed clomid which I took for 6 months before I conceived second time around. We were desperate for a second, everyone I knew was on their second. Getting pregnant was a real issue and I think all of those things played a part in me not getting pregnant.
I would love another baby. My periods now tend to be every other month which is quite regular for me. We're not desperate and if it happens it happens. I don't want to take clomid again. Anyone else fallen pregnant in a sensible time scale with irregular periods? There is no explanation why there irregular and I'm 31!

There is always a reason why periods are irregular and its often down to hormonal imbalances. I would try to ascertain the underlying cause (usually in the case of long standing irregular periods it can be due to PCOS or thyroid imbalances).

Were you ever checked properly to see whether PCOS or thyroid imbalances were the cause?. If not you should be checked further now and by a gynaecologist. This is not a problem for a GP to try and treat.

Clomid is often given if there are ovulatory problems. As you've had a six motnh dose of it previously they may not want to give you any more of this.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost.

I have always had irregular periods, I can go 2 months without a period or I can have 2 within a month there is no rhyme or reason to it. I also had very heavy and very painful periods. The doctors were not interested in helping so I went on the pill aged 18.

I conceived ds1 on the second month of trying. I think it was down to luck more than anything else, I had only just come of the pill so I don't think my cycle had opportunity to go haywire.

Second time around it was a different story we conceived this baby on the 14th cycle. I came off the pill 2 years before ttc and my periods were all over the year. I went to the GP and she said that my irregular periods were down to stress which was complete tosh as I cannot have been permanently stressed for the last 25 years! I had some blood tests which showed that my hormones were fine with the exception of my progestrone levels which were less than 1 (although I suspect this was because I ovulated late on the months I was tested). I was referred to the fertility clinic and they said that my irregular periods were down to taking the pill for so long. I don't accept that explaination as I had been off the pill for 3 years. Just after my appointment at the fertility clinic I discovered I was pregnant and we are expecting ds2 in April.

I have no idea what caused my irregular periods and it looks as if I will never get to the bottom of it.

Hi the dollshouse,

First and foremost congratulations on your pg!!. Even women with long standing ovulatory problems can ovulate spontaneously on occasion.

Re your comment:-

"I had some blood tests which showed that my hormones were fine with the exception of my progestrone levels which were less than 1 (although I suspect this was because I ovulated late on the months I was tested). I was referred to the fertility clinic and they said that my irregular periods were down to taking the pill for so long"

I have had long standing irregular periods and in my case anyway this was due to PCOS (although there can be other causes, PCOS though is quite common).

My guess is that the other hormone levels were not fine at all for your progesterone level to be less than one. Did they every check and compare your LH and FSH levels on day 3. This should have been done as a matter of course. If it was not I would be asking them some tough questions.

Did they ever do any internal ultrasound scans to assess your uterine cavity and ovaries?.

You also got let down by your GP if she put the problems down to stress. In my experience stress rarely causes such problems and is not a cause if the periods have been irregular for a long time.

As for the fertility clinic (was it a private one?) well they certainly gave you some duff information. There is no real evidence to suggest that the pill is responsible for failure to ovulate but what it can do is mask symptoms of underlying hormonal problems.

Heavy and or painful periods can also be sometimes symptomatic of endometriosis (something else I was diagnosed with). However, this is often only diagnosed through laparoscopy which is a keyhole surgery op. No blood test or scan is able to detect it.

I have a wildly erratic cycle - I can go up to three months without a period, or as little as 35 days, but I haven't had a normal, 28ish day cycle since my mid teens (am now 30). Tests were carried out for all the usual conditions early last year, but no cause could be found. After a cycle lasting 90 odd days, and to our utter astonishment, DP and I conceived the first time we tried; little DS is now almost 8 weeks old. Monitoring my temperature enabled me to make a stab at guessing when I was ovulating, if indeed I was (I really thought I couldn't be with cycles that long).

It's great that I got my baby without the struggle I was anticipating, but I am still very curious to know why my periods were so irregular, and will be very interested to see if they continue in a similar vein when they resume. I guess as I was able to conceive the GP won't be too bothered about referring me for further investigations, as when I was in my late teens and wanted to know why my periods were so irregular, I was just offered the Pill.

Good luck Nancy10, and congratulations thedollshouse.

Thanks Attilla.

I can't remember how my LH and FSH levels compared but it was within the normal range. I posted my results on here at the time and I remember everyone being very positive.

I never got to have any scans as I fell pregnant after my first fertility appointment and the scans would have taken place at the second appointment. I always suspected PCOS, I had some of the symptoms but not all. I have had scans since I have been pregnant would PCOS show up on them?

We don't plan on having any more children so I suppose I will never get to the bottom of it now.

Hi the dollshouse,

LH and FSH can appear to be within the normal range but these two levels need to be compared against one another for a proper comparison. My guess is that these two levels were well awry to cause a progesterone level of less than 1. Normally but not always with PCOS a woman can have a higher level of LH to that of FSH (these two levels are normally about the same).

The cystic follicles associated with polycystic ovaries are very small and it can take a highly skilled sonographer to spot them. They can also disappear (only to subsequently reappear). Also polycystic ovaries can appear larger than normal size (a normal sized ovary is about the size of a walnut) and have a "ring of pearls" appearance to them.

Would like to wish you all the best with regards to the rest of your pg.