Just a question.

[meudail.livejournal.com]

Hey ladies. Almost two years ago I had a son. Before I had him, my periods were irregular...I have endometriosis, so they were always really bad. After I had my son, my periods were still irregular, but I stopped having the symptoms--no sore breasts, no cramps (and, trust me, those cramps HURT), etc. But I do get fatigued, cranky, really hungry, you know the drill. A few months ago, in April, I started tracking my periods to see if there was some sort of pattern, because I would freak out if I was late and think I was pregnant, and I just couldn't handle that every month.

Well, I am late again (as always) and I'm starting to think I'm pregnant (again), so I was going back through my calender. I counted the days between my periods and noticed something odd. Isn't it true that cycles are anywhere from 28-36 days (or am I completely wrong)? Between April and May, my cycle was 40 days. I did not track June for some reason, but I'm pretty sure I started anywhere from the 13th to the 17th (for the record, I started on the 4th in April and the 13th in May). In July I started on the 23rd. It's now August 29th (obviously) and I still have not started. This is day 38.

My periods last anywhere from 5-7 days when I do have them, and they are always normal. My OB once told me (when I was concerned that I couldn't get pregnant) that if you menstruate, your body is getting rid of eggs, so that means that you ovulate and can get pregnant--no matter how messed up your period is. So I always keep that in mind when I start getting worried that I may not have another baby.... Just so you know, my fiancé and I are not actively trying at the moment, but if we are pregnant, that would be great. And also...we never use protection. We haven't in quite a while. We just haven't been "trying"-trying (aka keeping track of when I'm ovulating).

Anyway, my only real concern is the extreme wackiness of my period. No I don't have any pregnancy symptoms. My breasts are a little sore at the moment, but maybe my mind is messing with me. I had the "feeling" that I was pregnant, but again, maybe it's my mind messing with me. I took two pregnancy tests 2-3 days ago and both were negative, but one was in the evening and the other was after only two hours of sleep, and it had only been two hours since I'd last used the bathroom.

I hope someone can help me figure this mess out!

Comments

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

try taking another test using the first pee of the day.

if you're menstruating then you're ovulating which means you can definitely get pregnant.

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

doh. forgot to add that you might be interested in am_i_pregnant

[winifred.livejournal.com]

I have been told time and time again that as long as your period is consistent, the number of days between them isn't a concern unless you're bleeding more often than every 21 days. I've seen it suggested that longer cycles like yours were pretty common before hormonal birth control regulated everyone to 28 days.

If you're truly concerned, talk to your doctor again or find a new one.

[goingdriftless.livejournal.com]

My periods were crazy, and simply counting the days between them wasn't enough to give me a clue as to what's going on. So I started charting using FAM -- for info, read Taking Charge Of Your Fertility (http://www.ovusoft.com/) and see fam. I record all my temperatures and fertility signals daily at http://www.fertilityfriend.com.

And from my patterns, I discovered that I wasn't ovulating! And that led to a dignosis of PCOS... and a whole lot of other things that are finally getting me back on track healthwise.

FAM is typically used for birth control and/or conception planning. I don't use it for that. I just like to know what's going on with my cycle. I find it really empowering to do the charting. You can typically tell exactly when you ovulate and exactly when you're going to get your period. And there are ways to detect a pregnancy earlier than a home pregnancy test can.

p.s. - This won't work if you're using hormonal birth control... which it sounds like you're not. FAM depends on seeing the natural hormonal shifts, and HBC prevents that.

[jennifer19.livejournal.com]

You don't bleed to get rid of egg, you bleed to get rid of uterine lining I've always been told. I think you can have a period without ovulation. That's why women who have tubal ligation (tubes tied) still get their period and why women on HBC get their period. You don't ovulate on HBC, but you get your period during the placebo week due to lack of hormones. If it were based on ovulation you wouldn't bleed on HBC, placebo or not.

Try a test on the first urine of the day. If you're still worried, get a blood pregnancy test from the OB/GYN.

Not exactly...

[carifairy.livejournal.com]

The only reason women get their period on HBC is because they stopped taking hormones. The 'period' you get on HBC is simply a "withdrawal bleed".

With a tubal ligation you DO still ovulate, the egg just cannot make it down past the 'ligation'. You still have a period because you ovulate.

Ovulation creates a period, because of hormonal changes that O causes.

Unless there is some other pathology, usually you do not have a period unless you ovulate.

OH yeah...one more thing

[carifairy.livejournal.com]

IF you gave an 8 year HBC, and she had never had a period before, she would still bleed, because of the hormones.