What is up with my cycle?

Stairbear

(child mentioned)

So frustrated, though I know my struggles are nothing compared to those of others on here. Anyway, I weaned my DD completely, and then finally got a period again. Got out my fertility monitor, and our timing was good (went from low to peak in one day, but it worked out, because we happened to DTD on the night before it turned peak, and again on the peak day). I'm now 17 DPO, so definitely not pregnant, but also no period in sight. What is up? I'm wondering if I didn't actually ovulate after all? Before I had DD, I was using the fertility monitor, and I noticed my cycles were long, but the long part was between the start of the cycle and ovulating, not between ovulating and AF. So I don't know how else to account for the 17 days and counting of waiting for my period, except that maybe I didn't ovulate after all.

emsmama15

Hmm.  The suspect part is the low to peak in one day.  Does it usually do that with no high in between?  I'm assuming you're not temping?  I guess if you know you're not pregnant, could you reset your fertility monitor and start testing again?  Maybe you had a surge and didn't ovulate.  The only way to know that would be if you temped and did or didn't get a temp shift.  Sorry, not much help.

Good luck!

KirstenAlecia

temping is the only way to know. Thats how I know I didn't O this month

carrieandr

Low to peak in a day is fine. Mine did that the month I got pregnant. If it is like the Clearblue Advanced digital opk, a high reading means estrogen is surging and peak means luteinizing hormone is surging. You either started too late to catch the estrogen surge, or both hormones surged on the same day.

I'm just starting my third cycle following a d&c and I had like 7 high readings then a peak last month, but based on my bbt chart, there was no ovulation at the peak. My period was later than usual as well.

Like the other ladies said, I suggest temping next month. It won't warn you about ovulation like an opk, but it will confirm if you did or not.

thistle8677

@Stairbear I'm sorry for all the confusion and not knowing what your body is doing.
I think any time you experience a hormonal shift, like with producing milk to stopping, your body has to get back to normal.
I hope you get some answers soon!

Stairbear

Thanks very much for the responses. 21 days after the "peak" reading on the Clearblue fertility monitor, and still no period. So I definitely did not ovulate, despite the monitor detecting the LH and estrogen surges. Strange. (And no, definitely not pregnant -- I'm too embarrassed to say how many pregnancy tests I've wasted.) So odd. I talked to a friend who is a gyn nurse practitioner, and she said the "period" I experienced could have just been anovulatory bleeding after weaning. Anyway, it is frustrating not knowing what's going on with my body, and thinking that I'm 3 years older than the last time I was TTC. (And it wasn't super easy last time.) I am almost 39 and afraid of running out of time and chances. The process is so fraught with anxiety, and I feel like I already have as much of that as I can handle (my mother is very ill).

Anyway, I will keep waiting for a "real" period and then start again. And maybe I'll get in on the temping game. Thanks for your thoughts.

emsmama15

@Stairbear, I would guess a lot of people's first period after weaning is just that, but I don't know what impact that would have on your current cycle.  I was just looking back on my charts from this go around and my first "cycle" was 72 days from the day I stopped breastfeeding to the day I got my period.  No ovulation detected.  My second post-weaning cycle was 42 days with ovulation on day 32.  My third cycle was 29 days with ovulation on day 19, which was my usual ovulation day pre-baby (my LP was really short for whatever reason).  So, not to bore you, but I just wanted to say, I think it can be wonky for a little while after weaning.  It's probably similar to coming off BCP.  Your hormones and everything have to regulate.  And, you could still ovulate this cycle .. or may have surged and ovulated already - but I'm guessing you aren't using your monitor anymore since you already had the peak reading.  That is the one thing I didn't like about my monitor.  It doesn't work so well for LONG cycles or for people who surge more than once in a cycle.  Best of luck!  I hope you get your BFP soon.  

Oh and I can completely relate to feeling as if you're running out of time (40 here) and also TTC with a sick mom.  It just ups the ante and the anxiety.  When I was TTC my daughter, I just really wanted to get pregnant before my mom passed away (she was diagnosed with cancer the month before I got pregnant) and then I wanted to find out what I was having before she passed away, and then I wanted her to be there for the birth.  We got to about 25 weeks when she passed away and she knew we were having a girl who would have her name as her middle name.  Believe me, it sucks and I'm crying as I type this, the stress and anxiety of that is not comparable to anything else I've ever dealt with. Anyway, I kind of made this post all about me and that wasn't my intention.  I'll be thinking about you and wishing you a little peace ... and some good luck TTC.

thistle8677

@Stairbear & @emsmama15 sending huge cyber hugs.