PLEASE help! Fertility issues? Does anyone know?

[Wanting_a_kid]

Hello, I have some questions that maybe you ladies can help me answer. Sorry, I know this is long, but I'm stressed out and this is driving me crazy!!! Thanks to those who take the time to read all of this and answer me.

My boyfriend and I have just begun ttc (this is 1st cycle). I am 24, and my whole life I have had irregular periods. I got my first AF when I was 13 yo, and they were (of course) irregular, but then they just stopped round when I was 15. I may have gotten a couple here and there, but I went years at a time without AF. I did not use protection with my boyfriends during that time because I didn't think I had to and I was stupid. Never got any stds and never got pg, either. I just started getting AF regularly (every calendar month) about 2 1/2 years ago. I was relieved because I had always thought I'd never be able to get pg but I always wanted to. Now that I have been preparing to ttc, I have been reading more and more and now I don't feel so reassured that the mysterious return of my period means I am fertile. I have been reading about PCOS, and I wonder if perhaps that could be the problem? I have never struggled with being overweight or underweight. I am almost 5'5" and 130 lbs. I don't have any abnormal facial hair (I get little whiskers on my chin that I pluck but I don't know a woman who doesn't. I have olive skin and dark hair). I have never had acne other than the occasional small pimple here and there.

To give a little background, my mother is a pill-popping freak that thinks everyone needs antidepressants, so from about the time I was 12, I was put on every antidepressant under the sun as well as mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety meds (maybe this meddled with my period?). I stopped taking meds when I was 17, but then I started taking hard drugs (opiates, cocaine, etc) until I was 22. That's when my period returned. I never tracked it when it returned, so I don't know if it was regular or not. I just know I got one every month. They have not been extremely long or heavy (although I'm not sure what that would mean). I tracked the last 2 cycles and they were (what I felt was) abnormally long- 45 days, on the dot both times. I have never been on BC, and I have 2 sisters-- the younger has regular, predictable cycles (she can predict them within a week), and the older has VERY irregular cycles... more irregular than mine. Our mother says she never got regular cycles until she became pregnant with OS.

Does anyone have any idea what could be the matter with me? My cycle app says I'll ovulate Nov.3. My OPK (Answer brand) I test around 10:30 am, and the Test line is fainter than the Control line, but it's still ver visible as long as I test around this time (it hasn't shown up really if I test earlier or later). Is this a good thing? Does the line showing up mean I'm going to ovulate at some point?

I don't have health insurance to get this checked out, and I haven't told my boyfriend my concerns yet since this is the first month ttc and I don't want him to worry or think I'm defective. I'm ashamed to admit to him I think we may have trouble ttc. He has a good paying job but I am out of work right now and we have just enough money saved up to deliver a baby.

Does any of this hit home for anyone? Can anyone relate, and if so, what are your thoughts?

Please help!!

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

Just to clarify for anyone that might be worried, I am not a drug user anymore. That part of my life is long behind me-- I even quit smoking 6 months ago!

 

[mummy4kids]

Not here to judge Hun but well done for getting yourself sorted and good luck with ttc hope you get a bfp soon.xxx

 

[Fleur29]

Agree with pp - well done for getting clean. In terms of whether you're fertile or not - I think you just have to give it a go and see what happens! I know plenty of people who have/had irregular cycles and still got pregnant easily and plenty of people who were regular and had trouble! It doesnt necessarily mean anything. I would just give it a few months and see what happens, try to relax and enjoy the early days of ttc as it does get pretty stressful pretty quickly! Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who conceives right away!

Lots of luck to you xx

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

Thanks ladies! Another question, does anyone think it sounds weird that I didn't get a period as a teenager??

 

[popchick75]

45 days is a bit on the long side, but not at all unusual. The good news is that it sounds like they are the same length every month which will make ovulation a little easier to predict. I would suggest switching OPKs and use the ICs that you can buy online. Super cheap so you can test multiple times a day without worrying about cost....very handy if you have long cycles! I would also suggest learning how to chart. (www.fertilityfriend.com) Once you get used to it, it will tell you loads of information about your cycle...the most important being the exact date you ovulate on. Good luck

 

[Fleur29]

Tbh if your mum had you on loads of medication that is a good explanation to me as to why you didn't have periods at that time. The fact that you're having them now is the main thing. I would try not to worry too much about what's been and gone and focus on what's going on with you now xx

 

[Bing28]

Well done on getting clean. And I agree with the others that you won't know until you start trying. But it's definitely good you get regular periods every month now!

Good Luck and I know its hard but try not to stress about it too much. Just enjoy it and remember it takes the average women around 1 year to conceive!

 

[SJsmom87]

I have PCOS. It's no walk in the park. I pretty much diagnosed myself around the age of 19. I didn't get the official diagnosis until this year when my doc discovered 10-15 cysts on each ovary. I had a surprise pregnancy back in 2011 and now have an awesome 14-month-old daughter. I didn't have a period for FOUR MONTHS before I got pregnant so I could have been on I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant! lol but really, you should look into the PCOS. It can lead to insulin resistance and then Diabetes. I'm on Diabetic medicine for mine. I was a healthy weight as a teen and out of no where I gained 45 pounds and then more once I ate badly on top of that. I had no idea it was all related. Left untreated, PCOS can cause all kinds of issues. It's not a fertility death sentence though. As for the weight thing, I have a friend with PCOS who is literally 115 pounds and 5'8''. She is tiny tiny tiny. I feel so bad for her because she's always at the doc with a burst cyst.

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support. I've been freaking myself out and thinking of the worst-case scenarios. Reading about how so many women struggle with infertility has gotten me worried. Good luck to all of us-- everyone who really wants to deserves to be a mom.

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

SJsmom, what made you think you had PCOS as a teen? And does anyone know how much an ultrasound costs?

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

I would suggest switching OPKs and use the ICs that you can buy online. Super cheap so you can test multiple times a day without worrying about cost....very handy if you have long cycles!

Popchick, what are ICs? And why do you think I should switch?

 

[popchick75]

I would suggest switching OPKs and use the ICs that you can buy online. Super cheap so you can test multiple times a day without worrying about cost....very handy if you have long cycles!

Popchick, what are ICs? And why do you think I should switch?

ICs = Internet Cheapies

If you search 'Wondfo' on ebay, you'll see many people selling them. Because they are so cheap, you can test multiple times a day (which you should) and for long periods of time, which is a must if you have long cycles. It gets expensive FAST if you are using drug store OPKs!

Just remember, all OPKs give you a small 'window' of when you ovulate, but they are not foolproof. Sometimes they are hard to read, so you can always do the ICs until you get a positive and then use a digital one to confirm.

 

[Wanting_a_kid]

Thanks!

By the way popchick, does the shade of the test line directly correspond to the amount of LH detected? It's just weird because sometimes it will be pretty dark, but then if I test again in a couple of hours or later in the day, it will be faint to nonexistent again.

 

[itsnowmyturn]

Not all ppl with pcos are overweight. I worked with s girl with it and she was a perfect weight for her height and no other symptoms either. In my opinion there's something in us that tells us when something isn't right, if u feel that then I wud go to ur Dr and ask them to do tests. I knew from 17 something was wrong with me, I kept getting told ibs but I knew it was wrong and when I was 22 I got diagnosed with endometriosis so if u know its not right fight for ur health xx

 

[popchick75]

Thanks!

By the way popchick, does the shade of the test line directly correspond to the amount of LH detected? It's just weird because sometimes it will be pretty dark, but then if I test again in a couple of hours or later in the day, it will be faint to nonexistent again.

In theory, they should start out light and get darker the closer you are to ovulation, but that isn't the case for everyone. You always have some LH I'm your system, so some women will sometimes always have a line of some sort while others only get a line right before ovulation. If you have longer cycles, your body can gear up to ovulate, not quite get there, and then try again. That could lead to darker then light then darker again tests. As soon as the test line is close to the same darkness as the control line, start BDing! Some women have short surges and you don't want to miss it!

Try doing the opks twice a day at about the same times. Maybe one around noon and another at 7pm. Remember, don't do them in the morning...the results won't be accurate (despite what the directions say on some brands....outdated info!)

Oh...if you are wondering about PCOS, one symptom is that your opks will be positive or almost positive the entire cycle.

 

[madetomother]

1.Eat a nourishing traditional diet.
( https://www.westonaprice.org/basics/dietary-guidelines )

2. Supplement with hormone regulating foods (maca powder, raw unheated unfiltered honey, evening primrose oil)

3. Awaken your reproductive area (cold-pressed castor oil heat pack regimens, deep abdominal self massage, vaginal steam baths with cleansing herbs)

4. Visualization, because thoughts become things

 

[Bing28]

Try doing the opks twice a day at about the same times. Maybe one around noon and another at 7pm. Remember, don't do them in the morning...the results won't be accurate (despite what the directions say on some brands....outdated info!)

Why shouldn't you do them in the morning?

I've just started using clear blue advanced OPK and the instructions said to do first thing in the morning and got my first smiley face today.

X

 

[itsnowmyturn]

U shud do them in a morning because ur lh starts to surge first thing in a morning and won't show in ur urine until late morning to early afternoon xx

 

[Bing28]

U shud do them in a morning because ur lh starts to surge first thing in a morning and won't show in ur urine until late morning to early afternoon xx

So yesterday I got a negative OPK with FMU but then had some ewcm in the afternoon/evening.

And today I got a positive OPK with FMU.

So do you think yesterday was my first fertile day rather than today?

We BD'd last night anyway but just curious

Xx