Help me figure this out...

[HopefulJo]

So, here's my situation: I'm on my 6th PP cycle, still nursing my 16 mo. All the previous cycles have had an LP between 7-11 days (usually 9) and I've O'ed on CD16-20. This time around, I flew by 9DPO and 11DPO with no signs of AF. I'm not an early, obsessive tester, so I waited until 15DPO (when DH drove me to CVS to get a test :-P ) That was Sunday. It was a BFN on a FRER. So, what could be going on, here at 17DPO, CD34? Still no sign of AF, though I've had minuscule amount of brown CM, but not even enough to justify a pad.

Maybe I didn't actually O (I'm just charting CM, not temping)? I've never had an anovulatory cycle before, so, if that's the case, what do I do? Just wait it out? Could a cyst or ectopic pregnancy cause a delayed AF? Anything I should be worried about?

I'm going to test again tomorrow, if AF hasn't shown up- just wondering about other possibilities.

[Mosaic]

My guess is that you didn't O, O'ed late, or haven't O'ed yet. Since you're still nursing, that's not entirely uncommon. I say wait it out... maybe try to temp now, because you might catch the O or get a temp of 96.7 or 99.0 and have your answer right there!

[mrs_mandolini]

I've never been a hard core fertility tracker, but I've had that exact thing happen.. right around the first few months I was ever TTC. Outside chance you are seeing an implant bleed, but with the BFN on day 33, it certainly sounds like an anovulatory cycle. I've had those be 30-60+! days long. Wasted a lot of pregnancy tests that way.

During the most notable round of this, personally, I had 3 - 4 months that were totally out of whack before everything went back to normal-ish.

My experience with cysts (not PCOS, just big follicular or corpus luteum cysts) is that they don't make a cycle very much longer, maybe a week or less, and the one-sided pain is pretty unmistakable and continues at least through the first several days of AF. So it "could be" that but if it is, there's nothing medicine generally does for them anyway unless they are really, really huge- bigger than a baseball. And you would know it were there if it were that big.

[mrs_mandolini]

And I realize I didn't answer your question. Yes, you just wait it out. Or keep testing. Up to you! Remember those of us not on hormonal BC ovulate & cycle like 10x more than our predecessors who were constantly lactating and bearing children, so it's not totally shocking that every once in a while one just doesn't pop. (Especially as we get closer to 30.. or 40 ... or 50.)

[HopefulJo]

I KNEW as soon as I mentioned this weird cycle to ANYONE that AF would come. Sure enough, she did. So, whether it was a chemical pregnancy on anovulatory, I'm starting over now. Hopefully I don't have the same experience as you, mrs. mandolini, and have an out-of-whack cycle for the next few months! We'll see! Thanks for your help, ladies.