How to conceive if you have an irregular periods?

Hi all,

My name is Joanna Cortez and I really need help or like tips on how I will conceive. I am married for about 13 months, and if we will be blessed, he/she will be our first born child. The problem is I was having an irregular period before and lately I noticed that my cycle turns out to be like 24-27 days cycle. So, I am not really sure if it already became regular or if it is like something else. Now because of this we were really having hard times on hitting my fertility periods. Some say I can easily detect it through my body temperature and some say I can just count it based on my periods. Well, that is really the problem, since I have irregular periods, I don't know where to start with the counting. Like what they say the dangerous days. I hope you can help me with this because all I want and dreamed of is to be a mum and we are really excited to be parents, especially me. And I'm really sick and tired of seeing negative result from a pregnancy test. :(

Also, if possible, I want to ask you tips on how I will conceive easily. Thanks A lot. Hope you will help me with this.

Hi,

I also have the same problem but the only difference is that my periods skip a month or two. Since my mother and grandmother also have the same problem therfore the doctor said that it will go away after child birth but I have trouble calculating my fertile period. Any tips on how to work around irregular periods?

Anukriti

Irregular cycles (especially skipping a month or two) are often caused by PCOS (Polycistic Ovary Syndrome). PCOS is often passed on from mother to daughter, so in Anukriti's case, it would make sense that her Grandmother, Mother and herself may all have a predisposition to PCOS. If you'd like a little more information on PCOS do a search in the forums and you'll find more posts about it.

But as for how to conceive if you have irregular periods... the first thing you'll want to do is learn how to get your baby making sex timing perfect.

Counting days is not helpful when you have irregular cycles, and ovulation calendars won't give very accurate dates for someone with irregular cycles simply because they are based on an "average" cycle (having the same number of days from month to month) and women with irregular cycles don't have this.

It's really important that you learn how to read your body's fertility signs so you'll be able to catch your fertile window when it happens.

Warm regards,

Kate

*Note - I moved the portion of this post that discusses how to get your timing perfect when trying to conceive, here.

Kate is right on with everything she said. As someone who struggled to become pregnant - charted, took my temperature each morning, read books on how to conceive and did everything "right" it was just very frustrating when I got a negative test month after month. Causes of infertility or difficulty conceiving can be difficult to pinpoint.

Have either of you spoken with your doctor? They can run tests to try to determine the reasons for the difficulty and may resolve the issue.

I also just want to say that I can relate to what you are both going through and I know the rollercoaster you are on right now is a tough one. I was there.

There is also come good information in this article on Conception that I found on PBB.

I wish you both the best!!!

Thank you Kate and Sunshine. It really helps a lot especially in detecting my fertility period :)

Kate I think I'm going to try it this time but I still have some questions tho, like my husband is working in a refinery in he has shifting schedule. He usually got home really tired but we still try to make love. You know like to work out and have a baby. Can this also affect the chance to conceive?

And Sunshine, yes I have already consulted my OB. Before my period I also skipped for about a month or two and she asked me to take Provera. We have done that for 3 sets of 10 days,1 provera/day. If I'm not mistaken I should start taking the pills after the last day of my period. Since then I got my period every month, but the thing is I don't have a consistent days for my cycle. I was also given folic acid capsules and vit E.
She advise us to make love at least every other day starting the 10th day after my first day of period. We have been trying these for about 3-4 months but I always end up disappointed :(

Please be aware the if your husband is exposed to chemicals in the refinery (or in the air at the refinery) that this could impact his fertility and lower the quality and quantity of his sperm. I don't know if you've been told this before, but it's something to be aware of.

As for his schedule, you'll just need to work around his schedule. Making love at night is nice because you can stay laying down for many hours without getting up (helps the sperm to have a better chance of entering the cervix and traveling towards the egg). If you need to make love in the morning before he goes to work, then you'll want to try to stay laying down for at least 2 hours after having sex (put a book by your bed so you have something to do if you're not tired).

Oh I see. Ok Kate thank you so much for the information.

Hello Mum Kate!:)

As far from what I had read from the above inquiries on how to conceive if you have irregular periods sounds so informative and I had learned a lot from your posts.

May I ask also what if your partner smokes or drink alcohol, will it affect his sperm fertility count? We are both in our late 40,s but is still aspiring to conceive our first child. Although I may say that I had live a healthy lifestyle, is there still a chance that I will conceive at my age? I know some women have fears if they will conceive later in life, but all things is possible if you have faith in the Lord and with yourself.

Can you give me some insights and words of encouragement about conception in this kind of situation? I will be glad if I will hear from you. :)

Hi Amy (and everyone else - please watch videos below),

I'm glad you learned some new things from the information I posted earlier.

Smoking can decrease the number of sperm your husband has AND the quality of those sperm by up to 50%. Alcohol will decrease his fertility as well, so it's really important that your husband stop smoking and drinking. Once he stops these activities, it will take 4 months for him to create new sperm that aren't affected by the toxins in the smoke or alcohol.

Fertility declines dramatically at the age of 40. Have you had any fertility testing done? It would be really helpful for your doctor to know what your FSH level is (follicle stimulating hormone) because this indicates the quality and quantity of your eggs. A high FSH level indicates a low ovarian reserve (small number of eggs). However, Chinese Medicine (acupuncture accompanied by high quality herbs prescribed by a Master Herbalist) can lower FSH levels and increase the quality of the eggs remaining.

The FSH test is typically done on day 2 or 3 of a cycle, so you should talk to your doctor now, so that the order for the test is written and ready when you have your next cycle.

Even if you are able to conceive in your late 40's the chance of miscarriage is high so it would be really important for you to start a preconception care program right away. If you can get your husband to join you that would be very helpful as well.

Watch these two videos and you will be encouraged!

http://youtu.be/oust1BNUVHo

http://youtu.be/L58H_YQF32U

Post back any questions.

Warm regards,

Kate

Hi Kate,

I have been visiting the OB since the age of 15 and taking medicines. My periods are regular for about 3 months after I stop taking the medicines but then again they become irregular. But your insight in to checking other indications is every useful. Thank you for the information.

Anukriti

Hi Anukriti,

I'm glad you found the information helpful.

Warm regards,

Kate

Hi Kate,

I am actually 3 weeks delayed and I am so afraid to try a pregnancy test kit for it might be a negative result again. Is there any other way I could determined if I am pregnant. I am experiencing beats from my womb not sure if it is already a heartbeat.. Do you think it is already the best time to use pregnancy kit?
Thanks in advance Kate.. and I hope you support me along the way..

Joanna

Hi Joanna - saw your post and hope you don't mind me replying. The only way you can tell if you are pregnant is by doing a pregnancy test. If you are three weeks late a home pregnancy test would be reasonably accurate. I will cross my fingers for you.

Thanks Mum Aussie.

Hi Joanna,

As Jane mentioned, the only way to know for sure whether you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test or have your doctor do a blood test, but if you're actually 3 weeks late, then a home pregnancy test should give you an accurate reading. Most pregnancy tests that are being produced now will pick up hCG (pregnancy hormone) before you miss your period.

Here's a good article that teaches you more about about early pregnancy tests.

It's not uncommon for a hopeful woman to think she may be feeling movement from her baby if she really wants to be pregnant - in fact it is very common, but baby's movement is usually felt starting in the second trimester.

I would encourage you to take a pregnancy test simply because if you are pregnant, then you can start thinking about scheduling an appointment with your midwife or doctor, and if you're not pregnant, you can start looking into what is causing the irregular cycles and how to correct it. Being that you have had a history of irregular cycles, you will want to correct the underlying cause so that your body naturally comes into balance.

Let us know what the results of your pregnancy test is, and if it's negative, I'll be happy to try to help you figure out how to balance your hormones so that you can conceive easier.

Warm regards,

Kate