Possible luteal phase defect?

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

I have been ttc 10 cycles and had 1 chemical pregnancy in september. I started charting in january so i have almost 2 full cycles charted and january ff says i o'd on CD 21 and got af on CD32, so my luteal phase is 11 days, this current cycle i also o'd on CD21, so it looks like my luteal phase is on the short side. Now I have also started eating drasically different and excersizing right at the time i started charting, could changing diet have a positive effect on progesterone levels? My cycle has shortened by about 1-2 days since changing diet/excersizing. I also noticed last month my temp was lower overall last cycle than this cycle. I am thinking about going a head and taking 50mg of B6 starting next cycle, and will start using OPK too. What do you all suggest?

when i had my chemical pregnancy the nurse i talked to over the phone said my progesterone level was low...indication of miscarriage, don't know if that means anything now, but does that mean that maybe my chemical pregnancy was caused by low progesterone? I didn't think about it much until after the fact...

[MNHall]

I've always heard you want a minimum of a 10 day LP...and by my calcuation, your last LP was 10 days, being that on CD22 you were 1DPO, CD23 you were 2DPO.....CD31 you were 10DPO....then AF came on CD32, so that was actually CD1 now.

I have actually been talking with some friends about this lately since my first cycle PP and post nursing was a short LP of 8 days....but apparently some doctors even like to take some action when a LP is 10 days.

As for progesterone and m/c's, I'm not 100% sure, but I've heard it can be like the chicken and the egg. What came first? Was your progesterone low because you were m/c'ing, or did you m/c because your progesterone was low. I think there is still controversy in the medical/professional world about that one.

As for exercise and diet, I really have no idea. I have heard some mention that B6 in higher doses than is included in the diet can help lengthen your LP and I'm considering it after I have a few more cycles and see what mine is doing...but I want to see if my 8 day LP was a fluke or my new "normal".

The great thing about charting is you will have a lot more information to take to your doctor. They will probably want to see at least 3 cycles to "take action" and know if you indeed have a short LP....because this one cycle could have been a fluke...or, it could be part of the reason you're taking a while to conceive. If you end up seeing a short LP for this cycle and another without conceiving, I'd ask your doctor about B6 and/or progesterone.

Baby dust!!!!

[MNHall]

Oh, just reread and saw you that mentioned the B6 already!

[karmab]

not a lot of docs probably know about b6 and LPD. you can always try it. the recommended dose is 50-200 mg for this problem, and a lot of ladies here say you should take a b-complex if you are also taking b6. if you are already taking pnv, that may cover your b-complex. some docs think 10 days is a long enough LP, others say 12. you can ask to have a progesterone level drawn or an ultrasound at 7 dpo to get an idea, but neither test is not perfect. the official way to diagnose a LPD is endometrial biopsies in 2 different cycles (during LP.) the risks of progesterone are very low, so if you want to try more than the b6 you could talk to your hcp about trying progesterone suppositories (or oral), or there is an otc cream available too.

re: diet, i am not aware of much about diet and progesterone, although i believe i saw a link to a dr. lee site that was talking about taking in excess estrogenic foods (that may not be the right word, sorry) like soy and yams, etc, causing estrogen dominance, and that may in turn affect progesterone. being overweight can affect estrogen also, because adipose tissue makes estrogen on its own, but likewise, im not sure about how that in turn may affect progesterone levels. my guess would be that if anything, weight loss would help progesterone levels because they would be more in balance with estrogen (losing wt bringing down the estrogen.)

the thing about progesterone and m/c's is that progesterone can help prevent losses that are due to low progesterone, where you have a healthy growing baby that is shed with the endometrium because there isnt enough progesterone to keep the lining, because (in most cases) the corpus luteum concked out before the baby made enough hcg to take over keeping it going. prog doesnt help prevent the kind of m/c where the baby stops growing for some other reason, like a genetic problem. it can be hard to tell which is which sometimes, especially with chemicals if it's not a problem you are looking for.

not all women respond to progesterone for LPD, but most do. some do better with progesterone and clomid, too.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

thanks for all the info. AF just arrived and my luteal phase was only 9 days this past cycle, so I am definitely concerned now. I am debating my course of action. I am definitely going to start using opk tests this cycle, and probably start the B6.