Irregular periods and date of ovulation

[joyofliving]

Since I've had my daughter my periods have been of varying lengths. We want to try for another baby but how do I know when is the right time or when I am ovulating? Each month I've excitedly done the pregnancy test when the period is delayed only to see it coming negative

 

[YTV]

It's very difficult calculate if you have irregular periods.
I take it your periods was regular before you got pregnant? Fist you need to find out the reason why your period has become irregular then you can work on putting it back to the way it was.

Stress is a common cause of irregular periods. If you are fatigued, worried, or anxious this can cause your hormones to become unbalanced.
How long have you been having irregular periods?
If you have only been experiencing irregular periods for a short time (less than 7 months), it is likely that your periods will become regular again on their own.

 

[Shenzhennifer]

I`ve always had irregular periods. We actually conceived a little bit unexpectedly though I had a feeling I was ovulating at that time. You have to really pay attention to your body, but you can often tell when you are ovulating. Luckily it`s been over a year since I have had my period so I`m a bit out of practice but I remember a slight cramping during ovulation and also an increase in discharge. And also your temp goes up. How about those ovulation kits - would they be able to tell when you are ovulating?

 

[joyofliving]

I had mild PCOS before I conceived my daughter and took Glucophage for 2 or 3 months before any success came through. My periods were very regular then but flow was slowly decreasing. I visited Dr Philip Ho recently and after checkup he said my hormones levels were fine and I didn't need any medication. But maybe he missed something?
I did try using the ovulation kits but it didnt show I was ovulating. I remember visiting Dr Chrisitine Choy when I was trying for my first one and she said the ovulation kits don't work even if your hormones are slightly out of balance. I read the same on the Internet too. Do you suggest I visit her again just to get a second opinion?

 

[pooch]

i have always had irregular periods and used OPK to fall pregnant with both my boys. I had to start testing on Day 9 and then sometimes didn't ovulate til day 20 so you go through quite a few of them!!
i have recently been to see Dr Christine Choy and it turns out I have quite severe PCOS and have no doubt had it for years. anyway, the ovulation kits still worked for me so you could still try them but it can't hurt to go and see Dr Choy again. I think she's great!!

 

[joyofliving]

I have been using Clearblue digital ovulation strips but they are expensive (300+ HKD for 7 strips). Is there a cheaper / reliable alternative available in the market? I will take an appointment with Dr Choy, I agree she is really brilliant.

 

[pooch]

i spent a fortune on the ovulation tests. sorry don't know of a cheaper alternative!!

 

[Dink]

Geomum - are you periods completely random or are they within a certain range? Mine were irregular but usually within say 30 to 35 days (although sometimes could be 60 days plus). Apparently you ovulate 14 days prior to your period beginning usually, so even though you don't know exactly when your period is due you can still work out a likely range. This worked for me. The other thing that worked for me was frequent intercourse so less chance of missing that window - but that was for my first baby and I'm not too sure if I'll manage that when TTC number 2! If you Google this stuff (which you probably have already....) you can find lots of useful info.

 

[joyofliving]

Dink I have my periods every month but like you said the cycle length is 30 - 35 days. Will read up more about it on the Internet

 

[nicolejoy]

I was really similar too. My cycle was 28-35 days and it was difficult to conceive because of it... Went to a doc about it, she said she wouldn't do anything until we tried ovulation kits. I was annoyed because they're expensive and I didn't want to spend the money when I had to use about 10 or more each cycle!! (I bought a packet once or twice in Hong Kong, and never got to where it showed positive). In the end, I bought some online from the US where they're much cheaper - I bought these ones: Answer One-Step Ovulation Test - even with shipping it was much cheaper than Hong Kong!! And I ended up falling pregnant on my first cycle of using them properly.

Personally, next time I will probably just go straight to using the ovulation kits because it worked so well for me. That was after a year of ttc too!!