How do I find out if I'm annovulatory?

Hey all,

I was due for af 6 days ago but so far I haven't had any signs of it. I have taken 2 pg tests (first was 2 days late and the second was 5 days late) and both were negative.

I've always been regular with af even after stopping the pill with the exception of an early m/c but my cycles following this were what I would call regular (34 and 35 days). I've never been late before and after reading up on other women's questions on here about ovulating I wondered whether maybe I am having an annovulatory cycle?

So how do I go about finding out if I am annovulatory and how long should I be waiting before I find out? Is 6 days late too soon to start worrying?

Im not sure.. my cycles are all over the place but hopefully someone can offer you some helpful advice :)

xxx

I'd think a blood test would be the only accurate way of being sure. But whether that would determine whether you ovulated now, or whether it would have to be your next cycle I'm not sure.
I'm on my first cycle of clomid, and had a BT test today (day 21) to see if I ovulated.

Seems a little funny though that your AF hasn't been late before and now it is. My cycles have generally always been a little whacky and long, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me to be annovulatory iykwim. As for whether or not to worry ... I think it never hurts to see your GP if you're concerned.

Are you temping? Annovulatory cycles don't have a rise in temp after ovulation even if all the other signs are there that you ovulated (CM, position of cervix, positive OPK).

Yep, I second Just Me. The other thing that might have happened is that you might have ovulated later in this cycle so for most people the days between period and ovulation can be vary a little, but the luteal phase is usually consistent so you can then work out when your AF is due.

Thanks for you replies everyone :)

I don't temp or use opk's so I don't have any record of when I O'd by using those methods. I'm not sure how long my Luteal Phase is either...

My Sister has suggested that I think about seeing my doctor or see a gynecologist and have them run some tests for me so I can get an idea on what is happening.

I hope you get some answers. If you have trouble getting in to see them, I would suggest that you start temping now, before you see them. The more info you can give them, the more they will be able to help you.

Easiest and quickest way would be via blood tests, usually on about cycle day 21 to
Confirm if you have ovulated. This confirmed I had annovulatory cycles. I would go
To your GP and ask for some basic testing and/or a referral to an OBS/ Gyno. GL

Gathering some basic information would be useful for your own peace of mind and also to be able to discuss with the doctor. If you are concerned try a cycle or two with some charting using OPKs (can get cheapies off ebay) and temping. The doctor can also run a basic blood test

Thanks for your advice girls :) So I can understand my body and cycle better I think I will buy some OPKs.

At the moment I'm giving myself until Thursday to get af and if I don't I'll make an appointment to see my doctor and ask him to run whatever tests are available to me.

I do have another question if you don't mind... if I'm annovulatory should I have much CM? What is it usually like when a woman isn't Oing? Sorry if this is TMI but I am checking my CM every few days and it is still thin and wet. There seems to be a fair amount of it too.

If you are getting copious amounts of thin wet CM, I would say go and DTD now :)

That sounds like fairly fertile CM to me. Usually it starts out watery and get thicker and more like egg whites (if you don't know what I am talking about, crack open an egg and look at the whites - stretch them between your fingers). It stay completely clear though.

CM isn't a sure sign of ovulation because it can be easily confused with sperm. If you have DTD in the last couple of days, it could be that as well. Sperm doesn't tend to be as copious as CM and the stretchy bits clump but it is easy to confuse if you don't know what you are looking for.

If you want to, you can also check your cervix. It is hard to know if you don't check it regularly, but if it is hard to reach, feels really soft (like the inside of your check) and the O of your cervix is open (really soft and you can easily fit your finger in there) then you are most probably fertile at the moment. If you are not fertile, your cervix will be low and hard.

Unfortunately though, CM and cervical position are only secondary indicators of ovulation. It is possible to ovulate without noticing either of these things and it is possible to have both of these things and not ovulate. Temping is the only way to pinpoint it for sure. It might not be too late to start. Take your temps for the next couple of days and see. If it goes up around the same time that your CM settled down, then it may very well be ovulation. It might have just been a bit delayed this cycle.

Good luck :)

I heard that if you get a 21 day progesterone challenge (blood test) taken then they can tell if you've ovulated. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone after the egg is released, once the CL dies the progesterone drops and that initiates AF to start and then you start all over again!

HTH.

Erica x