Ovulation

[SilverMoon010]

I know we can ovulate any time during our cycle, but I'm wondering if I am ovulating a few days before my period some cycles and if that is common, or happens at all actually. I don't use ovulation kits (yet anyway), so I don't know for sure and we just started TTC for baby #2.  What are the chances we ovulate right before our period?

[SilaMarila]

If you are ovulating very close to your period is would mean you have a very short luteal phase. The luteal phase is the time from ovulation until your next period. I think the average luteal phase length is 10-16 days. Anything under 10 days can make it very hard to conceive. I would recommend temping and charting your next cycle to see when you actually are ovulating.

[SilverMoon010]

If you do have a short luteal phase, say under 10 days, why would it be harder to conceive? Would that really only be because it's harder to pinpoint, or is there an actual medical reasoning that shorter luteal phases make it tougher to conceive? Thanks so much.

[Bugglette]

The luteal phase is controlled by the corpus luteum (formed from the remains of the dominant follicle, from which your egg was released), which produces the progesterone necessary to make your lining just right for implantation.  If the corpus luteum dies off too early, your lining will start degrading before the egg can implant properly, or before it can settle enough to produce enough hCG to support the corpus luteum long enough for the placenta to form and take over progesterone production.

[Jaimee]

Definitely start temping and charting to see when/if you're ovulating.  My LP was less than 9 days when I first started charting and I had to work at getting it longer before we could conceive.  Now my LP is 10-11 days long and I've had no issue conceiving two more children.  If your LP is not long enough, your body will flush the uterine lining before the embryo can implant.  Most resources will say you need at least 10 days. 

If you need help getting going with charting, check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  It is an invaluable resource and you will be surprised how much you learn about your body!  You can also make use of the free site www.fertilityfriend.com, which has a free online course you can take.

[SilverMoon010]

Is there a reason your luteal phase can become shorter as you get older? My LP seemed to have been normal at midcycle previously because I conceived my son 3 years ago in just 3 months.  I've never charted before so this would be new to me but maybe I need to do that to see what my body is doing.  This is only our second month of TTc for baby #2, but I'm not really noticing any usual O signs the past month.  I was looking into getting a fertility monitor but boy are they expensive.  I figure I'll give it a few more months of TTC before purchasing one of those. 

What could cause a previoulsy normal LP phase to become short, if anything?

[Norabella]

Originally Posted by SilverMoon010 

What could cause a previoulsy normal LP phase to become short, if anything?

Low progesterone is a common culprit for short LP (and early PG loss). Really, before investing in a fertility monitor, I second the suggestion to read Taking Charge of Your Fertility. If after reading you decide you still want a fertility monitor, the knowledge gained from the book will be a big benefit to you in understanding/using the monitor.

[Jaimee]

Like the pp said, low progesterone is the main cause of a short LP.  Low progesterone can be caused by a variety of things like breastfeeding, low or high body fat, hormonal disorders, and just regulating after having a baby.  I needed to put on a few pounds to increase my luteal phase.  I also supplemented with 50mg of vitamin B6.  Vitex can also help balance out your hormones.  After my first child, it took almost a year for my cycles to regulate back to a fertile length LP.  With my second child, I regulated almost as soon as I got AF back. 

The first step would be finding out what's actually going on with your cycles.  This is a great forum to get help with charting, so keep posting your questions!  If you make use of www.fertilityfriend.com you can post your charts so that others can help you decipher them.  Go out and buy a basal body thermometer today and start temping in the morning (same time) before you get out of bed!  :)