Irregular Periods-When to Test?

amylee429

I have very irregular periods, and had unprotected sex with my husband on the 18th. The only thing for "tracking" I've been doing is using an iPhone app for somewhat predicting when my next period is to come. According to it, we may have been at the very beginning of the fertile window, but with my period being so irregular it's impossible to tell for sure. Starting a few days after we had sex, I've had moments when I felt slightly light-headed, other times when I've felt vaguely nauseous, some cramping, and this may be TMI, but I've had some unexplained bouts of diarrhea. In addition, I've just gotten this feeling that I'm pregnant. I know everyone says it's too early to actually be experiencing symptoms and I go back and forth between thinking I'm crazy to think I'm pregnant and then sure that I am. 

So, finally to the question. When should I test? Also, how do you all deal with the waiting? This is the first month I'm dealing with this, and I'm dreading going through it month after month if I'm not pregnant this time. 

amylee429

I'm sure everyone with get this but I meant "with my period being so irregular it's impossible to tell for sure."

lebradford

I'll second pp and say that temping and using OPKs is going to be pretty important if you have irregular cycles and you want to make sure you have good timing. A period tracker app isn't going to do anything for you, especially if your cycles are irregular.  

Check out the links for the newbie blog and fertility friend that other people have given you.

In the meantime, I'd recommend testing once a week since you don't really know when your period is due (because you don't know when you ovulated). 

amylee429

Whoa crazymonkeybear, I mentioned is another comment that I made a mistake typing. Gimme a break maybe? 

mander82

Read this.

 

https://tbttgp.wordpress.com/

amylee429

I appreciate all the people being helpful. I was not using the app to track fertility, I was using it to try to track my periods and when we had sex just so happened to fall in when the app said my fertile window was. We haven't gotten so far as temping and OPK's yet, but thank-you for the advice.  Thank you for also pointing me to the newbie blog, as I hadn't noticed that before. 

I do appreciate the people who actually try to help instead of calling my maturity into question. 

mmb248

I felt the same way our first month TTC.  I have pretty irregular cycles and I started testing when I hit week 5 because I didn't know when I ovulated or when I should expect my period.  That drove me nuts, so I started temping the next cycle.  It's the only way to know if/when you ovulated.

Check out fertility friend:  www.fertilityfriend.com
Read the newbie blog:  https://tbttgp.wordpress.com/
Buy a BBT:  I like the Mabis LINK

Period/Fertility apps are crap.

missnacholover

Test tomorrow morning at 7:18 while you face in a north easterly direction for most accurate results.  And stand on one leg too.  Left for boy, right for girl.

amylee429

I still don't see why you need to be so rude and condescending. Clearly I'm a newbie here, clearly I'm feeling a little anxious about this. Everyone else is being helpful and pointing me in the right direction. Why even comment? 

Pookieson

Looks like everyone has this covered.  I'd just like to reiterate those apps are useless.  Go with FF and start temping.  Takes all the guesswork out of TTC...which is a sanity saver. 

brettanomyces

amylee429 said:

I have very irregular periods, and had unprotected sex with my husband on the 18th. The only thing for "tracking" I've been doing is using an iPhone app for somewhat predicting when my next period is to come. According to it, we may have been at the very beginning of the fertile window, but with my period being so irregular it's impossible to tell for sure. Starting a few days after we had sex, I've had moments when I felt slightly light-headed, other times when I've felt vaguely nauseous, some cramping, and this may be TMI, but I've had some unexplained bouts of diarrhea. In addition, I've just gotten this feeling that I'm pregnant. I know everyone says it's too early to actually be experiencing symptoms and I go back and forth between thinking I'm crazy to think I'm pregnant and then sure that I am. 

So, finally to the question. When should I test? Also, how do you all deal with the waiting? This is the first month I'm dealing with this, and I'm dreading going through it month after month if I'm not pregnant this time. 

Sounds like mild food poisoning to me. 

Josie400

amylee429 said:

I appreciate all the people being helpful. I was not using the app to track fertility, I was using it to try to track my periods and when we had sex just so happened to fall in when the app said my fertile window was. We haven't gotten so far as temping and OPK's yet, but thank-you for the advice.  Thank you for also pointing me to the newbie blog, as I hadn't noticed that before. 

I do appreciate the people who actually try to help instead of calling my maturity into question. 

You don't have to get "so far" before you start temping. People bring it up a lot because it's good knowledge in general for you to know what your body is doing/where you are in your cycle. I haven't been TTC up until recently but have been temping for 6 months. And while TTC will still be a mindfuck, I will know exactly where I am in my cycle, how many times we for certain that we hit in the fertile week, and exactly (for the most part) when I can expect my period or when to start testing. So I would highly recommend considering to temp to give yourself a little piece of mind, especially with irregular cycles.

Lomcmuffin

I too can relate, my cycles were really long after I stopped taking bcp a year ago. They are slowly starting to become shorter and shorter, I found using Fertility Friend, temping and reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility to be very helpful. I spend a lot of money on Opk's it sucks!! Good luck to you

kaimee27

OP, definitely start temping sooner rather than later, and use FF and OPKs.  Yes, it can be expensive-although there are cheaper OPK options online, but the peace of mind it gives you is invaluable.  I fully understand how frustrating long/irregular cycles can be.  I've never had a "normal" cycle off birth control in my entire life.  That being said, it helps with the frustration so much to know whether or not you're ovulating.  You said yourself you're not sure exactly when you do.  So save yourself a lot of frustration and start monitoring.  That way you'll know when you can start POAS for pregnancy tests and not drive yourself nuts wondering "what if" for weeks on end.

militiger

FertilityFriend.com has an app....is it crap too?

some people take time getting used to everything - it takes time to get to the store to get all the supplies and form the habits.  

I say this as a person just getting started, or starting in the next month. husband is still getting used to the idea, so why not spend one month just having fun?

Josie400

militiger said:

FertilityFriend.com has an app....is it crap too?

some people take time getting used to everything - it takes time to get to the store to get all the supplies and form the habits.  

I say this as a person just getting started, or starting in the next month. husband is still getting used to the idea, so why not spend one month just having fun?

The app isn't crap if you are inserting your daily bbt. Then there is concrete data to base your fertile times. It's the only way,besides an ultrasound, to confirm o.
There's nothing wrong with choosing not to temp,but If someone complains of not knowing where they are in their cycle and it's stressing them out, charting is going to be recommend to them.
Also, I really dislike when people make comments that temping takes the "fun" out of ttc or make it sound like temping is a fertility treatment. Temping is used by people tta also. It's plain good knowledge to better understand your body. People can take it or leave it, but when choosing not to use it, people can't complain about not knowing if they're "late" or not.

Abs211981

Fertility friend should be your new friend  When you regularly chart your basal body temp you get a much better idea of when you ovulate, regardless of cycle length.  

And if you do get to the point where you need to go to your doc it will help tremendously to have the BBT chart info.  Good luck!