Luteal Phase Defect Pregnancy

We are dealing with infertility issues right now as well. I would suggest reading the book Taking Charge of your Fertility. It has a wealth of information including information about short luteal phases. Before I read the book and understood what was going on, I would go 2 months without a cycle and then my doctor would put my on Provera to start a new cycle. Now I am charting my temps, something I learned from the book. Currently, I am at day 40 of my cycle and just ovulated and I know this based on my temps. In the past I would already have taken meds to initiate a new cycle and missed that ovulation. So now I know to wait and watch. I would highly suggest reading the book then chart your cycles like crazy and then present that info to your doctor. If they aren't willing to listen to you then transfer care to someone who will. Good luck with this, hopefully both of us will have good news soon!

I ovulate extremely late in my cycle (just a couple of days beforehand, on average). I'm also suuuuuuuuuper fertile...and have to be very careful not to get pregnant. Go figure.

In any event. Whether it's related to the late ovulation or not....I don't know.

What I do know... after multiple miscarriages and my son, is that I grow really really large placentas. They are so large, that they tend to rip away, causing placental abruptions. My son was 10lbs at birth...the placenta was twenty something. The average size is 3-6 lbs.

It would make sense that the increased placenta size is related to the late ovulation (since women who get pregnant ON their period, actually regrow that lining on the quick) and I suppose that quick regrowth of the endometrial lining COULD affect the growth of the placenta. Or it may just be me and weird physiology.

Anyhow, those are just semi-educated guesses.

For the birth of my son I was paranoid, so put myself of "chair rest". The time before, I had literally been walking and felt something rip and give way...so with my son I became the fat pregnant chick everyone sneered at, but I had my little boy. :) :) :) The other miscarriages had all been fairly early on (prior to 3 months) and I was very very very active...which is what it was (eventually) assigned as to the cause. The one prior to my son though, was at 5mo and nearly killed me. So with my son I was paranoid.

He's brilliant (<grinning> okay okay, he's perfectly normal), healthy, & I'm well.

I don't know if you'll think it's late, but I conceived on day 23 with both of my boys. That's later than normal. Both my boys are fine. Good luck with your research.

Best,

AMD

I have had 2 miscarriages in the past between my two kids. Not sure what it was caused from, but when I got pregnent with my son my Dr. started testing my progesterone levels and we found out that my levels were very low so he put me on progesterone pills for the first trimester and he is now a healthy happy 2 1/2 year old. When I got pregnent this time (17 weeks today!) I called the dr. as soon as I found out and went in and had blood tests and my progesterone levels were very low again and I was put pack on progesterone pills and so far all is going well.

I would ask your Dr. if she will order you to get blood work to test your progersterone levels and go from there. That way if they are low you can get on the meds you need.

Good Luck!

Hi Colleen,

I second the suggestion to read Taking Charge of Your Fertility (I wish I had read this when I was a teenager!) it really helped me understand my reproductive cycle better.

I would also suggest that you read a book called "The Infertility Cure" by Randine Lewis. I bought this for my sister-in-law and read it before I gave it to her (!) It comes from the perspective of Chinese Medicine which looks at the whole body rather than the specific symptoms. It gave me an appreciation for Chinese medicine and acupuncture and reaffirmed my belief that we should start with the least invasive treatments before trying more disruptive things. Too many fertility doctors just want to throw Clomid at women, not try to figure out what is wrong. Find a doc that you're comfortable with. You don't need any extra stress!

Colleen,

I have a luteal phase defect. My naturopath and I picked this up by monitoring my hormone levels throughout my cycle. I ovulate late in my cycle and typically there isn't enough time for implantation to occur. I'm 41 and pregnant. This time, I took oral progesterone from mid-cycle on. The plan had been to taper me off when my period should be due (~14 days after I started) but I turned out to be pregnant the first cycle we used the progesterone so my midwives kept me on it through 12 weeks. No miscarraige!

I encourage you to find another doctor to work with,
C.

Hi Colleen. I figured out that I was ovulating late in my cycle too but it was more like day 18 or 19 of a 28 day cycle. Having a short luteal phase is a BIG problem. I didn't figure it out until I started using an ovulation monitor since my cycles were pretty regular. I'm pretty sure I also did a blood test to check my progesterone levels which is pretty routine when going through fertility issues. My OB put me on progesterone suppositories right away and I got pregnant and stayed pregnant after the second month on the suppositories. I actually had identical twins, which was totally random and not because of anything I was doing fertility-wise. If your doctor is skeptical about the luteal phase thing, I would find another doctor. You don't have time to waste on this. If you do a progesterone cream without doctors orders, the important thing to keep in mind is not to start applying the cream until like 3 days after you ovulate. If you boost your progesterone too early after ovulation, you increase your risk of the egg implanting in the fallopian tubes which results in an ectopic pregnancy. The progesterone creates the right environment for the egg to implant in the uterus and it is what the ovaries naturally release when ovulation occurs. You don't need progesterone before ovulation, just a few days after ovulation. Hope that makes sense. I never had a miscarriage but I'm wondering if I might have had a few pregnancies that just didn't implant properly due to lack of progesterone. Hope this helps. good luck to you.

I've never heard of a luteal phase defect but every woman's body is different and some women have shorter luteal phases than others. In my case my luteal phase is 12 days so I ovulate later in my cycle than most women would. So it can be harder to determine when I've ovulated because my cycles are never the same length either.

I guess if Doctors wanted to put a name on something that they didn't have an answer for, like shorter or longer luteal phases, than maybe that is what they would call it. A Luteal Phase Defect because a "normal" luteal phase is supposed to be 14 days from what I understand.

I really don't have an answer for your question about using progesterone cream during the first trimester of a pregnancy either. I've never had any complications during pregnancy that lead to a miscarriage so I don't know what to say on that part.

Many years ago (about 30) the Russians published materials about fertility and the lunar phase of the moon you were born under. I got pregnant only when in a 26 day cycle (rare for me) due to my moon being more than 1/4 past full. (Waning moon).

The ovulation cycle did not work for me. It worked on something they called Psychic Birth Control attached to the moon cycle of the mother.

Do not worry about your pregnancy. Just start talking to the soul right away. And, keep talking to your developing baby throughout your pregnancy.

I've miscarried twice, once before my daughter and once since. With my current pregnancy (this is #4), my doctor started me on prometrium as soon as we found out I was pregnant. I had to take it for my first trimester and I didn't want to take it, but I'm now 23 weeks with a healthy pregnancy. He explained that the prometrium was to help my uterine lining be thick and blood rich to support the development of the placenta etc. I'm not sure if that helps, but hopefully it's another thing to talk about with your doctor to help you find a good solution!! :)

Good for you for taking charge of your fertility, medical situation and your body! I would strongly encourage you to find a doctor that is more supportive (and will to examine the reasons for your difficulties). Some women at age 38 don't have much time left where others don't experience problems for a few more years; however, you know your body best and I would recommend you go to a fertility specialist.
Good luck!

I don't know anything about the Luteal phase defect I just wanted to say if you don't trust your doctor or feel she/he is listening to you, you need to find one you feel comfortable with and believe is listening and helping you. When I found out I was pregnant with my second child I went in and I was put on progesterone to help maintain the pregnancy becuse my level was low. I feel extreamly fortunate and blessed to have had them do that because now after two kids at age 32 I only ovulate every 2-3 months. I used OBGYN associates in Spokane and loved them. Best wishes one your pregnancy

I ovulate extremely late in my cycle too. That's how I ended up with 2 kids while practicing the calendar method (the first child is the joy of my life, and #2 is on the way any day now). Both times I was travelling out of state when I thought I was fertile. We actually didn't figure out until I got pregnant the 2nd time that I was obviously a very late ovulater. I've never had issues with either pregnancy, and I'm 39. Never heard of luteal phase defects. Maybe a second opinion is in order?

Hi Colleen...I couldn't tell from your post whether you are charting temps and/or testing for ovulation? I agree with the other poster(s) who suggested charting. There's a great online site called Fertility Friend... it was really helpful for me.

I also would suggest getting your progesterone level tested ASAP to see about using progesterone suppositories after ovulation. And you might also ask your doctor (is she a fertility specialist?) about going on Clomid for a short period of time to regulate your cycles. I ended up doing that, and it shortened my cycles to about 33 days (they were as long as 49 days). I didn't have a short luteal phase, but the fact that my cycles were so long reduced the number of chances I had in a year for getting pg (since I only had about 10 cycles, vs 12). I finally did get pg (and had a healthy baby boy) after my 3rd Clomid cycle, and using progesterone through the first trimester. I tried a lot of other natural things (acupuncture, herbs, etc.) first, but none of it seemed to help.

fyi: I went to OHSU Fertility Specialists and was pleased with them... If your doctor is just a regular OB/GYN, I'd definitely go see a fertility specialist instead.

It took me about a year to conceive with my both my pregnancies so I ended up doing a lot of research and I reached the same conclusion as you did, that I had a luteal phase defect. I read a book called "Taking Control of your Fertility" that gave me lots of information and I learned how to chart my cycles. From analyzing my charts, it seemed sometimes I was not ovulating at all, which my OB confirmed when he did a 21 day progesterone level test, but it was possible that I had just not ovulated yet by day 21. When my temp did go up, indicating ovulation, it dropped almost immediately and I started my period. Clearly not enough time for implantation even if there was fertilization. After a year of trying to conceive my Dr. offered to put me on Clomid. I was reluctant because of the side effects, and I had twins naturally my first pregnancy and didn't care to have another set of multiples. I started researching things like the progesterone creams, just looking for something to regulate my hormones and get things jump started without enlisting the big guns. I ended up trying an herb called chaste tree berry, sold at GNC under the name Vitex (it's about $10 a bottle, not too bad). I was unable to find any side effects so I figured it was safe. After only a month I got pregnant and my son is due in June. It could just be coincidence or really good luck, but it may be worth a try.