Luteal Phase Question (x-posted in Infertility)

[Belia]

How short of a LP is too short??

Today I am 11 DPO and I just started spotting tonight.  So does that mean that my LP is 10 days or 11 days??  Do I need to worry??  This is pretty consistent for me.

Thanks.

[Jaimee]

Spotting prior to AF is not considered normal and is a sign of low progesterone.  For technical LP counting you would count all days including spotting until the first day of full red flow.  But for fertility purposes, you cannot consider those spotting days as part of your fertile LP.  Therefore you're currently dealing with a 10 day LP, which is about the shortest you can have a sustain a pregnancy.  The thing about LP's, though, is that they can vary by 1-2 days cycle to cycle.  So you may have more fertile cycles where your LP goes to 12 days without spotting and less fertile cycles where it's 10 days with spotting.  The trick will be to catch the more fertile cycle and keep supporting your progesterone with some supplements.

[Belia]

Do you have a link to a resource that might recommend some supplements?

And it just occurred to me that maybe I don't know what "spotting" is.    I guess I just call the very start of AF, like where its very watery and only comes off on the TP, but doesn't stain the underwear, "spotting."

HOW IS IT THAT I AM 38 YEARS OLD AND DON'T KNOW THIS?!?!?!?!?  

[Jaimee]

There are some great books on fertility and nutrition and there are some suggestions in TCOYF.  But in general I would try vitamin B6 and magnesium supplements first.  Then you can move on to other things like wild yam or NPC if necessary.  I don't have any links off the top of my head right now...

Spotting is just spotting- not full red flow.  It might be pink or brown and just spot, not turning into AF that same day.  So if you have a day of that before you need a pad/tampon/diva cup then that is spotting.  "Normal" is to have maybe a bit of spotting say in the morning and then full on flow by afternoon or just straight up full flow as soon as you notice blood.  The spotting for a day/days ahead of full flow suggests that your progesterone is dropping gradually for a day(s) (instead of dropping more drastically) and this is often the cause of chemical pregnancies.  The embryo doesn't get the chance to implant prior to the lining starting to shed or a newly implanted embryo doesn't have enough time to produce hCG before the lining starts to disintegrate.