Irregular Periods and Trying for Baby #2

My periods were super regular on the pill. Completely irregular off. My understanding is it can take up to 3 months to be fertile after going off the pill. I was pregnant by month 2 (I was lucky I guess). Anyway, because of the irregularity deal, I used ovulation kits to test when I was ovulating. That way it took the guess work out of knowing when might be the right time with irregular cycles and we knew exactly when to try. Have to say it worked the first time we tried so I had a lot of wasted tests :)

Good luck.

I did not see your question you posted a few days ago, so I don't know if this has been addressed or not. Do you have Polycystic ovaries (PCO or PCOS)? If so and you are trying to get pregnant, a lot of people have success with Clomid. My youngest is 8, so there may be a lot of changes/improvements in the infertility world since I was there. You may want to talk to your Dr. You can bring on a period if indeed you are not pregnant with Provera and then start from a clean slate! Good luck to you, I hope we see a pregnancy announcement from you soon!!!

It took 9 months of trying for my first pregnancy, 8 months for the second (ended in a miscarriage), 8 months for the 3rd, and 6 weeks of not being careful but not trying for the 4th (surprise!). With the last one, I actually got pregnant a couple weeks later in my cycle than we thought; my last period was around the 3rd week of May and I conceived at the very end of June, which means I ovulated pretty late.
My periods have rarely been regular and my body is not super reliable when it comes to symptoms. With every pregnancy and different type of birth control pill, everything changes. I never really know what to expect.
I'd wait a week and then take another test if your period doesn't start by then,

I can't give any comments on the irregular periods, but I'm right there with you on not being used to the negative pregnancy tests! I also have a 15 month old son (who I conceived the first time we tried) and have been trying to get pregnant since October, with no luck. I keep telling myself that means nothing, most people don't conceive on their first try, and it will happen when its meant to happen. Still makes me sad when I see the negative result though. Just wanted to let you know I feel your frustration and wish you the best of luck!

My advice would be to go to your library system's website and see if they have the book Taking Charge Of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH. It's the best book I've read on when to know if you're fertile or not. You may need to invest in an inexpensive digital thermometer and start paying attention to cervical fluid, but it may also save you many months of unsuccessful attempts at getting pregnant. :)

I also get very irregular periods when off the pill and my doctor said it's because I have a longer cycle, which means I go about 35-45 days between periods. Going off the pill is an abrupt change for your body - it is rare to get pregnant immediately after that. But what I wanted to say was that with my daughter (pregnancy #3) I took a pregnancy test about 30 days after my last period and it came up negative and then about 5 days later it was just barely positive - very faint 2nd line, then about 3 days later I took the test at the clinic and it was positive. (turns out I'd concieved around day 32!)

So you could just be ovulating late or your body could just be adjusting to not being on the pill. I'd personally recommend checking again in a few more days, but don't get your hopes up - but in your shoes, I'd probably check again tomorrow and the next day and the next day and be devastated each time! So Good Luck!

Start doing basal body temperature monitoring to see if you are actually ovulating. You can probably find lots of online charts to keep track of the temps. If not, you may need to see your OBGYN for help in figuring out why your ovaries aren't working and what can be done about it.
Good Luck!!!

Wait 7 days from when you took the test, and then take another one if you still don't have your period. When I was pregnant with my son, I had a negative test, followed 1 week later by a positive one, so yes, the tests are not always accurate.

Know that your experience with getting pregnant the first time was "unusual" (lucky!), and now what you are experiencing is more "normal". You have to actively try for 12 consecutive months before medical intervention, so just relax, and have fun. ;-)

You could get your thyroid hormone checked. My period was irregular all of my life and before I got pregnant with my oldest, my gynecologist ran some blood work and found out that my thyroid was in the normal range but on the higher side of it(3.5ish). I went to an endocrinologist and found out that I have hypothryoidism. They like your TSH level to be between 1 and 2 when pregnant or trying. I got pregnant right away after going off of the pill and having my thyroid regulated. Between my kids now, my periods have been regular for the first time in my life...weird. Just a thought...Good luck!

The problem with the pill is that it doesn't really fix the problem it just masks it. More than likely you have a hormonal imbalance which can be treated if you find a doctor who knows how. Most just throw the pill at such problems and don't get to the bottom of it. I would recommend contacting the Pope Paul the VI Institute in Omaha, NE. They can refer you to a doctor that would be able to check hormone levels and get to the bottom of why your periods are so irregular. The doctors at the Institute are known around the world for their work in fertility care.

Once you figure out what the problem is, getting pregnant won't be so difficult.

Hi S.

You may have missed your period because it is the first month off the pill . It may take your body a little while to adjust . And you said you are not normal on your cycle with out the pill any way . Give it a week and if nothing take another test .

If you only got your period 3x/year, you only ovulated 3x/year. YOur "PMS" symptoms could have been your body TRYING to ovulate. Get hormone levels checked, including thyroid. Then go out and purchase "Taking Charge of YOur Fertility" by Toni Weschler, PhD--any bookstore (Walden, Borders, etc) should have it in the Family Planning section. It is a "thick" book, but very easy to read and has GREAT information that every woman should know (But the doctors don't tell you or don't "buy into" but ALL of my friends with "fertility" issues have used this book and been successful, once medical/hormone issues were ruled out). Good Luck!

Since I started my period when I was 12 years old, I've had problems. They sound similar to you.

I breezed through a few of the other posts and I agree that if you are actively seeking to get pregnant you should talk with your Dr. Basically my Dr. told me that if you are not actively having a cycle (bleeding) then you are most likely not ovulating either. We were just about to start on medication when I found out I was pregnant with #1 -- ironically I was going in for weekly ovulation testing at the Dr.'s office and we all still missed when it ACTUALLY happened. During that year of trying I went through numerous home tests.

We are not "officially trying" for #2, but I did go off my pills about 4 months ago -- I'm just tired of the way they make me feel. I had 2 very irregular cycles and now have not had one since Thanksgiving. This time instead of leaning on home tests, I'm just going to read how my body feels...
*Are your breasts tender?
*Are you sick?
*Are you REALLY tired?

And probably every 2-3 months w/o a cycle I'll get a home test just to be sure.

If by August we aren't pregnant than back to the Dr. we go.

Good Luck.

The tests are pretty accurate, so you could take another one but it's unlikely to change the results.

You might want to pick up some ovulation tests and figure out when you are ovulating for better results. I went through fertility treatments and discovered that I ovulate on about day 10, not day 14, which meant a way different time period in which to try and get pregnant.

Having your period does not mean you are ovulating regularly, and if you aren't ovulating you aren't going to get pregnant. I also got pregnant very easily the first time. But after that - well, it was 7 years before I got pregnant again (miscarried) and then another 8 years before I got pregnant (baby boy last year), and all of that was spent without birth control and very regular periods. I never missed one. The regularity/irregularity of your periods isn't a good indicator of fertility.

You might want to consult with an RE or at least your OB/GYN if you're having irregular periods. That's not normal, and indicates hormonal imbalances that could interfere with getting pregnant. There are simple drugs the OB/GYN can prescribe to help with that if there's no underlying issue. But really, do it sooner rather than later. The sooner you figure out what's going on with your body the easier it will be to get pregnant.

Because you don't have regular periods, it's going to be hard to tell if you're pregnant or not. Best bet is to use an ovulation kit. Many RE and OB/GYNs won't start fertility testing until you've tried (and failed) for one year. That's the definition of medical infertility and that's when they'll start doing tests/treatments. If your OB/GYN or an RE won't talk to you about it before one year, you'll want to chart and track your periods/ovulation until then to see if you can figure out when it's best to get pregnant. Remember, there's only about a 24-48 hour window, so nailing down the right day is important.

Good luck!
L.

This is something to think about but pregnancy tests have never worked for me...After I had found out I was pregnant for sure by the doctor by a blood test...I took a home pregnancy test and it still said negative. The nurse told me that sometimes the pregnancy hormone isn't high enough to read on a home pregnancy test. So even if you are not sure you are pregnant or not...Go see the doctor and ask for a blood test just to make sure.

Otherwise...happy trying...Sometimes, it takes a lot of time. =)

I don't have particularly irregular periods, but a very long cycle (45-60 days). However, after I got off the pill my period stopped completely after sputtering around a little. I went in for my regular exam and they did blood work and diagnosed me with PCOS which is super common. I eventually saw a Chinese Medicine Dr. for this since we wanted to conceive and he got my periods on a regular (29-35 days) cycle and we got pregnant within a couple months. I'd get it checked out either way. My Dr. told me if you don't get your period at least once every 3 months, it can damage your uterus so you should have it checked out. Good luck.

Pregnancy tests now and pretty accurate and sensitive and can be taken sometimes before you're even late. If you were due the 28th, and the test was negative on Monday, I would guess that to be true. Sorry.

The average time for a couple to become pregnant, with regular cycles, is about a year. You have the added problem of irregular periods. You can talk to your Dr. about other options to regulate you to make getting pregnant easier.

GOOD LUCK!