Cycles Getting Shorter and Shorter...

[Sequoia]

DS is almost 1 and I've had about 7 cycles since AF returned:

32 days (this is what my cycle was before I fell pregnant)
32 days
32 days
32 days
30 days
28 days
26 days

I was diagnosed with postpartum thyroiditis but my thyroid function has since returned to normal.

What is the optimal cycle length? I'm under the impression that your LP needs to be of a certain length for implantation to occurr.

Any ideas would be most welcome!

[kawazuki]

26 is still ok.
i think it depends on how long af stays for and when you ovulate, as ovulation day changes each cycle in some people.

so as long as your lp phase is 10-16 days long your right.

[Sequoia]

I have AF for no longer than 5 days. It is WAY heavier now than before I had DS. I usually O between CD16 - 18.

[BellyBelly]

Can you get out to see an acupuncturist? Its been great fixing up my cycle and quickly too.

[Sequoia]

Hmm, thanks for the suggestion. Any recs for WA???

[Olive]

i used to have 32 day cycles, the one before concieving DD2 was 28 days, the cycle we did concieve on was just 21 days, never been that short before

[Sequoia]

^^ Ha! Well, you never know...may give it a try and see how we go.

Thanks.

[JeepsterQT]

is it possible that you are supposed to have a shorter cycle and your body is working its way back to what is normal for you? you gave birth 1 yr ago and it can take that long or longer to regulate. if it gets shorter than 24 days, i would call your doctor. GL

[Sequoia]

Quite possibly. Thanks, I wondered at what point I would be concerned about cycle length.

[JeepsterQT]

i would be more concerned with how long your LP is rather than the whole cycle. If your LP is shorter than 10 days then you should contact your doctor about progesterone supplements. like i said if it gets shorter than 24 days (while its no cause for alarm) then you can just call up your doctor and ask him/her some questions. GL

[Sequoia]

I'm seeing my FS again (had hormone issues last time but fell naturally) and going to get my cycle tracked, but we're not trying for awhile so I was interested in what answers everyone had before I commit to tracking.

[kiwichick]

I know this thread is a wee bit old...
AJP - you concieved on a 21 day cycle? How did you know it was that short if you concieved and didn't have AF? Early O? I ask because my cycles are averaging 21 days and I thought they'd be too short to concieve (if I'm Oing it is very soon after AF). Trying to lengthen them, got to 23 days this cycle with Vitex and RRL tea and AF was 1.5 days. Totally left-field.

Sequoia - I heard short cycles can be from high eostrogen levels, more likely if the flo is heavy (not sure that this is true for me b/c AF is quite light). Also, I've heard smokers are more likely to have short cycles, something to do with the chemicals affecting follicular development.

I guess it all depends what end of your cycle has shortened, the FP or the LP- an immature egg or a short LP can both affect TTC. Your cycles haven't got worriesomely short though - 25 days is still considered normal, even 23

ps- when i was taking steroids (prednisone), even at a very low dose, it shortened my cycle right down to 12 days (and 8 day light bleeding yay). If you were very stressed, hypothetically I guess the same thing could happen. I spose b/c the cycles b/c anovulatory. Stress could also shorten your LP in principle. HTH

[Olive]

hun i was doing my temps and checking cm so by monitoring them found i was about to ovulate, i did ovulate on day 9, i'll try and paste my FF chart here for you...

http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/11b340

[~Raven~]

The cycle DS 3 was conceived I O'd on CD 12. I was having 27 - 28 day cycles. I think my chart has disappeared into cyberspace now as I can't find it.

Before my first PG my cycles were about 30 - 36 days too but I was trying to regulate them using vitex which worked well. I did have a few textbook 28 day cycles for the first time in my life off BCP.

I think the important part of a short cycle is knowing the length of the leutal phase. If that is shorter than 9 days then it can't sustain the fertilised egg long enough. So if you're Oing sooner but having a 14 day LP (as I was) then it doens't really matter if your cycle is short IYKWIM.

[kiwichick]

thanks heaps for sharing your charts AJP, I feel much better. Especially since you got a BFP on one of those cycles! My last cycle I think I O'd CD9 but can't be sure. My temps don't rise a lot.
Amazing to see there is such a variation to what is normal...

[Sequoia]

Update - my last cycle was 31 days, up from 26 so I feel better about that. Also keeping an eye on my LP too.