For various reasons i feel too much of a fraud to go on fertility forums and websites make me cry but...

Before Freddie and since, I've had short cycles, 24 days and fairly early ovulation (I think, but then I'm not sure I was reading the crappy sticks right). Last month I tested right through and definitely didn't ovulate on day 13,14,15 and up till then I'd had the closest to a same colour line on day 11 and 12. But my period (hopefully helped by Vit B) did hang on an extra day to Day 25 although I had a little spotting before that so I guessed it was coming.

Since Freddie I've had one positive test which then turned into a period on the same day, day 24.

Today I've used a digital ovulation test and got a smiley face on day 13 in the afternoon, though my temp was still in a low ordinary place in the morning. I think this is the closest to my old style cycle I've had for a while (it took 8 months to conceive Freddie, the longest with my girls was 14 days!)

I'm supposed to have a FSH/LH test this week, booked for day 17 but I guess that won't work now - IF, big if, I managed to get pregnant in the next day or two, would I have time to stay pregnant between now and day 25 or would that be too short a phase? I'm hoping my cycle has reset and I might get a tiny bit longer but i also think I may have been here before and got nowhere so not sure.

What I really want is my doc to give me some progesterone suppositories to keep me going longer, but she won't.

I don't mind you telling me it won't be long enough, but I'd really like someone to check my science, as it were.

You need 10+ days in your luteal phase (time from ovulation to the start of your period) to not dramatically lower your chances of getting and staying pregnant. If you ovulate early, you do not necessarily have a luteal phase defect (less than 10 days).

If you ovulated on CD13/14ish (if your OPK caught the surge in the afternoon, you would have then ovulated sometime in the next day or so, temp the morning of CD14 may not be elevated yet.) then getting your period on CD 24/25 would give you an 10-12 day LP, which is long enough.

Can you get your doc to test your progesterone levels at 7 DPO to see if they are low?

Hi Merry,
I've been having wonky cycles since Foster too. Since I'm impatient, I've started taking supplements to see if I can get my cycle back on track. I used to be a 28 day person with O around cd13 - 15 and a regular LP. Now I O somewhere around cd19 and have an 8 day LP.

The supplements I'm taking are:

All cycle:
- multivitamin
- 1000iu Vit D
- 1mg Folic Acid
- b100 complex

Cd5 to AF/BFP
- 400mg of Vitex (chasteberry tree extract), 2x a day

Cd1 to O
- 1000mg of Evening Primrose Oil, 2x a day

O to AF:
- 1000mg of Flax seed oil, 2x a day,

I know it sounds wonky, but it's worked for others I know (fixed her cycle, she's expecting her 2nd) and so I thought why not.

The Vitex is the key - it helps sort out the menstrual cycle so if you're O-ing late or if you have a LP defect it helps the pituitary gland figure out what hormones need to happen when. You can find it online or in a health food shop. I'm in Canada and can't seem to find it in any pharmacy though.

Here are some links for research purposes:

General explanation of it's use:
http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/pregnancy/herbs.htm
http://natural-fertility-info.com/vitex

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitex_agnus-castus

History and modern research:
http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/vitex.html

HTH. I feel like a nutter recommending this stuff since it goes against my general nature, but my cycle just isn't right and there's enough evidence for me to at least try the Vitex and other supplements.

I don't belong here, but Merry, I also have short cycles and in my case I don't think it's progesterone or a luteal phase defect, I think I just ovulate early. Is that possible for you, as well?

I seem to be starting my period today, after a 22-day cycle, but I know I sometimes ovulate as early as day ten.

I meant to add, I had a 25-day cycle the cycle before I conceived my son. So it is not necessarily an impediment to getting pregnant.

Thanks all. Really appreciate it.

So the surge was Day 13 in the afternoon. Day 14 morning temp was still normal for me (I've ranged from 35.9 to 36.3 and it was 36.3) so I guess I'm hoping tomorrow (Day 15) it will be up a bit more and that will be a good sign. Downside of charting I guess is that if it is still the same tomorrow, my body is just not playing ball and I'll know it.

So if I'm reading it right, I need to have the FSH/LH test on day 21 now, not day 17? according to this cycle?

I've been taking supplements that a fertility long termer sent me a link too...

b6 (10mg had a 1 day effect on cycle so I've gone up to 20mg this cycle)
EPO
Prepregnancy vitamins
Vit B complex
folic acid at high strength since we've got two children with folic acid related defects
Q10
zinc every few days since 50% of RDA is in pre-preg compound.

I felt better last month but not much altered, but this month I'm hoping a change back to my 'old' ovulation day is a good sign. Fingers crossed that period might just choose to hold off long enough to not need to come at all :/

Please please please please please.

*adds 'must remember to have sex' to list*

The FSH/LH test is usually done around CD7. The 7DPO test is for progesterone.

Rather, FSH/LH is on CD3; got stuck on 7.

Can I ask what the Evening Primrose Oil is supposed to help with? I have a bunch in my medicine cabinet (left over from taking it at the end of my pregnancy with Reid when I was trying to encourage cervical softening) but wasn't aware that it could help with conception.

Hey Cara
EPO helps with fertile CM - and like with trying to start labour - it also softens the cervix so that more sperm can get through. At least according to here:
http://www.thefertilityrealm.com/evening-primrose-oil.html

I wanted to add my two cents and ask if you had considered trying a progesterone cream? My doc said it's the same thing as the suppositories, she just doesn't recommend it because it's too hard to control the dosage. She did say it won't hurt, though. If you can't get it any other way maybe you should give the cream a try.

I used it before I went to my doc about my LP defect and it did help. I was just having to use a lot of it and if I forgot I would immediately start spotting. I think if I had been more rigorous it would have worked fine for me. It had the added benefit of not making me sick like the oral pills did.

I obsessed about my short cycles after losing Isla. Prior to her pregnancy I always had 27-28 day cycles and after I too had cycles lasting an average of 24 days. One lasted only 21 and the longest was 25. I thought I was ovulating around day 13 -14 so my 10-11 day leutal phase totally freaked me out. I booked an appointment with my family doctor and demanded to have my hormone levels checked. I was convinced infertility was the next obstacle in what was becoming an all too difficult life for my husband and I. When nothing obvious came back from my blood work up, with a referal from my GP we booked an appointment at a fertility clinic. We had to wait 3 months or so for the appointment, so I decided that while we waited I would stop charting and peeing on ovulation sticks. My cycles never got longer, but in April (after 8 heartbreaking cycles of trying) we struck gold. I'm almost 20 weeks along now with my little Sprout. So, while I don't want to say that relaxing makes babies (because I came close to clawing the eyeballs out of the last person who told me to just relax), I wanted to give you some hope that your short cycle may not be an obstacle to pregnancy.

Each time I got my period during those 8 months, it was like suffering another loss. I was depressed and anxious, and because we conceived the first time we tried with each of my two previous pregnancies (a miscarriage and Isla) I expected to fall pregnant again very quickly. But... in retrospect, its not unsual to try for 8 months before conceiving, particularly when under so much stress!

I'm sending lots of sticky vibes your way! xo

I don't have anything clever to add (being a self confessed fertility dunce with a number of unsuccessful cycles under my belt to prove it) but I am so, so pleased for you Melissa. I am doing a happy dance around my computer. Go little Sprout!

I was just wondering how you were doing, Merry. I've been thinking about you a lot.

Hello,
Been a busy few days and I've had my head in the sand, mainly due to my parents and their increasingly ugly separation :(

I'm doing okay. Cycle is day 20 now - my tempt did eventually go up, but not by much (it's .8C higher that the lowest its been which i only .4 higher than it was on day 3.

So.
Huh.

I've got womb ache, which could be something, or nothing, but at least seeing myself ovulate closer to the old version of me has given me hope things will eventually come right.

I so hope.

I'm resigned to this cycle not coming good, wearing myself thin worrying I'll OD on vitamins by accident and trying to relax (lol, oh I so know Melissa!!!)

Thanks for all the help - I've really appreciated it. Gods, it ought to be illegal for pregnancy to be difficult after a dead baby.

Well my period started on day 24. Really depressed about that. I ovulated day 14ish I guess. Had a day 22 (closest I could manage) progesterone test and it was 17. Not really sure what that means.

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