(An)ovulation question ...

[ellie]

Hi,
I hope no-one minds me posting in here ... I thought you lovely ladies might have some knowledge or advice (and as others have said I often get frustrated with the ttc section too!)

my story is a bit long and i won't go into it all here ... but my question today is about ovulation (or not). i've always had regular cycles (27-32 days) ... but been charting for a couple of years and if the temps pattern / CM checking etc is accurate then there are quite a few cycles where i don't ovulate (looks like every 3rd/4th month). After suffering an m/c my OH and I decided to start ttc'ing again this month, got all geared up for it etc - and no ov now either.

I've been trying to find out information on t'internet and most articles say that if women experience anovulatory cycles but have regular periods they are probably at 'perimenopause' ... I am 36 and am now terrified that that might be what it is ... my mum had awful problems in her late 30's and had a hysterectomy in her early 40's. I could take that as being a likely fate for me too, again according to what i've been reading.

Sorry to ramble on. What I'm really asking is does anyone have any wise words about ovulation / lack of and how common it is? When might it be a good idea to seek specialist advice and where might I start ? I can't bear the thought of never being able to have a baby.

I'm sorry if this shouldn't really be posted here - I'm not sure where I fit in at the moment either ....

Thanks for listening.

 

[FJL]

I'm not really much help, but you say you've been charting etc for a few years, so i'm guessing you've been TTC for well over a year, and as you are over 35, I would definitely suggest you get a referal to a specialist, especially given your family history.

There might be nothing to worry about and it might just be that you need clomid or something to help you ovulate regularly, but to at least put your mind at ease I would see someone.

Do you use OPKs?

 

[latestarter]

Hi Ellie,

I'm sorry you are going through all of this uncertainty. I don't have a specific answer about ovulation for you - except that the occassional annovulatory cycle is normal for everyone. But it sounds like you have them regularly.

At 36 (I'm 39 and doing my first IVF cycle) I strongly suggest you get some basic fertility tests done, especially given a family history of problems. You are young enough to deal with anything that might come up. But if there are problems, and you wait to figure it out, you will be running against the clock. Trust me... I'm there.

Having said that, when I went in at 38 for my fertility tests, everything came back great. My numbers were fantastic, tubes were clear, hormone levels stellar. But I'm still not pregnant and now doing IVF. I'm choosing to do IVF mostly because of my age. I feel like I don't have time to keep trying or do less invasive measures at this point.

So, I'm rambling, but at 36 you have time to look into things and fix things if you need to. Start early, I was surprised at how long things took... Time to get an appointment with my GP, time for a referral to the RE, time to get all of my tests done and back etc...

Good luck Ellie. And welcome to this side of the board. Everyone is very supportive.

 

[Omi]

I dont have any specific advice but thought i should drop by with some uplifting stuff. I have two aquaintances who thought the same thing. One was 35 and had had problems for a while, her mum had started her menopause in her late 30's which is very early and she was naturally worried- turmed out she was pregnant and she had a healthy baby girl last august.

The other is a friend i made on here, her mum was the same (38 )and also found out she was pregnant and only found out she was pg at 3-4 months in as she was bleeing all the way through.

Yes, i know it isnt the same, but i thought i should drop some stories so you dont go in for testing thinking its all doom and gloom.

As everyone have said, get to your dr pronto. They should be more than willing to help you out. Your age is in your favour and supposing you have a normal doc he/she would be able to help you. Case in point, im 38 (39 in March- gulp!) and normally you dont get testing for mc's until you've had 3..i got it after 2..its simply because of my age, hun.

In this case look at yourself as lucky, all things considered you are still young enough, as Latestarter put very eloquently..time is on your side.

Chin up, chicken, you can do it..simply be your own drill sargeant as far as your fertility s concerned...get the machine going and you will succeed!!

Big hugs, Omi xxx

 

[Omi]

pc problem, apologies, lol!

 

[CurlySue]

They say the average 'normal' woman has two anovulatory cycles per year so you're not abnormal in the slightest.