Started TTC and cycles have suddenly gone haywire! Any experience?!

[SomethingSuitablyWitty]

I'm new to MN but hoping to draw on the experience here! I came off the pill to think about TTC last June. This was because the last time I came off it, four years ago, it had taken ages for my periods to come back. So I wanted to give myself some time to get informed and monitor cycles (obsessive? oh just a bit). Well, after about 67 days, I suddenly noticed EWCM (sorry for TMI ) which lasted a few days and then fourteen days after that my period started. Next cycles were 35 days, then 33, then 33 again. I smugly decided I had a regular if slightly long cycle. Decided to get busy TTC.

Out of the blue the next cycle was 38 days and there was no obvious ovulation. I did do a canesten treatment that month so thought maybe that had caused some problems/masked things, so I just kind of wrote it off. I hoped this cycle would be back to normal, but again no obvious ovulation. When period had not arrived by day 33, did a PG test - negative, naturally. Then I kind of realized that I was actually feeling more like I was ovulating than anything else and the next day started having abundant EWCM (eeek sorry for adjective ), so looks like I was right. But suddenly ovulating on CD 33 or 34 can't be good, can it? It will presumably mean this cycle will now be a whopping 48 days.

Why have my cycles suddenly got so random? I really haven't been doing anything very unusual or very stressful. Any ideas anyone? Is there anything I could do to improve them?

No advice for you, but I hope someone comes along with some pearls of wisdom because I am experiencing a very similar situation!

I came off the pill in August last year, and then had several cycles of 31 days. This is my first cycle TTC and I am currently on CD35! I don't want to admit to how many tests I've taken so far.

CM now seems to be sugessting that I am about to ovulate.

Hey Cat. Thanks for the response - nice to hear I am not the only one dealing with this! It does kind of seem like starting TTC itself could be the "stress" that triggers the long cycles, doesn't it? I also definitely think I ovulated around CD 34 this cycle so it's possible, although not very good apparently (egg and lining too old ).

Hope that we can sort ourselves out! Good luck with TTC in the coming months.

SSW

If your periods were irregular prior to taking the pill they will often revert back to this pattern afterwards. Another clue to a potential hormonal imbalance is that "the last time I came off it, four years ago, it had taken ages for my periods to come back".

This has nothing to do with stress; it would not cause such things over a long period of time.

Such problems are often caused by hormonal imbalances; in this regard common culprits are either a problem with the thyroid gland or (very commonly) a condition called polycystic ovaries.

What taking the pill can do is mask symptoms of the underlying problem if either one of these is present.

It is not correct to assume that ovulation occurs 14 days prior to the period. NO!!. Ovulation is not an exact science and a woman can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle. What may be happening with you is that you may not be ovulating regularly at present. Such problems can be treated but you do need a diagnosis first and perhaps too a referral to a gynae.

I would seriously consider going to the GP and asking for blood tests to be done to see what your hormone levels are like. These can be done according to calendar days; you therefore do not have to wait for your next period to arrive. What you need is a day 2 (to check and compare your LH against your FSH) and a day 21 (to measure progesterone).

LH (luteinising hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) are two very important hormones because they kickstart the ovulation process. If these two levels are out of balance (e.g sometimes with PCO the level of LH is elevated to that of FSH) then ovulation will be affected.

Hi Attila - thanks for the advice! That's well worth knowing. If next month is another mystery cycle I'll look into to blood tests to get a clearer handle on the cause. I hope hormones out of whack are not the cause - but I fear that they indeed might be...