question about ovulation, breastfeeding and progesterone

[contactmaya]

Hi, this is my 2nd time ttc'ing whilst breastfeeding. Last time i did this, i was breastfeeding my then 2 yo about 8 times a day. I ovulated usually on day 17-20 of my cycle and had a short luteal phase. My first cycle of ttc, i got lucky with a bfp, (with my now 2yo nursling, other one is a 4 yo nursling :-) )

I took progesterone in that cycle, to ensure against any problem with luteal deficiency.

This time, something different is happening. I was ovulating around day 17-20, then started the ttc process. My first cycle, i ovulated on day 15! Big surprise. I took progesterone like i did last time. bfn. I think i may have missed the egg, but who knows. Current nursling is nursing a little less than his bro at that time, maybe 6 times a day.

Second month ttc, i ovulated on day 13!!!

I am 1 dpo today. Just wondering this-

If i am ovulating earlier, does that mean that my luteal phase will now be 'sufficient'? Then i wont need the progesterone.

Or should i play it safe, and take it anyway.

Is it just that my cycle is returning to normal, or could there be something else going on as far as ovulation day occurring earlier?

One more point-i got my opk positive, and ovulated that evening! Not even 12hours warning. Is this normal?


Ill put that question in a separate post.

grateful for any advice.
Maya

Ps im 43, so wondering if age might play into this in a negative way, or maybe its irrelevant.

[karmab]

earlier o'ing shouldnt have too much effect on lp, although it can be related to a shorter lp if the egg follicle that pops is less mature than it would ideally be. i was going to ask about your age before i saw that last line- o'ing earlier in your cycle is also a sign of decreasing ovarian reserve, but an o on cd13 is not bad. you may want to ask your hcp about checking bloodwork related to ovarian function, although i am not sure if bf'ing will throw off those results or not.

[contactmaya]

I agree about the ovarian reserve issue, but have been unable to test this all along, as have always been breastfeeding.
On the other hand, it could also suggest a more robust ovulation, if it is defying the breastfeeding hormones, and could be just that my cycle is getting back to normal. Wouldnt an earlier (normally healthy) ovulation in a breastfeeding cycle suggest a stronger ovulation, and therefore lead to more progesterone in the luteal phase. Or am i misunderstanding this?

I guess its just the possibilities i am after....

[karmab]

you are misunderstanding, i do believe. im going to look for a really good link on this subject to help you.

[karmab]

http://www.fertility.ca/2008/06/how-...r-egg-quality/

this link has a ton of info, if you go there and look around a bit, i bet it will answer a lot of your questions. you see there on the first page he says o on cd 13 is very good. the only thing is that a paragraph or two later, he talks about if your cycles are shortening, that is not a good sign, but could indicate diminishing reserve. you may have to sift through all the q and a's to see if anyone asks about the effects of bf'ing on this, because it could just be that as you nurse less, your cycles are getting back to 'normal?' anyway, i hope this helps. at any rate, in our 40s it's not a stretch to imagine our egg quantity/quality could be an issue. good luck!