Am I even ovulating??

Hi Girls,

I have never posted on this site before but am a huge lurker.

I was wondering if anyone had been diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance while ttc and what impact this had?

Briefly, i was diagnosed in Dec 05 with an ovarian cyst. I was booked in for surgery in Feb 06 but found out I was prg with #2 so surgery was postponed. Sadly, I lost my baby in March (missed m/c at 11.5 wks) and had a d&c a few days later. Af returned as normal following d&c.

I had a laproscopy 6 wks later (May 06) to remove the cyst (which turned out to be a huge endometrioma - I should mention that this was single site endo only, I do not have endo anywhere else and gyno is not expecting this to be a prob). Surgery took 4 hours but the end result was good (I got to keep my ovary!). My gyno told me I could start ttc following first af after surgery which I've been doing.

I've had 3 af's since then, but none I would call 'normal' for me. I've had spotting for anywhere from 4 days to a week prior to af arriving, when it does arrive, it only lasts 2/3 days and then disappears again. I used opk's last month and got a +tive on CD15 and again on CD18 (??). My GP has ordered CD3 and CD21 bt's to see if I am ovulating. She thinks I am having a 'hormonal hiccup' as she described it due to the m/c, surgery etc.

Has anyone else experience something like this? What treatment if any were you offered?

I am feeling really low at the moment. It has never taken us more than one cycle of ttc to get a bfp and with the m/c, surgery and now 3 months down the track (which i know is not considered a long time) and now possibly another problem, I am wondering if this is ever going to happen for us. :(

Thanks in advance for your responses, sorry for the long post.
B

Hi Willow2
I am sorry to hear your journey so far has been a difficult one - unfortunately I am not able to advise on your questions as I have not experienced any of the issues you mentioned. Just wanted to say that hormone production is a very sensitive process and your body has been through an awful time lately. Give yourself time for things to settle down and do NOT stress about things. Your AF and +ve OPK are good signs even if a little 'strange' at the moment.

Hope this helps, sorry I cannot answer your questions specifically but I am sure someone here can help more.
Take care.

What you've been through is bound to upset your system. Anaesthetics themselves are renowned for causing issues. The stress to the body can do simply awful things and with our cycles being so delicately balanced anyway, it really isn't too surprising that you're all over the place.

The best thing you can do is exactly what you ARE doing. The bloodwork through your cycle. That will reassure you if there isn't a problem and you can get treatment sooner, rather than later if there IS a problem. You could be prescribed any one of a range of drugs to help bring your cycle back into line and to force ovulation if necessary and I daresay your doctor will discuss any or all of these with you if the need arises.

I know it is easy to say, but just relax and go with what your doctor is suggesting. I personally am having issues of my own. I have not had any trouble conceiving in the past but since my last pregnancy which ended with a tragedy in the 2nd trimester, not only are my cycles out of whack but I've had multiple chemical pregnancies as well.
It seems that if I DO manage to get pregnant, nothing wants to stick.

I'm on the verge of throwing in the towel and admitting defeat. I've had the bloodwork that your doctor is suggesting you have and everything appears to be going as it should. But I can't help but wonder! Especially after this month which has seen my first ever possibly triphasic chart but from the feels of things and with the pink on my fingertips today when I checked CM and CP, AF is right around the corner anyway. *sigh*

Lisa

Hi Girls,

Got my cd3 bt results back today. Hormone levels are normal at this stage, HCG negative (no sh*t??!!).

I don't know if this is a good sign or not (can anyone shed some light on this??) not getting too excited until I get my cd21 results back, so fingers crossed.

B

HI Willow,
I am sorry for the loss of your baby. It is such a sad and difficult experience. I am glad you found Belly belly, you will find lots of support in here.

A lot has happened to your body in a short time - I believe it isn't unusual that you are experiencing a 'hiccup' as your care provider said. The cd3 test and cd21 test are really routine fertility indicators. I am glad you are having them done. The spotting you describe indicates that things are still regulating.
After you have birthed a baby - and essentially you have this can muck your hormones about for a while. The older you are the less quickly that you sometimes will bounce back. There are a number of herbal remedies that are really helpful for this. However, don't self prescribe these as herbs are potent and a practitioner would be able to concoct something just for you.

It is really good news that your cd3 test was good - this tells you that your body is excreting the hormones it should for ovulation to occur. The cd21 test will confirm ovulation. If this is showing a good level then things are probably returning to normal. I really hope that your next test is good news and that soon you are on a new pregnancy journey.
Hugs to you x0x0x0

Hi Fletch and Flowerchild, I recognise both of you from the m/c / loss forum. I have spent many a night in there bawling my eyes out and feeling completely 'normal' doing so :p

I'm relieved with my results so far and of course I'm hoping that there are no probs and I am ovulating but it's hard just 'waiting' around for my body to get back to normal and start doing what it's supposed to.

Patience is a virtue I seriously do not possess! :angry:

I have spent many a night in there bawling too! It is so very normal to cry and let it out. We all need to do that sometimes.
I think patience is one of the virtues that our angels teach us you know... That, and the art of loving but letting go.
I am glad you are happy with your results. That is a positive - and it is a good indicator. Are you using opk's or charting checking fertile signs so tht you know when you are likely to ovulate?

Just know what you are experiencing right now is within the realms of normal after birth. I feel sure you will find your cycle will settle down soon.

Big hugs to you...

Flowerchild, last month I used opk's from cd9 (as following lap cycles had only been 25/26 days) and got lines straight away but not a def positive until cd15. I did another one on cd18 (just to check that the line had faded away again) but got another positive result. I've since learned that an LH surge can last a few days so not too concerned about that anymore.

I have been recording my cycle as far as the spotting, af and cm go (and I did have cm last cycle that coincided with the positive opk) but am not taking my temperature or anything, was hoping not to have to go that far. I don't know if that is considered 'charting' and I don't know a thing about ff charts or anything like that. I even found doing the opk's was stressing me out last month so was thinking about just using the method we have previously of just bding on cd14, 15 and 16 and hoping for the best -it seemed to work the previous two times! Think my heart and mental health could benefit from a bit of a more relaxed approach this month! We'll see how we go.

As Fletch says a relaxed approach can be the go.
I wish you a very short ttc journey with a healthy baby at the end.