# When does Luteal phase end?



## peacebaby

hi 



am trying to determine whether i have a short Luteal phase and am bit confused. Hoping someone can explain this to me: i usually have a day or 2 of spotting before actual AF begins and i am not sure whether to include those days of spotting in counting how long my luteal phase (LP) is??

if i include it, it would make the LP at least 12 days otherwise it would only 10days. my luteal phase seems to be varying with each cycle which doesn't seem like a good thing.


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## Omi

Hi hun, 

as af is categorised as first day of full flow you wont be including the spotting. So you're looking at, from your estimation, 12 days lp. It shouldnt change too much you're right. Its normal for it it move on day either way every now and then but i dont think it shouldnt change every month - it should be pretty constant.

Hope that helps :hugs:


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## peacebaby

Thanks Omi, that helps a lot....am just hoping my cycle will settle down into a more consistent pattern. I spoke to a Chinese acupuncturist & she that everything about the cycle should be consistent (give or take a day either way sometimes, as you said) to have a uterus healthy enough to nurture & sustain a pregnancy.


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## AMPCAT

Hi peacebaby,

do you spot 2 days before your period every month? i do the same, i'm on fertility friend and if you put this into your data it counts spotting before your period still as the LP, so like omni says your first full flow of period is cd 1.
i have been ttc 8 months now after 14 years on BCP, i never used to spot years ago, and took me nearly a year to get my periods back! Pesky ovaries!
Best wishes. x


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## Shelley71

I've been counting my spotting/light bleeds (1-2 days prior) as the beginning of my cycle too!! 

Should I go to my FF account and change this to spotting???


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## AMPCAT

Yes definitely, your luteal phase is longer than you thought. My period started today taking my LP down to 9 days this cycle (gulp). 
I have been to fertility specialist (when my periods didn't return after pill) and have just been discharged completely, as now ovulating on my own. ANYWAY......the doctor said that you implant on day 6 or 7. so as long as you have good prog on these days then you can get preg. I normally have a 10-11 day phase and she wasn't concerned in the slightest, I spot normally from day 7. She said totally normal, and i had worried about it for months, anyway the next month I got preg (miscarried at 5.5 weeks), so it is possible. try not to worry about it, easier said than done i know!......


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## Shelley71

Well, since I really have no hope that I'm PG this time around, I am just counting down to my first (I hope!) normal cycle. If I start on the 24th, then it's a 28 day cycle. I had always had normal, 28 day cycles until I started BC. BC was the WORST thing I could have ever done to my body these past 6 years. It makes me so angry. 

I'm REALLY hoping! Of course, I'd be ecstatic if I turned up PG too! LOL


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## AMPCAT

I know what you mean, I would never ever as long as i live go back on the pill...but for me there came i time where i had to move on from the anger i felt for the pill. The hospital will not accept the pill being a cause for my problems (no surprise there!) they blamed it on stress...but whatever it was, it just stinks that all my life I have had 'normal' periods and then when we ttc they are messed up big time.
when you say no hope you being preg this month, why not? did you not bd?


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## Shelley71

AMPCAT said:


> I know what you mean, I would never ever as long as i live go back on the pill...but for me there came i time where i had to move on from the anger i felt for the pill. The hospital will not accept the pill being a cause for my problems (no surprise there!) they blamed it on stress...but whatever it was, it just stinks that all my life I have had 'normal' periods and then when we ttc they are messed up big time.
> when you say no hope you being preg this month, why not? did you not bd?

I say no hope because I just don't have the amount of information that women who have been tracking for a while have. I tested almost positive on my OPK on Weds (we did BD on Monday), but then Thurs the OPK was much lighter, so I assumed I missed O or didn't O because it was never a "true" positive. And, I only started temping on Thurs. 

We didn't BD again until yesterday. Well, we TRIED three times between Thurs and Sat, but couldn't seal the deal. 

So, I don't know if I really O'd and I don't think our BD timing was helpful at all. I hate to say I'm in the 2ww when I don't even know how many dpo I am, if I am. 

I won't lie - I'm hoping a little! :)


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## AMPCAT

hard to know when you're not temp charting, but good luck with it, i hop eyouget it this month. Sometimes i wish i didn't know as much as i did and then it would feel more natural. but then knowledge is power and keeps you feeling in control. 
just try to enjoy it and hopefully it'll happen quickly.


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