Please help - Ovulation didn't happen this month

[Spring]

Hi everyone,

I joined this forum as I really need some help. I was on birth control pills for 12 years and I stopped using them in August last year. I then started fertility charting by observing cervical mucus and logging basal body temperatures.

In September and October my ovulation happened on cycle day 15, in November this moved to day 14 and in December it happened on day 13. December was a strange month for me, as the cervical mucus in my fertile days wasn’t ideal - it was different from previous months (really white and creamy, instead of wet and egg white, like in the months before).

My luteal phase in September, October and November was only 9 days long. In December it was 11 days long, which was unusual for me. My cycle length is 24 days. Ovulation was confirmed by my basal body temperature shift each month (the temperature always went up to 36.4 or 36.5 - every month until this one (January). I am on cycle day 17 and my basal body temperature stayed the same as in follicular phase (36.3) instead of shifting to my usual 36.4 or 36.5 Does this mean I didn’t ovulate this month? On cycle day 15 I saw a big egg white blob of mucus in the morning, which scared me slightly (though I had a similar blob in December). It only happened one time on that day and I then had ‘wet/creamy’ mucus after. Does anyone know what that means? Am I having problems that should be checked out?

I went to my GP at the end of November, to ask for advice on fertility (as I was worried of my short luteal phase) and my GP was really unhelpful. She told me to stop charting the data and have intercourse 2 to 3 times a week, and ignore any data that I collected (she didn’t even want to look at the data). I find that very hard to do, as I know that in case I have fertility problems, they will ask me to chart my temperatures and I’d rather do this sooner than later since I am already 36 years old.

If anyone can relate to my problem or have any advice for me, I would be really happy to hear from you. I also don’t know whether I should still chart my temperatures or stop and relax, as my doctor advised?

Please see my latest chart attached (from January 2017), and also my December chart.

 

[MrsS15]

I would most definitely stop and relax hun. You've only been trying a few months, these are the months you should relax and enjoy sex with your partner. Being uptight and frantically checking your temp and mucus will be adding unnecessary stress for you at this point. Give it another few months of just enjoying the ttc process through lots of sex and maybe then if you have no luck try ovulation tests. I'm undergoing fertility treatment and they've never mentioned checking my temp as a method of checking ovulation but opks have been mentioned. The only way to know for sure if you ovulate is through bloods but you don't need to go down that route yet. Give it until the 6 month mark and then go back to your GP - as you're over 35 that entitles you to get basic testing.

You know from doing your temp roughly when you ovulate so you're already a step ahead knowing when to 'do the deed'. Good luck xxx

 

[Spring]

Thank you very much for your advice! I really appreciate this. I hope your treatments are successful! Xx

 

[MrsS15]

You're very welcome. Stick around on here, the support and advice from the girls is great xx

 

[Spring]

Yes, I will do for sure. It's nice to have support! I don't have anyone else to speak to about this. X

 

[Spring]

Can I also ask how long did you wait until you contacted your doctor to get fertility treatments? What prompted you to do this?

 

[MrsS15]

I went when I'd been trying almost a year and had had one early miscarriage. I didn't have any issue conceiving my son (who's now 8) and I was worried. I ended up having a second early loss and it's now been a further 9 months since that happened and nothing. Because we have a son we aren't entitled to help on the NHS so we've went for help privately. They done further blood tests which show I have a low AMH (egg reserve) so we're going to start IVF in the next month or 2. We've been trying for almost 2 years so I'm hoping this gets our forever baby xx

 

[Spring]

Oh wow, you have been through a lot! It's great that you are persevering and keeping your chin up. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you, let's hope 2017 brings you your amazing baby!!!

It's crazy how a person gets so consumed with their fertility from the start and then a few months seem like years when you're trying. I will take your advice to relax and not log the data anymore, at least until summer anyway. Let's hope it happens. I don't have any children yet...

 

[MrsS15]

Thanks lovely. Having a rubbish day today as it would have been my due date but I know there's girls who've struggled worse than me so I'm trying not to wallow too much. Hopefully this is the light at the end of the tunnel for me!

It's very very easy to get consumed in this journey. You wait for it until you want it then you want to happen straight away, we all do it. I remember trying for 5 months and feeling despair, now I'm almost 2 years in. If you'd told me at 5 months I'd still be here trying I'd probably have given up there and then but you find a way to keep going. Don't let it all consume you yet when your baby could be just round the corner xx

 

[Spring]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Hugs!!! It must be so tough for you today, but try to think positively. It will happen again for you!

I know what you mean about looking back at your journey now.... gosh, such a though journey you had already. Let's hope this year is the one for you. Fingers crossed!

I would like to have a baby now (and quickly), that's why I was tracking my data. At first I didn't really know much about when to try for a baby etc, so I started reading about it and got consumed with all the information. Everyone was talking about Fertility charts and so I downloaded a few as well and kept updating them. I was happy to see that ovulation is happening and was curious to see what the next day will bring. It's been 4 months now and feels like a long time, however I know these things can't always happen quickly (for whatever reason) and I have to just relax and stop thinking about it.

It's puzzling why my temperature didn't go up this month. All that changed was that I started to take Seven Seas 'Trying for a baby' pre-conception pills (which includes 400 folic acid with iron and vitamin D). Previously I was taking Boots' own brand that included Folic Acid and Vitamin D.

I was also eating all the healthy stuff this month (lots of fruit and veg) and exercised (moderately)... so very strange...

 

[MrsS15]

I'm trying fingers crossed it does happen soon. And for you!!

It's totally natural to let it consume you and we all want it to happen straight away. I'm a firm believer now that it'll happen when it's meant to and forcing it doesn't make a difference. I don't mean it in a patronising way at all, I just know how it feels further down the line and that's why I want you to enjoy the journey right now (I'm not saying it'll take you a long time - I hope what I'm saying makes sense).

I ovulated a bit later this month because I started on pregnacare conception tablet again. I've never heard of seven seas delaying it but could be possible. I always got on well with seven seas but I ran out and just took plain folic acid and stuck to that. Sometimes women have an anovulation cycle where we don't ovulate for no particular reason. They say the average woman can have one a year so could be that. But you might just be ovulating a bit later so continue DTD just in case! Xx

 

[Spring]

Hiya. I wanted to come back here to let you know that I conceived that month when I thought the ovulation didn't happen. I wanted to let you know so that whoever reads this in the future and thinks they have a problem with ovulation they can see that maybe they concieved! Aaaawwww. I'm now 4 months pregnant. Good luck everyone!

 

[MrsS15]

That was nice of you to come back and say. I'm only 5 weeks pregnant so a bit behind you congratulations on your pregnancy! Xx

 

[Wren83]

Congratulations!! X

 

[Flump1518]

I just spent a while reading your earlier posts and it was so so nice to read at the end that you are both pregnant! Congratulations x