Has anyone conceived with irregular periods?

[nogoes]

Up until I was 18 I had really irregular periods which were also very painful, I went on the pill to manage them. When I turned 31 I came off the pill and I managed to conceive ds at the second attempt my one period I had was very heavy and my cycle was 30 days although it is difficult to tell if they were regular as I conceived 2 months after coming off the pill.

After having ds it was 4 months before I had another period and I went straight back on the pill. I came off the pill last September as I intend to ttc in June and I wanted to be able to monitor my cycle and ovulation dates. Since coming off the pill my periods have been very irregular 46 days, 37, 31, 27 and I am now on day 37 with no sign of one yet. I am not sure that I am ovulating sometimes I get symptoms mid cycle but not all the time.

Has anyone conceived with a cycle like this? Should I see my GP or wait until I am trying to conceive? I am 34.6 btw.

TIA

Sorry can't help with experience of this but have you looked at the Zita West website (google it) - I saw her on tv recently - she might have some helpful info.

Yes, but it has taken a long time.

My cycle ranges from 25days to 45days and then have not had a cycle for months.

when we had our first dd (now 3yrs), i only had 4 periods in 12 months because we had been ttc for 18months, i went to the doctor ironicly we got a letter to see an inf consultant with an appointment date for about 6 weeks away after a couple of i feinted at work and both my boss and mum insited i did a test and was shocked that it was positive as i hadn'd had a period for 6 months after an early scan we found out i was about 10weeks.

We started ttc when dd was 10months it took another 18month but unfortunley that ended in a m/c june last year.

I am now 16 +4days pregnant, again i had only had about 4 periods since last july. I was about 8 weeks when we found out this time.

Hope this helps (if you haven't fallen asleep due to long post), all can say is it is possible, but i would perhaps go and see your doctor for some advice.

I have always had irregular periods, I had my first two 15, then got pregnant!

My cycle remained reallly erratic after that, only regular when im on the pill. I came off the pill to TTC when i was 28 and i was trying to count the days between periods but was going anything between 30-80 days!

I managed to conceive after 7 months, i then fell again when Dd was only 8 weeks old!

I think you need to be trying for a year or so before getting any medical help, you never know it might happen straight away anyway

Similar to you in that i was on the pill for aprox 15 years, if not more then took me 18 moths to conceive DS, now 15 months. Periods irregular + we were not trying in terms of monitoring/timing things, just not on pill. Since having DS my periods have been even more irregular than before, from 30-47 days in length.

Am now 10 weeks pg with no. 2 and also had a m/c in oct last year so yes it is possible to conceive with an irregular cycle.

Surely the fact you conceived your ds on 2nd month is a good sign. Good luck for when you do start trying.

I have very irregular periods, sometimes only have one every couple of months, sometimes less than that and I have no idea when to expect the next one. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome which, depending on its severity, can make it difficult/impossible to conceive - so I was expecting it to take a long time but I had my coil removed in October and conceived in November!

Before I conceived my doctor told me to try for six months before going to see him - and said that because you don't know when you're ovulating just have sex as much as possible! So I imagine the doctor would probably tell you to wait until you're TTC, especially as you've had a child already so you obviously know you can conceive.

I would go to the doctor and explain to this person your history of irregular periods. I would also mention the pain you've had as well; this is something that should not be ignored. In your circumstances I would seek help sooner rather than later,

My guess for what's its worth is that you could have a hormonal problem like polycystic ovaries or its related syndrome called PCOS. Both are very common and can be treated (though not cured). With a cycle like yours it is unlikely you are ovulating regularly if at all and it may be due to one of the above problems. A normal cycle is a cycle length of between 21 and 35 days OR with less than 4 days of variation from month to month. This is not happening in your case.

A blood test can be done to see what your hormone levels are like - in this regard your LH (luteinising hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) levels should be tested and COMPARED against each other. If for instance LH is higher than FSH you will then have a good idea of why conceiving this time around is problematic; a LH/FSH imbalance is one possible indicator of PCO/PCOS.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost and I would go all out to seek one.

I would also ask your GP for a referral to a gynaecologist at the same time; such problems are often outside a GPs remit.

Many thanks for your advice and congratulations to all you expectant mums!

I came off the pill and used condoms for a year before thinking about trying to conceive - I had been on the pill for around 14 years. My cycles were really irregular ranging from 37-52 days. I had bloodtests and my FSH and LH levels were fine but I had low SHBG which is a hormone which stops testerone levels getting too high. A scan showed I had polycystic ovaries. The gynacologist advised that I would struggle to conceive unless I took metformin to help regularise my cycle. He also advised me to lose weight - I wasn't overweight but he said even a couple of pounds would help. The GI diet really helps to regularise hormonal imbalances so I would advise that. Anyway I conceived the first time we had sex without a condom and we now have a beautiful baby boy. I also conceived exactly as if I was having a 28 day cycle - the body is a remakable thing! GOOD LUCK but I am living proof that irregular cycles don't mean difficulty conceiving!!!

Hi, I conceived dd at 37 after trying for 2 years. I read every book going, had the tests referred to below, charted temperature, acupuncture everything! I'd been on the pill for years prior to this and my cycle was highly irregular; no periods for several months sometimes. I used Dong Quai chinese herbal capsules which regulated my periods within a few months and then after reading up on everything the best advice was monitoring my fluids - sorry to gross you out! I hadn't realised that it changes throughout the month e.g. cloudy, chalky etc Anyway, before we all start barfing up, clear / stretchy / elastic is apparently what you are after - when it's like this, time for action! Good luck. And I'm embarrassed to say, I kept a spreadsheet to chart mine so I could see a trend. Can't believe I've admitted that