Long/Irregular Cycles - what to look for..?

[IzzyAnt88]

I apologize if this is the wrong place but the TTC forums is mostly about symptoms and when they will be testing..

So I have always had irregular and long cycles.. like maybe only 6 periods a year.. I am kicking myself for not paying any more attention before..!

I usually have no clue where I am at.. AF is here today so I guess I can finally start trying to figure out what is going on with some level of knowledge. I'm trying this thing where you sleep in darkness except for the nights of the full moon in which you turn a small light on. I read that some women have great success getting their cycles to sync up with the moon and thus regulate and become shorter. I am hoping that will work for me but.. I dunno.. I am also taking maca.. well I bought some and hubby has been taking it but I have only taken it once so far because of the taste. Interestingly enough that was 4 days ago when my cramping started and I had such a weird start to AF that I had never had before that I thought maybe I was pregnant and it was IB. No idea if Maca could have *THAT* fast a response but thought it was interesting after having no sign of AF in a little over 2 months that it would start to come at EXACTLY the day after I had some Maca the night before.. but anyway..

So I am considering going to my doctor for a full workup to try and figure out what is wrong.. I don't think it's PCOS.. but I have no clue what else to look for.. how do I know if my cycles are annovulatory.. or just long..? Where to start..? I know that we haven't been TTC for a long time yet but I do already know that something is wrong with my cycles so why wait ykwim..?

Thanks ladies..

 

[MrsJA]

Hi Izzy,

I wouldn't mess around too much with light lamps and herbs. I'm not saying it can't work, but there isn't much in the way of scientific evidence to support that stuff.
Most of us who are long term TTC will tell you, it all comes down to doing the tests, being diagnosed and getting the right medical treatment.

I would get to the doctor and start with some blood tests to find out whether you're ovulating or not. They can tell by looking at hormone levels in your body at various times during your cycle. You should also do an ultrasound to rule out PCOS. If you don't think you have PCOC because you don't have the symptoms (ie acne, weight management issues etc) then you might still have PCO - which is the same thing, but without the hormonal imbalance.

Clomid is probably the most commonly prescribed drug to treat anovulation and irregular cycles, so your doctor might prescribe that, depending on what the rest of your tests look like.

It's all up to you, when you want to start progressing this stuff. You might want to try for a while and see how you go before you start looking at things ike clomid. But it certainly couldn't hurt doing a couple of tests at this stage, just so you know what the situation is.

Good luck.

 

[Scamp]

Hey,
I also have irregular cycles, some times long and sometimes short. I definetly think the doctors is the best idea. I know with ours they wouldn't start doing tests until we'd been trying for a year but it might be different at your doctors.
Have you tried using OPK's to see if you get a positive? Also, monitoring you CM and writing it down. That's what I now do, write in every period, every positive OPK, CM, spotting and anything that could be useful.
Good luck hun x

 

[crystal443]

Hey Izzy,

The ladies are right, maybe try using OPK's, checking CM and do you temp? I haven't taken birth control since I was 18 and I'm now 35. I always have gotten regular Af but I've only had 2 pregnancies in all that time and they were both resulting from Clomid. My doctor had me chart for a few months so he could see my temps over a few cycles and he checked DH's swimmers, gave me a few blood tests and everything was fine but still couldn't get pregnant.
At the end of the day its up to you, but if your starting out your TTC journey with irregular cycles you may be able to get help sooner rather then later. Good luck and I wish you all the best!!