For those of us with loooong cycles

[mommytoallh]

I hate having a long cycle. (I understand everyone here is frustrated for different reasons.) Having a long cycle means I don't get the chance every month to conceive. It means I have no idea when or if I will O. It means I feel crappy all the time as my hormones go up and down in preparation for Oing. It stinks! I am on cd9 (insert big sigh) last cycle was 41 days and I don't think I O'd at all. The cycle before that I didn't O until cd33. Anyone else with stupid long cycles want to complain? Feel free!

[TXmom2]

oh yeah

It sucks to have to wait for a 40-60 day cycle to TTC again I feel your pain there. Check 'em out http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/188af4My cycles are all over the place too, sometimes 28 days and sometimes 40 or more...it does get really frustrating

[Maurine]

Totally frustrating! Mine keep getting longer (there was one that was only 19 days, annovulatory). I think the wait to O is much, much worse than the two week wait.

[fierrbugg]

I feel your pain because for most of the last few years I didn't have much of a cycle to speak of. I had 5 a year in 2008 & 2009. I went March - Sept of last year w/o an af or O'ing or much of anything. My cycles have returned to fairly normal since Sept. I tried everything to get them back to my early 20's average of 28 days, but the only thing that worked for me was to lose about 20 pounds - which I didn't do on purpose. Since they started again they have averaged about 30 days and I've spotted throughout each cycle. It's weird having to buy tampons and maxi pads again, but I'm so not complaining.

ETA: I realize I made that sound like you just need to lose weight - but that's not what I'm saying - because I've had irregular cycles at all different weights (for the last 10 years) and know there's no 'magical' cure-all to change things. We tried many, many different meds/supplements and ttc plans before things just finally fell into place for us - as far as cycle length goes. Mine are still predominantly annovulatory - and I'm always concerned that the hella-long cycles will return.

[Rochelleann]

Today is my CD57
I feel your pain. Thanks for starting a thread in our honor!

[Virginia884]

Helllooooo ladies! I've always thought it would be funny/ironic if we had a "TTC with long cycles thread". What a hellish place. "Waiting to O. Still waiting. Maybe I Oed? Nope, still waiting."

I came off hormonal birth control almost a year ago and my cycles have been terrible since then. 90ish, 45ish, 55ish, and my last beauty of a cycle.. 98 days. I'm on CD26 now and I actually think I might have Oed! Got a bunch of + OPKs, but I'm not holding out hope. Could just a a surge of LH with no O.

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/25d85e

to you all. It's so nice to know I'm not alone. Keep waiting. We are a patient bunch!

[LeeLo]

I have long cycles too. I'm working on them.
My RE & Ob/Gyn that cycles over 35 days that go up and down every month means some type of ovulatory disorder.

Have you ladies gotten your hormones checked?
Thyroid?

[mommytoallh]

Well if we have some members, lol, I will start a January thread. So we can al wait, and wait, and wait together.

[wholewheatchick]

Hi! I am soooooo tired of my long crazy cycles!!!! I'm on CD 23, so based on the last two cycles, I have at least 20 more days to go till I O. My first cycle off BCP was 91 days long. I went off BCP in April of 2009 after being on it for just a year. The 15 months preceding that, I think I had 3 periods? Thanks to a mild eating disorder. I'm better now, but my ovaries don't believe me. I got tested for PCOS and hypothyroid, and all came back normal.

What is also so frustrating to me is that I get TONS of EWCF weeks before I O, so I'm always like "maybe tomorrow!!!" and then NO. http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/277407

I just started taking Maca, and I'm hopeful that it will help in some way.

Glad to know there are others in the same boat!

[mommytoallh]

Originally Posted by LeeLo

Have you ladies gotten your hormones checked?
Thyroid?

I have pcos, although I am one of the few that is not overweight. Lucky in that respect, but often brushed off because of that.

[Maurine]

I sometimes wonder if I just don't have enough hormones, period! Like, not enough LH to get a positive, and not enough estrogen to grow the follies, and not enough progesterone to support a long LP. Ah, well.

This cycle it shows I O'd on cd25, but if I take into account that my last "period" was on cd19 of the previous cycle, and was only heavy spotting (so maybe it wasn't a period at all), it's actually cd42!

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/29b7ff

[Maurine]

Originally Posted by mommytoallh

I have pcos, although I am one of the few that is not overweight. Lucky in that respect, but often brushed off because of that.

This is interesting. I haven't been tested for anything, but I don't have typical symptoms of PCOS. Also, I have a lower-end BMI of about 20.5. If anything, I want to gain about 5 lbs (in hopes that it helps fertility).

[babyangel10]

Its soo good to know im not the only one! Today is day 48 for me and i was just stating to spot but so far not any today.Hmmm?

Just be glad you guys dont have the track recored I do. Some of my AF"s last from 20-27 days. I believe 27 was my longest and that when they finally decided to give me a D&C to try to get me regular again. Did it work nope- I didnt even bleed after it.Same thing when I had my c-section w my son I only bleed a few hours after it. What I wouldnt give to be on a regular cycle.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Sorry just had to get it out. lol

[Maurine]

Originally Posted by babyangel10

Its soo good to know im not the only one! Today is day 48 for me and i was just stating to spot but so far not any today.Hmmm?

Just be glad you guys dont have the track recored I do. Some of my AF"s last from 20-27 days. I believe 27 was my longest and that when they finally decided to give me a D&C to try to get me regular again. Did it work nope- I didnt even bleed after it.Same thing when I had my c-section w my son I only bleed a few hours after it. What I wouldnt give to be on a regular cycle.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Sorry just had to get it out. lol

When I first started menstruating (like, 17 or so years ago) mine were like that. Long, heavy periods. They put me on birth control to "regulate" me. They told me I should just stay on it forever. Kinda wish I hadn't now.

My periods are now on the opposite side of things (light, only 3 days of flow the rest spotting). But I would HATE to go back to those heavy, horrible ones.

[Rochelleann]

Originally Posted by TXmom2

It sucks to have to wait for a 40-60 day cycle to TTC again I feel your pain there. Check 'em out http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/188af4My cycles are all over the place too, sometimes 28 days and sometimes 40 or more...it does get really frustrating

OMG - your 2008 chart gives me SO MUCH HOPE!!!!

Txmom2 - Your Oct 2008 chart looks exactly like my cycle this month. I only started charting on FF this month at CD54 (new to this) but we only BD'ed once on December 24 after I got EWCM (plenty of times at the end of Nov and beginning of Dec then I gave up until the EWCM hit).

Do you know the actual date you conceived? Was it that one am try on CD21? Also - did you get any BFN's before the BFP on CD54? It's interrogation time!

Now, I'm feeling kind of weird like I might be pregnant, but keep getting negative tests. Still have sore boobs, and last night the fish DH was cooking made my mouth all watery and I felt queasy. My temps are between 98-98.4 for the past 4 days since I started charting. Until I saw your chart, I'd lost all hope. I don't have any temps recorded from the start of my cycle, so I can't read what this means for me.

Thanks so much for posting this! I'm at CD58 today. The longest I've gone on a cycle within the last 12 months is 60 days, but some of the periods were drug induced.

Ahhhhh, sweet, sweet hope.

THANKS!
Rochelle

[babyangel10]

Originally Posted by Maurine

When I first started menstruating (like, 17 or so years ago) mine were like that. Long, heavy periods. They put me on birth control to "regulate" me. They told me I should just stay on it forever. Kinda wish I hadn't now.

My periods are now on the opposite side of things (light, only 3 days of flow the rest spotting). But I would HATE to go back to those heavy, horrible ones.

HAHA!! They did the same thing with me but after the first set of pills I was put on a shot that I got once a month then went to the deppa shot every 3 months.Was still supposed to be taking bc but never wanted to. Finally after I moved out and had my son I havent taken any since. My dr tried to put me on it after the d&c but I refussed knowing I wanted atleast one more. DH and I always used condoms untill we agreed it was time to try again but now I am just getting annyoded with trying after only abt 2 1/2 months. I have no idea when or if I o'ed this cycle. and I started "spotting" on the 2nd( i only saw it when I wiped) but also started taking prenatails then to see if that would help things out for me. Today though nothing when I have wiped so I have no idea whats going on or what to do next. I dont know if dh and I should still BD or not or just wait it out.

[Virginia884]

Originally Posted by LeeLo

I have long cycles too. I'm working on them.
My RE & Ob/Gyn that cycles over 35 days that go up and down every month means some type of ovulatory disorder.

Have you ladies gotten your hormones checked?
Thyroid?

I had my hormones checked last month. Everything came back "normal", but my serum testosterone was on the high high end of normal (I don't remember the exact numbers, but normal is like 6-80 and mine was at 78 or something). I've been drinking spearmint tea to try and bring that down and have also heard that licorice root can bring it down, too.

Originally Posted by mommytoallh

I have pcos, although I am one of the few that is not overweight. Lucky in that respect, but often brushed off because of that.

Yes, the midwife I saw totally skimmed over the PCOS talk, even though I showed her my wild charts. It is sort of frustrating that they say "just loose 10% of your weight and your PCOS will go away"... well, I don't have weight to loose and have an eating disorder in my history so I won't be crash dieting anytime soon.

Originally Posted by wholewheatchick

Hi! I am soooooo tired of my long crazy cycles!!!! I'm on CD 23, so based on the last two cycles, I have at least 20 more days to go till I O. My first cycle off BCP was 91 days long. I went off BCP in April of 2009 after being on it for just a year. The 15 months preceding that, I think I had 3 periods? Thanks to a mild eating disorder. I'm better now, but my ovaries don't believe me. I got tested for PCOS and hypothyroid, and all came back normal.

What is also so frustrating to me is that I get TONS of EWCF weeks before I O, so I'm always like "maybe tomorrow!!!" and then NO. http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/277407

I just started taking Maca, and I'm hopeful that it will help in some way.

Glad to know there are others in the same boat!

Emily! Hey there! Didn't know you were on 'this side' of the fertility boards. CTA is so much less of an emotional roller coaster... you don't get pregnant and you are quite happy about it. Not so over here. Good luck to you!

[TXmom2]

there is always hope

Originally Posted by Rochelleann

OMG - your 2008 chart gives me SO MUCH HOPE!!!!

Txmom2 - Your Oct 2008 chart looks exactly like my cycle this month. I only started charting on FF this month at CD54 (new to this) but we only BD'ed once on December 24 after I got EWCM (plenty of times at the end of Nov and beginning of Dec then I gave up until the EWCM hit).

Do you know the actual date you conceived? Was it that one am try on CD21? Also - did you get any BFN's before the BFP on CD54? It's interrogation time!

Now, I'm feeling kind of weird like I might be pregnant, but keep getting negative tests. Still have sore boobs, and last night the fish DH was cooking made my mouth all watery and I felt queasy. My temps are between 98-98.4 for the past 4 days since I started charting. Until I saw your chart, I'd lost all hope. I don't have any temps recorded from the start of my cycle, so I can't read what this means for me.

Thanks so much for posting this! I'm at CD58 today. The longest I've gone on a cycle within the last 12 months is 60 days, but some of the periods were drug induced.

Ahhhhh, sweet, sweet hope.

THANKS!
Rochelle

Yes, it appears that one time on day21 was the one I was pissed at DH because he was moody and stressed (work) during my "peak time" and not in the mood...I thought we had almost zero chance for a BFP because of that. When I got the crosshairs and knew we'd only DTD that one time I just knew I'd be waiting forever for the next cycle to try again. We actually were out of town for the weekends of the 15th and the 22nd (visiting family for Thanksgiving) and I just knew AF would show any day. DH kept telling me I was pregnant and I was mad at him because I just knew there was no way. I wanted him to stop making me think it might be true. I finally took the test "just to prove him wrong" and OMG!!! I was shocked it was a dark obvious BFP right away! I was shaking and crying...we'd been TTC for so long, I'd just about decided it'd never happen.

Don't give up! I'm living proof that even after so many years (10 years off & on) it can happen.
I hope you see a BFP very, very soon

[TXmom2]

Originally Posted by LeeLo

I have long cycles too. I'm working on them.
My RE & Ob/Gyn that cycles over 35 days that go up and down every month means some type of ovulatory disorder.

Have you ladies gotten your hormones checked?
Thyroid?

I do have Hypothyroid (low) and have been on meds since 2000. My new OB/GYN just happened to be involved in a study that said women with fertility problems and low thyroid might benefit from being on a little higher dose even if they are testing in the "normal" range (which I was, although slightly on the lower side). She increase my dosage and 3 months later I got my BFP! coincidence? I doubt it. I told her she was my miracle worker

[Rochelleann]

I just looked at my HPT from this morning and there's now is another line. I know it's just an evaporation line, but it is so great to finally see more than one line on my test! I know they're not faulty!