ADVISE PLEASE

[TINKERBELL30]

I am new at this so please excuse if I don't know all the short cuts. Fist of all from the age of 16 I never used to get my peroid on a regular basis. One every 6 months was my regularity. My husband and I have trying to conceive for the last 3 years. I have been from Gynae to Gynae and no 1 could pick up on the problem. Then eventually my current Gynae said to me that I have PCOS. Didn't know what she was talking about, so she explained to me. Then I went for a Laparoscopy in January. Everything went perfectly well for the first 4 months, got my period etc. Then all of a sudden in May I never got my period, I was so hoping for a little bundle of joy that I bought Home Pregnancy Tests. This was a dissapointment, cause both the tests were negative. Then I went for a blood test which also as a result was negative. So the Gynae gave me pills to ensure that my period come on, which it did. Then last month I had a normal 30 day Cycle. I went to the Gynae on the 19 July she had a look and we did an internal scan were she said everything is perfect, she gave me an injection to release the egg for ovulution. Was suppose to start my period on the 1 August to date this NOTHING!!!! I have been feeling so tired for the last 2 weeks, I just want to sleep, can't wait to go to bed at night. I have afernoon naps over weekends otherwise I will not get throught the day. My breasts are sensitive by on the top (very much the same as it would be a week before my period) my nipples still look the same. I have a creamy discharge only spotted the 2 drops today. What are the opinions. Could I finally be pregnant??

[KM84]

Hi Tinkerbell, welcome to the Mothering forums!

Assuming you had some well timed BD (Big Deed aka intercourse) around the time of ovulation, it's very possible you could be pregnant. Have you taken a HPT (home pregnancy test)?

Sore breasts and tiredness can definitely be pregnancy signs, but the can also be just part of your normal cycle. When you're TTC it's easy to start thinking everything you feel is pregnancy related, but these symptoms can really only be identified as such in hindsight - once you know your pregnant. Many people don't have any preliminary symptoms at all. It can be frustrating, for sure.

HPTs are generally accurate 14 DPO (days post ovulation), so if you ovulated on the 19th or 20th, it's safe to test now. A lot of the ladies here swear by dollar store tests, they're cheap and work just as well as the more expensive ones at the drug store. 

Good luck!

[TINKERBELL30]

Hi KM84.

Thanks for the advise. I must be honest I want to go buy a HPT so badly, but the previous time my Period went missing for a month I had my hopes up to think THAT WAS THE MONTH. But is wasn't . I was wonder if it is a good idea to wait till my next period is suppose to come and then when nothing happens do a HPT?? 

[Jaimee]

Welcome to MDC!! 

Here's a wiki for all the acronyms you'll be seeing on these boards: http://www.mothering.com/community/wiki/abbreviations-and-acronyms  I know how crazy it can be trying to decipher other people's posts when you have no clue what all the acroynms mean!

Anyway, there are quite a few women here dealing with PCOS or PCOS-like symptoms so you might be interested in posting a new thread about that.  What pills were you given to induce AF?  What shot were you given to induce ovulation?  It seems that PCOS is a condition often diagnosed incorrectly and too often or one that doctors come to based on elimination.  Certainly long cycles are a common symptoms of PCOS, but long cycles can be caused by other things.  Are you underweight?  Do you exercise frequently and strenuously?  How is your diet?

To better help decipher what is going on with your cycle, I highly, highly recommend starting to chart.  Charting your basal body temperature and cervical fluid will allow you to see when you are fertile, when you ovulate, how long your luteal phase is (the time between O and AF), when to expect AF, when is good to test, if you're pregnant, and if there is anything of concern happening with your cycle (which you already know there is... charting would arm you with additional information for your doctors).  Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and basal body thermometer from your local drug store.  If you do not get pregnant this cycle, start charting as soon as you get AF.  You don't have to read the book cover to cover to start, but it's packed full of information I never knew about my body- it's so interesting and empowering.  Log your data on a free site like www.fertilityfriend.com so that you can share your charts with us and we can help you decipher anything confusing.

In regards to your current symptoms, they certainly could be pregnancy symptoms, but they could also be from fluctuating hormones due to everything your body is going through... meds especially.  If you O'd on or just after the 19th then you should be about 14-16 DPO right now.  An HPT should be accurate at this point and I think that it's better to know sooner rather than a month or two later that you're pregnant so that you can take all the necessary precautions that pregnancy requires.  Just pick up a generic drug store test or dollar store test that only requires an hCG level of 25.  No need to spend a bunch of money on a digital test.  Also, I recommend picking up a two pack in case you get an ambiguous result/squinter and need to test again in a few days.  Be sure to use first of the morning urine for best results.  Good luck and keep us updated!!

[TINKERBELL30]

Hi Jaimee.

Thank you for the link of all the acronyms. It will really help. Thanks.

I will do the chart after my HPT is a negative. I truley hope that will not be the case. Please send me some baby dust.  Have a great day. :)

[Jaimee]

Well, you're 17-19 DPO today if the ovulation induction worked... an HPT really should be accurate at this point unless you're one of those rare women that fails HPT's.  I would absolutely test if AF has not yet shown and test again in 3 days if you get a BFN and still no AF.  After that I would get a blood test if AF continues not to show.  Delayed O could certainly be the cause of delayed AF and BFN's, but with the meds I'm not sure if that is likely or not.  Does your doctor recommend a time to test?

Good luck!  Here's some baby dust!  

[Pasta]

I think you should test! That way, even if you get a BFN, you can go to the doctor to get your period going again, and move on with a new cycle. 

[CorgiMommy]

Tinkerbelle - it really sounds to me like you might have cought that egg in just the right time and that you are hopefully pregnant.  let us know plese...

[TINKERBELL30]

Pasta I did a HPT but it was BFN!

My AF appeared on Monday Night . I am SO depressed. I worked out.. My cycle was 37 days .... I mean WTH!!!!! I think I must phone my Gynae to put me back on clomid for 6 months... Do you guys think it is because I am smoker???

CorgiMommy.. I am SO SO SO sorry to hear about your lost... Can not imagine what it must feel like.  Here is some baby dust for you.... .

[CorgiMommy]

Tinkerbelle - (I have a Corgi with the same name hie hie)  I am also a smoker and only stopped when I was pregnant (breastfeeding DS).  There are studies that show that heavy smoking can give you problems concieving and affects CM.  I personally have never been affected, but if you continue to struggle I would suggest stopping for a wile, but a shock like stopping smoking can shock your system and give even more problems I think (that is what my OB said anyway.  Wean yourself off slowly.

[TINKERBELL30]

Corgi.  Thaks for that advise. I have been smoking for about 18 years, but for the last year I only smoke 5 a day during working week. And over weekends maybe 10 a day.  Think I must just quite completely.

Think my next step is clomid for 6 months and see what happens... Maybe nature is not ready for me yet... Who knows.!!

[Jaimee]

Tinkerbell... I'm so sorry that AF found you!  It would appear that your ovulation was later than indicated by the induction.  I am not familiar with how long it should take to cause ovulation after the injection, but I would have assumed quickly- not a week later.  This is where charting really really comes in handy!

As for smoking- I would absolutely quit!  If not just to see how it affects your fertility, but simply b/c it is the healthy thing to do for you and for your baby.  Smoking increases the chances SIDS and exacerbates all sorts of healthy issues in children like asthma.  Not to mention the risk of cancer for you.  Who knows... maybe quitting would do the trick of fixing your cycles!  Whether it has been shown scientifically that smoking negatively affects fertility- I don't know, I'd have to do an article search- but since you are having issues it simply makes sense to remove anything toxic from your life that you can.  You work out, you eat well, why would you keep smoking?  Quit!  You can do it! 

Edited by Jaimee - 8/10/11 at 12:09pm

[janellody]

Tinkerbell, I agree that you should quit smoking, not only for your fertility but for your life!  Smoking kills, no reason to keep doing it if you can quit!  Good luck on TTC :)

[TINKERBELL30]

@Jaimeee & @ Janellody

You are so absolutely right!!! I am waisting money and my health. I have to get my life in order IE. Start excercising, eating more healthy and to top it STOP SMOKING.... I have made up my mind. I am DONE WITH THAT ^$%#^&!!!!!

TC is the MOST important thing for me at this stage... Hold thumbs all.... HERE GOES NOTHING!!!!

[Jaimee]

YAY!!  Congrats on your decision! 

[CorgiMommy]

I am with you all the way - keep me posted!

[KM84]

Good luck Tinkerbell, I know quitting smoking is HARD ("quitting is easy, I've done it plenty of times!") but it will definitely be worth it. Don't be afraid to ask for help quitting, there are a number of organizations that can help you with strategies. And tell your friends, they'll help keep you on the right track.

A number of studies have indeed linked smoking to infertility / problems conceiving. Among other things, it can limit hormone production which causes problems both releasing an egg and with implantation. There are some more details here.

Additionally, if your partner smokes that may be affecting his sperm count / motility. From the article:

Men who smoke cigarettes have a lower sperm count and motility and increased abnormalities in sperm shape and

function. 

It's definitely not easy, but if both you and your partner can kick the habit you'll have a much better chance of conceiving.

[TINKERBELL30]

Hi all

Just a quick update. Got the script from the Ginea - 100mg of Clomid for 5 days (3 month presricption). With me starting to excersize after work and stop smoking I hope this may be it.... Please hold thumbs and pray with me.... Ty!

[TINKERBELL30]

 Just a quick question.  How do I test my BBT? Can I use a normal thermomitor? Or do you get specific ones? 

[Jaimee]

You want to use a basal body thermometer (BBT), which you can pick up at your local drug store.  Some are better than others.  I prefer ones that take longer than 30 seconds (they seem more accurate to me) and can hold two temperatures in memory (this is especially handy when you wake up, temp, and go back to sleep- you can look at and record the temp later).  The Walgreens thermometer gets generally bad reviews.  BD gets good reviews. 

Start as soon as you can since the first day of red blood is cycle day 1.  Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler at the library (or buy it).  You don't need to read it cover to cover to get started, but it really is an excellent resource.

When temping you want to focus on a few things: taking it at the same time each morning (within 30 minutes); taking it after a solid block of sleep (3 hours is usually recommended); and making sure that you don't get out of bed, sit up, drink water, or fall asleep before or while temping.  So basically you just wake up, roll over, temp, and go back to sleep or get up. 

Some women are really sensitive to changes in sleep patterns or ambient temperature (like if your room is hot one morning and not the next or you wake up snuggled under a warm blanket and the next are out of the covers).  But other women find that they can see their pattern despite numerous night wakings, not getting a 3 hour block of sleep prior to temping, or environmental changes.  Other things that can affect temp- pretty much the same things that can delay ovulation: travel, stress, diet changes, injury, illness, and strenuous exercise.

Next, cervical fluid (CF) is something you can observe throughout the day- whenever you feel it, whenever you see it (while wiping, on your panties), etc.  Here is my general guide to CF:

Dry: you'll feel dry all day and there is nothing on your panties

Sticky: you'll generally feel dry and there will be a bit of staining- usually yellow- on your panties.  It might be a bit crumbly or clumpy.

Creamy: generally you'll feel a little wet, lotiony in texture, could be slippery when you wipe, often it will stand up on your panties

Wet: you'll feel wet and your panties will likely be wet- maybe even soak through (I rarely get this)

Eggwhite: you might actually feel it slipping out of you througout the day and it might fall out of you while using the bathroom, stretchy- it may stretch from you to the TP for several inches- and usually clear or yellow tinted, often quite profuse

Temp and CF are the two basic fertility signs you need to chart.  There are other signs you can record like cervical position (CP), but it's not necessary unless your temps and CF are not showing a clear pattern.

So what you're going to see is a group of low temps from the start of AF, which is cycle day 1 (CD 1) until the day after ovluation (O) when you should see a spike in temp or steady climb to a higher group of temps.  The days between O and AF are called your luteal phase (LP).  Generally it is said that you need at least 10 days to sustain a pregnancy.  The average length is 12-14 days.  Your LP will not vary much- usually just by one or two days cycle to cycle.  But your O day could vary considerably.  So when you see O on your chart you can then predict when AF should show based on your average LP length.  If you go 3 days past your longest LP length then that is an excellent sign of pregnancy.  If you get 18 high temps after O that is 99% accurate- just like an HPT.

Likewise your CF will go from dry just after AF to sticky, to creamy, to EW as O approaches.  You may or may not go through all the different types of CF prior to O or you could skip from dry to creamy or dry to EW.  You might have many days of creamy and one or two of EW or you might have 3 or 4 days of EW with hardly any creamy.  It all depends on the woman and that particular cycle.  But after O you will dry up.  It could be instantaneous- like the day of the spike you're dry.  Or it could decrease slower- EW to creamy to stick to dry.  But usually you will dry up within a few days and then may or may not experience a few more days of creamy or even wet/EW later in your LP, just prior to AF.

Anyway, that should get you started!  Post if you have questions and use www.fertilityfriend.com to share your chart!  Good luck!