and … no
Nope, not preggers. 
I actually think something may be wrong. Until I started TTC, I always had a *very* regular cycle. Not regular down to the exact hour on the exact 28th day like one woman I know, but regular enough that my cycle was always 28 to 30 days long. Not the past couple months, though. My previous cycle was 36 days long. This past cycle – 24. My luteal phase was only 9 days long this time.
Now, my luteal phase has always been a little funky because my temp doesn’t rise right after I ovulate. I asked a midwife about it awhile ago and she said it wasn’t a problem as long as my luteal phase was still 12+ days long. Which it has been … until now.
So I called my doctor’s office today to make an appointment to have someone look at my charts and give me some advice. I now have an appointment with the nurse practitioner in December. The receptionist also wanted me to talk to their triage nurse, in case the problem could be solved without an appointment. So I spoke to her briefly and, without looking at my charts (since we were talking over the phone), she just said, “it sounds like you could be a candidate for clomid.” I was shocked. I was expecting something a bit more, well, gentle. I’ve heard so many horror stories about clomid – I’d really rather avoid it if at all possible. And the prospect of having twins as a single mom – well, I’ve always wanted twins, but I’m not sure about doing it as a single parent. As for the nurse, if this is what she does all day, then surely she has realized that it’s not exactly a statement patients take lightly – let alone take lightly *without having had an exam or anything more than a literally >2 minute conversation!* I was expecting her to say, “oh, maybe you should be on progesterone” or something – you know, because the problem is mainly with my luteal phase. But, no, that’s not what she said.
Could this be caused by the chemical pregnancy? I mean, I’ve never had weird cycles before and then I suddenly start having them right after it. I know women who have a miscarriage can have weird cycles for awhile afterwards, so maybe this is the same??? Please? If any of y’all have advice, I would really, really love to hear it. Thanks in advance. 
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Posted: November 19th, 2008 under BFN, TTC misadventures, docs & the medical establishment, insemination attempts.
Comments: 5
5 Responses to “and … no”
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November 20th, 2008 at 8.29 am
Weird. The same thing happened to me. I wonder if it has to do with the sperm? LOL!! Seriously though, I had regular 28 day cycles too and then started TTC and bam, they went crazy. I just think it’s b/c I’m getting older! My eggs are changing!! Almost hitting mid 30s. HOLY SHIT!!!
And yep, chemical pregancies can totally mess with your cycles. It totally sucks.
November 20th, 2008 at 9.48 am
My partner had short luteal phases when she was trying and Clomid was the magic bullet. She took the lowest dose, had ultrasound monitoring to check follicle growth (and to ensure that she didn’t have too many), a trigger shot to induce ovulation, then an IUI the following day.
I get the feeling that these interventions might run counter to your comfort level, but they worked for us. It was especially nice to know that the timing was exact (although squinting at OPKs had its charms… at first). Her luteal phases went up to 14 days and she got pregnant on the second Clomid cycle with a singleton.
Myself, I’ve been on Clomid for five cycles and Femara for three. My lining, follicle growth and luteal phases have been textbook. Obviously I’m not a poster child for early success, but I can tell you that the side effects on the lowest dose have been minimal to non-existent. I had one cycle with too many follicles (four dominant, three potential) but have otherwise had between one and three. A comfortable number for me.
Whatever you choose, invasive or alternative (there have GOT to be alternatives like accu or supplements or progesterone, right?), it will be the right thing for you! Best of luck.
November 20th, 2008 at 6.53 pm
R –
So glad to know I’m not the only one! I think it may also be because I’m getting older, although I’m only 30, so there should still be a few good fertility years left in me.
Bree –
Thanks for letting me know about your partner. I’m glad Clomid worked for her. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with Clomid or other invasive interventions per se, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around going from no interventions at all (including insems, since all mine have been at home) to suddenly going on what seem to be pretty heavy duty meds. I’m feeling a bit better about the prospect today than I was yesterday…. I guess I will just wait and see what the doc says in a couple weeks. I am still going to try this next cycle – maybe a waste of money, but after taking a break the past couple of months I didn’t want to wait.
November 20th, 2008 at 11.25 pm
Jenny also has a short luteal phase, and when she was trying, Dr. Hickock at Pacific NW fertility prescribed Femara for it. Apparently the side effects are very minimal, unlike Clomid – I don’t think she had any, but we only tried it the once before switching to me. Good luck!
November 21st, 2008 at 3.42 pm
Thanks, Stephanie, that’s good to know. I’ll definitely ask about femara as well.