Starting to worry now.... Anyone else in same boat??

[tinaw20]

I've been ttc for 6 months now and am still having irregular cycles varying from 37-42 days. Pre contraception I was a regular 34 days. The last two months I've had horrific cramps over a week before bleeding and extremely tender boobs. This is very unusual for me and I've no idea if it means something might be up.... Can't get an appointment with the GP for at least 6 weeks and they won't take me seriously until I've been ttc for one year anyway.... Have others had similar issues??

[impatienceisavirtue]

They may take you seriously if you have reason for concern. We have been ttc for 8 and gp referred for testing straight away to allay our concerns re DH's pain meds

[tinaw20]

I suppose I do have a legitimate worry, I mean I'm convinced I'm not ovulating! Get no symptoms, every opk had been negative and I haven't noticed any fertile cm for a few months now... Just want to be able to put my mind at rest!

[bonzo77]

2 thoughts:

1. Are you sure you're not pg already? The periods could be bleeding in pregnancy. Some cramping can be normal, as can be tender breasts, and a lack of EWCM.
   
2. Have you tried bbt charting? OPKs can be very tricky to use and don't confirm ovulation, just predict it, not always successfully. BBT charting will confirm fairly accurately if you have ovulated.

[tinaw20]

No I tested in Nov and Dec, both BFNs, plus the bleeding is far too heavy when it eventually arrives. I was charting but my temp seemed to vary so much over the days it made no sense to me! Plus I thought that only shows once you have ovulated and it's too late by then?

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Can you join the site fertility friend . You add I. Daily personal data and it gives you stats on where you are. It does require you to temp. It got me my 2 BFP s

[tinaw20]

I was using it but you only get it free for a month, I don't want to overdo the charting and testing anyway as that just messes with my head even more!!

[impatienceisavirtue]

The pinkpad app is similar, and it's free

[tinaw20]

I think I want to try and avoid charting, I just need to see the docs and have them put my mind at rest as I'm fed up thinking there's something wrong! I need to be insistent that they see me though... It's making life so crap just now tho as for the 2-3 weeks from when the PMS symptoms start to when my AF actually arrives I feel rubbish! Have no motivation, hurt all over, moods all over the place. It's ruining my life and my friends are starting to get annoyed with me because of it! Just want my body to sort itself out :(

[daisydee43]

Use ovulation tests - I only ovulated one day a month!! Still got pg. used some weird lube too that you squirt right up you, medically for conceiving apparently

[tinaw20]

Tried opk's before always got a negative! I really don't want to obsess too much, I just want peace of mind that nothing's wrong! Maybe it is just coz I'm older and coming off the pill... Last time I came off I'd been on it for 10 years but I was only 24, I'm nearly 30 now!!

[juneau]

I'm very surprised that your doc is refusing to see you based on what you've written above. TTC for six months may not be reason for further investigation yet, but long cycles and the symptoms you describe surely merit some tests? I'd be demanding to see someone, if it was me.

[deelite72]

You're not by any means older. 30 is fertile. I'm 41 and pregnant. That's old! :-) But I was in my late 20s with my first. I think, from the info you've provided, your body has had little opportunity to have natural periods. You've been a pill taker for a long time it sounds like it. This can really throw off your cycles. My friend came off the pill around 30 after having spent probably 12 years on it. It took her over two years to get pregnant. It was very frustrating. But she's gone on to have 3 kids. You should, at any rate, have your GP take a blood test to check your LH and FSH levels. Because you are young, your GP has dragged his/her heels and that's not right. If those test results are encouraging, that will give you peace of mind and peace of mind plays a huge part in getting pregnant. Good luck.

[LE89]

Hi Tina, I'm in the same boat- have been TTC for 8 months now and cycle still hasn't settled down- some periods have been very light but lasting up to 16 days and then others being extremely heavy and lasting 36hrs!

I spoke to a nurse in Aug and she said it was hormones and if it was still the same to speak to doctor in October...spoke to my doctor three times since October and she has refused to give me an appointment for tests/investigations/etc as I need to have been TTC for 1 year...the only advice she will give me is to try and lose weight (without actually asking how much I weigh!) or go back onto the pill for a few months

[tinaw20]

I didn't have this hassle when I came off the pill last time though, that's what's confusing me! I suppose I wasn't ttc then though, so maybe things did take a little while and I just wasn't as aware of it... My BMI is 27 so I'm not too worried about my weight even tho the doc did indirectly mention it when I first said I was ttc! I do want to check my hormone levels tho as I'm convinced there's something not right having never got a +opk or even having the right fertile mucus! I just gets lots of stage 2 and 3, no stage 4! My dh is very overweight but a male doc I spoke to said that wasn't such a problem....? He's an ex smoker too so there may be other issues there entirely! I don't want to still be obsessing come Aug when it's been a year though, it's so demoralising! Xx

[bonzo77]

Too true. Bbt charting won't tell you in advance that you are about to ovulate, but it will confirm if you are ovulating, and how long your luteal phase is. If you are not ovulating that can be investigated and treated, and if your LP is short (less than 11 days I think) that can also be treated (I'm sure mine was lengthened with vitamin B6.

[tinaw20]

Will need to get some new batteries for my thermometer then, that's the only reason I stopped! Could the fact that my temp was up and down all the time show that I'm not ovulating tho?

[bonzo77]

Not sure. "Rocky" temps tend to be due to inconsistencies with measuring I think. A non-ovulatary cycle will show no clear thermal shift, and I guess maybe rocky temps too. Here are my tips for bbt charting...

1. Get a special thermometer. I have a "baby mad" one from amazon. It needs to measure to 2 decimal places.
   
2. When you go to bed place the thermometer on top of your phone by your bed.
   
3. The second you wake up, stick the thermometer in your mouth, (don't even open your eyes, or check the time or anything) while switching on your phone to open the app.
   
4. Record the temp. Even if it's too early, provided you have had more than 3 hrs sleep.
   

I'm getting pretty stable readings even if the timings are a bit haywire (I don't sleep that well and get woken by my children). It's normal to get some variation. It would be odd if your bbt was identical every day. So, for example, pre ovulation my temps are between 36.14 and 36.25 and post ovulation between 36.35 and 36.65 (or thereabouts).

The FF website does give great tips and video tutorials as well as answers to FAQs.

[bonzo77]

Oh, you can use FF for free, it's just more basic (I think temps and cross hairs only). Also, they have special offers, I had one for I think £14.99 for a year.

[tinaw20]

I just realised I do have the FF app! It's just not as fancy as it was since my 30day trial expired but I do still use it to record symptoms as I'd love to know if there's certain things I get that can be a prewarning, so far nothing though! Just a whole lot of cramps and sore boobs :( that's not much of a temp shift, maybe I just never noticed it before? I thought it was like a whole degree it dropped!

[bonzo77]

It goes up after ovulation. But only by about 0.2 of a degree. FF will detect a thermal shift for you, even in the basic free app. It does a red line to show you.

[tinaw20]

I'll definitely have to start temping again next month then! Still got about 40 opk's too so may give them another go - so much for not obsessing!!

[basia2]

If you have "regular" periods, I would think you are ovulating, even if your cycle is a bit long.
But you should see a doctor anyway, to allay your concerns.
Best wishes to you.

[tinaw20]

Yeah I suppose, it was just the complete lack of fertile cm last month that through me! And I seem to have constant PMS symptoms from CD30 to whenever it decides to show up. Totally confusing!!

[bonzo77]

It's quite easy to miss the fertile CM. Unless you have a rummage before you wee or poo every time, and check the paper when you wipe and your Knicks every time you pull them down.... Oh, and it's normal not to ovulate every single cycle.