Ovulation after pregnancy loss

[AnotherEllie]

Hi everyone
I sadly had a mc which started with bleeding on 1st Jan and I believe I miscarried completely on 2nd Jan this year. It was confirmed as a complete miscarriage on 4th Jan with a scan. I bled until Saturday 7th and I have been taking hcg tests everyday which are getting lighter - as of today, they are basically squinters. I was 6weeks 2 days and things happened quickly and with little pain.
I'd like to try again ASAP as my husband works away and it's difficult to plan these things.
I have a very regular cycle - usually 27 or 28 days but I've not really tracked ovulation before so not sure when I typically ovulate - I guess probably around day 13 but not sure.
I am wondering if people can share when they ovulated after their mc? I've become confused by reading online as some have said 2 weeks later but was this 2 weeks after bleeding started or 2 weeks after bleeding stopped?
Or am I unlikely to ovulate until 2 weeks after HCG has fully gone? I am getting myself confused. I can only see ranges online but not sure if the range is smaller for your next period if the mc was early.
I'm going to track BBT and use OPKs too but I'm just interested in others experiences. Could this happen as early as this Sunday as this was 2 weeks from the start of the MC?
Also, I already have one ds who is 18 months and I'm still breastfeeding. No idea if this has any bearing on things but it was a straight forward pregnancy and birth with him.
Thanks so much in advance!

@AnotherEllie I saw a fertility specialist in September and he said that as long as the cm changes it’s good news! It’ll be interesting to see if your temperature increases soon.

Yeah I actually feel the same as I’ve done the last few times before getting my period so who knows.. I’m on high alert of course so I’m looking for symptoms..
When I was pregnant with my son I had no symptoms until about week 8, I even had like a “normal period” so I had no idea. It must’ve been implantation bleeding but it was pretty heavy.

I’m using an app called Natural Cycles, you add your temperature each morning and you can add LH test results too. To confirm ovulation your temperature needs to be raised for 3 consecutive days. Based on the data it gives you a predicted fertile window. I think mine has been pretty accurate so far. But you need to be strict with how you measure your temperature, if your bedroom is hotter one night or you don’t sleep as much it can vary a lot and you might not get a true prediction.

Definitely hoping we get a positive start to this year!

Had a slight rise in my BBT today - the highest since I started tracking. I must say that its been inconsistent though and I changed thermometers after misplacing the first. That is day 21 for me if bleeding was day 1. Will report back if it shows a consistent rise over the next few days. DDT day 18 x 2, 19 and 20. May DTD tonight but feel like I've run out of steam.

I really don't want to get my hopes up but it's so hard not to after such a rubbish experience. I'm anxious about my husband being away next cycle so really would like to be successful this time but I don't want to get too invested in that... Will be a long couple of weeks (unless AF comes earlier!)

Hiya @AnotherEllie fingers crossed for you! My bleeding stopped on Thursday - so all in all from first spot of brown blood I bled for 8 days… which to be honest I’m very happy with. My LH tests and HCG tests still both positive though hcg is pretty faint. I think tje ovulation tests are picking up old HCG though - it’s very annoying not knowing . I did have a familiar twang which I get during ovulation…. i can’t believe it would be this soon but we DTD last night in any event (coincidently as ovu like pain started today…). This would be CD11 if we go from first brown spotting that then progressed into full mis carriage 4 days later but to be honest I’m sure when to count day 1!! We shall see! Hope you’re keeping ok xxx

My app changed its mind today and said my ovulation day was on cd 20. 2 days ago.. If that’s correct I don’t think I’m in for a shot this month but I’ve not had positive LH tests so I hope the app is wrong. My gut feeling ( together with LH tests and CM) is that I ovulated on cd 11.
I don’t want to get my hopes up either but it’s hard not to.

@LMM91x I think I ovulated on CD 11, counting from the day of the heaviest bleeding and I was only spotting for 6 days in total, but I was also thinking it’s too early to ovulate then. Right after my loss I did have a feeling I would be pregnant right away but I don’t dare to hold on to that thought.

@LMM91x it's so odd / hard not knowing what's going on! That's what I started the thread just to see what was happening with other people. I ovulated 3 weeks later which makes sense if normally a period returns within 4-6 weeks.

I only bled for about 1 week so that was a huge relief. I've read that some people have it so much worse. From reading, I get the impression that things return to normal more quickly if it happens naturally / quickly - though I think it can vary a lot. Hopefully it'll be the same for you.

My pregnancy test came back negative around day 14-16 so I hopefully yours will too. My LH tests were picking up the HCG during this time too which was confusing but they went back to faint before returning to strong lines at day 18. Are you going to keep up testing? I found it helpful and probably wouldn't have known what was going on otherwise.

I think @Travellingislife had quite early ovulation signs too so may well be possible. I will keep updating here and feel free to share your experiences if you feel comfortable xxx

yes @Travellingislife agree - dangerous to let your mind go there isn’t it 😞 xx

I'm so frustrated rn. I think I've ovulated on CD11. I had all the symptoms I always get. But no positive lh test. I've tested since then now CD16. Do I just trust my body. I'm gonna keep testing till I run out of tests which is Monday and stop.

Sorry CD17*

@LMM91x really hard not to let your mind go there! I think we all need some hope to keep us going but equally the thought of going through the disappointment is so difficult as well.

@Emmamoo89 it is confusing with symptoms after going through this. I am usually very regular so wasn't hugely in tune with my signs of ovulation before (as I went off rough timing instead) so have only really been able to go on LH tests. I had terrible skin and random cramps and didn't know what was happening. I did say in a previous post that I will have a break from testing and planning if things don't work out in the next few months as I'm worried about obsessing over things. I think I ovulated around day 19 from the start of bleeding.

I am keeping everything crossed for us all and hope we all have good news soon enough.

So my overall BBT trend also suggests I ovulated on Friday which fits with my OPKs.

It is strange but I feel a bit helpless now as we have DTD and now it's just a waiting game.

I was previously focused on testing/ making predictions / planning to DTD and now it is just a waiting game. I guess I can probably test from 2 weeks last Friday?

I was feeling hopeful before but now I am thinking it won't happen quickly and then it'll be back to the drawing board again and will have to face the disappointment all over again. Fortunately, I am starting a new job so hopefully that'll distract me for a few weeks but I feel time is still going to drag.

I know I am lucky that things have seemingly shifted back quickly for me but every extra month seems so long when TTC. Will update here in due course...

@AnotherEllie it’s good news that your LH test and temperature rise line up! The two week wait is tough, starting a new job will help distract you for sure. I got my positive test 14 days past ovulation the last time.

I saw a fertility specialist today, he didn’t think ivf is an option yet, maybe in 3-6 months time if I don’t conceive. It would be expensive though, over 10k for one cycle and it’s only about 20% chance of getting pregnant. Something to think about..
He also prescribed progesterone as I was worried about my progesterone levels before and he said it doesn’t hurt to take it.

I felt really positive a few weeks ago that I would get pregnant the first cycle after my loss but now I’m negative Nelly, my LH tests and bbt don’t line up and I’m not sure I’ve ovulated at all this month now.
My cervix felt hard today as well and that’s usually a sign my period will arrive.

@Travellingislife thank you.

I actually found I didn't get a positive until quite late last time (even with sensitive tests) - no idea if that was maybe a sign that there was an issue. Having said that, I didn't track ovulation before now so could just be I ovulated late?

That's good about the progesterone and helpful to understand options - even if they are expensive. Hopefully you will get a BFP and won't need to go down that route but, like you, I like to understand possibilities as you can plan for different outcomes.

I felt positive too but now I don't - even after having clear signs of ovulation. I think it's a self preservation thing as I don't want to entertain the idea to then be disappointed. I just can't imagine it being easy after this experience.

Hopefully we will both have good news in the next couple of months. I am already planning to go to my husband's work 500 miles away 🙈

@AnotherEllie
I ovulated late the last time and I wondered if that made the egg not viable? It’s so easy to start to look for reasons for why I lost a pregnancy but I’m trying not to dwell on it. Chances are it was just bad luck and the odds are on our side for a successful pregnancy, even at my age.

500 miles 😅 Hopefully you won’t have to as you’ve got a bfp but otherwise you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I would’ve done the same. My next trip will be abroad so there’s no way I will be able to see my husband in the middle of it, I’ll try and postpone it but it’s difficult as I don’t know when I’ll ovulate. I should know more if my period shows up.

Yeah it definitely makes sense to revisit plans if/ when AF arrives - it's impossible otherwise @Travellingislife ! I am looking at the calendar thinking next ovulation could be anywhere in a 2 or 3 week window which is just too long to decide anything.

I would be slightly less stressed if I wasn't changing job roles but my new team seem nice so hopefully it will be okay to take some leave for a couple of days if needed. Even when AF arrives, it'll be a bit of a stab in the dark for when to book leave though as I never tracked ovulation before so not sure if I have a typical pattern or cycle.

I think that's a good approach to take, I think it can just purely be bad luck so good not to dwell on things!

@AnotherEllie can you book leave with short notice? You could use the Clear blue 4 days notice tests!
I’ve got period symptoms now so I’m just waiting for it to show up 😞

Oh man! Sorry to hear that @Travellingislife. How does that line up in terms of TTC next cycle if it does arrive? And did you carry on with LH tests and haven't had a positive?

If you did ovulate, when do you think it most likely happened? Does this reflect your normal luteal phase in terms of length?

I think I should be able to book leave but tbh I really don't want to travel with my toddler unless absolutely necessary. Maybe I should book the days and cancel if not necessary or my cycle isn't what I expect? I'm thinking my cycle will start 2nd or 3rd and ovulation will be week commencing 13th so maybe if I booked Mon 13th and Tuez 14th off and spent the weekend prior there, we would be in for a shot - cos even if I ovulated on Wednesday or Thursday there'd be a chance if we DTD a few times before and then my husband would be back Friday.

I have no idea what my cycle will do though tbh so I don't know what is best!

@Travellingislife sorry for double post but not sure if it tagged.

@AnotherEllie If I ovulated I think it was on cd 11 or 12; that would be super early for me, I’ve ovulated between 16-18 before, and around day 22 when I got pregnant ( that didn’t work out). I tested twice a day up until day except day 22 and 23, but the tests were so light so there’s no chance I would’ve had a peak. I started testing again on 24 as I thought I may ovulate late, they’re still very negative.
If I get my period in the next few days I’ll be away during ovulation so I think I’ll try and cancel the work trip, this is more important to me now.

If you could get a long weekend in around your ovulation it should work out! You’ll only be away from your husband a few days and sperm can live for a long time.
I understand you don’t want to travel with your toddler, such a long journey can be a total pain with little ones.. I usually can’t face travelling for more than a couple of hours with my son 😅

That is so confusing @Travellingislife. It sounds like you're in tune with your body though so hopefully your cycle or ovulation will happen more clearly and then you will know where you are at.

I would definitely do the same in your position. I think we want to give ourselves as many attempts as possible after this experience.

I think I will ask for those days off provisionally and then see if/when AF arrives. Would be lovely not to have the faff but I am not feeling positive.

I noticed a dip in my BBT today but tbh I'm not hugely convinced I'm doing it correctly and was also up 1 hour earlier than usual and it was only by a tiny amount. I guess I can try again with BBT next month and try and do it more consistently! But yeah, not sure if that means my AF will arrive soonish or not...!

@AnotherEllie my bbt have been up and down, today it was down again but I was also up earlier than usual and according to my dear husband I was snoring as well so that’ll definitely change things. When I was pregnant it stayed up consistently from
a few days past ovulation, but who knows, my body may still be recovering so it might not mean much. It could be the same with you.
I feel pregnant but it’s the same feeling as I have before my period, so annoying!
Do you have any period symptoms? You usually had a 28 day cycle right? So this one should be a few days longer since you ovulated later?

@Travellingislife I am not sure how I am feeling tbh!

I haven't had any clear symptoms of anything but I suppose if my period isn't due for another 10 days then I am kind of in an in between stage where period symptoms haven't started and it would be early for pregnancy symptoms too.

I felt sick from 3 weeks with my son so I guess maybe I might experience some nausea if I am pregnant any time from Friday (that would be equivalent of 3 weeks ish) but after having a baby, I also sometimes get nausea before my period too - so that doesn't help hugely.

I've had odd twinges and things but I don't know if it's just bugs and stuff picked up from my son's nursery. My mood has been a lot better but again it may just be because it's that point in my cycle.

I'm expecting my period to come between 12-14 days after ovulation based on previous cycles but no idea if the MC will change that. I will probably start testing 10 dpo just to see and it would be helpful to confirm plans too.

I guess I might have implantation signs but didn't notice these previously either.

I really don't want to get my hopes up but I would love for it to happen so quickly!

@AnotherEllie ah yeah of course, you won’t notice anything for a while yet. After having my son nausea have been one of my period symptoms as well, weird!

I had a smidge of a pink streak when I wiped just now, of course I’m thinking it’s implantation bleeding..
I was just thinking if I ovulated at day 12 I should’ve had my period by now so I probably didn’t ovulate then. I don’t want to test too early either as I can’t face a bfn.
I’ll test at 14dpo from day 20 ( when the app said I ovulated) if I haven’t had my period by then.

That sounds like a good plan @Travellingislife! Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

Keeping everything crossed it is implantation bleeding! Did you experience that before? What day are you on currently?

@Travellingislife I'm going through the same thing as you. Think I ovulated CD11 had ovulation symptoms but no peak test. I definitely trust my body over tests. X