Ooh OK thanks everyone. Its as I thought - with other possibilities meaning it might not be AF - but once you KNOW its AF just wondered if you should then go back and count spotting as day 1? As counting my LP is very important a few days can make all the difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shalyn
Yup, it is always the 1st day of full blown red flow..........not spotting.
I have a question for you - How did you find out that you needed Progesterone????
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Heya Shalyn. Well.....its a long story!
I had an early miscarriage (or sometimes known as a Chemical Pregnancy) and I started charting my cycles. I didn't realise at first but as fertility friend gives you snippets of info as you go I eventually realised that my luteal phase was short. I had a 5 day LP once and as long as 9 days but mostly 7 or 8 days long. I researched loads and found that you need at least 10 days to concieve but 12-14 is what you
should have.
I was breastfeeding my daughter at the time and there is alot of conflicting evidence as to whether nursing can give you a short LP or not. I didn't think I could see the doc whilst nursing (they don't like you to ttc whilst nursing already and its all to easy for them to say its because of that). Instead I tried various other remedies like Agnus Castus and B6. The B6 gave me a 10 and a 11 day cycle in March but then it dropped back to 7 days. No idea why...I still take it. Anyhoo...I knew from online that progesterone was also the 'cure' for a luteal phase defect but I brought some Progesterone Cream to try. Its classed as a cosmetic not a medication...but nope, no difference there either. My last choice was to wean. I had hoped I could let my daughter wean when ready so I had held out as long as possible and she WAS very close to being ready. We were down to two nursings morn and night anyhoo so I just said that was it, it was all gone, and she must have been ready as she accepted it very well. That was in June. My cycles didn't change at all. I would have thought to get at least ONE day extra on my LP! And I have sat back and watched so many nursing mothers getting pregnant no prob I thought it MUST be ME not nursing! So last month I went to the docs for blood tests. As I was expecting my progesterone came back low. Well..on the computer it said '5 normal/low'. Anyhoo everything else was fine - including my prolactin, which would be high if my previous nursing was still in my system.
BUT surprisingly the doc wasn't supportive. She said the low prog mean't I didn't ovulate AT ALL. I have to disagree based on both my charting and getting + OPKS not to mention the fact I got pregs once even though I MC'd.
She told me I would be given clomid but to go away and cont ttc another 6mths first as the fertility clinic would like to see a longer gap between my stopping breastfeeding. I was devastated. I can't see ANOTHER 6mths doing anything for me except going back to the docs in exactly the same position I was already in. I told her about 'luteal phase defects' etc and she said I seem to believe what I've read online more than her. She said she had just come back from a fertility conference where they said giving progesterone wasn't recommended as 'it doesn't work'.
However she reluctantly agreed to let me try some (as, and I quote, 'you will only buy some online anyways') and she gave me two boxes.
As you can see it HAS worked. I've just had a 35 day cycle AND a LP of
16 days!!! I'm a little scared that if she is right about me not ovulating then I still don't have a chance but I would rather pass the 6mths with 'a shot' and a healthy LP then with nothing.
Interestingly I did find an article when I got home that backed both of our opinions up...
'QUOTE 'When we talk about a hormone problem, you have likely miscarried in less than 10 weeks. After that, the placenta has taken over hormone production and any normal deficiency you have is not a factor. Low progesterone, the most common problem, is not as easy to treat as you might hope. Progesterone suppositories, while frequently prescribed, are not proven to be helpful and often actually cause a nonviable pregnancy to last longer than it should.
The only situation where progesterone is a sure solution is with a luteal phase defect, where the corpus luteum, which is formed along with egg at ovulation, does not produce the hormones needed to sustain a pregnancy. For most women, however, this is usually not an every-month problem. Usually the situation rights itself with the next egg and the next corpus luteum. This problem, if it is a permanent one, can be diagnosed through two separate endometrial biopsies. Progesterone must be started 48 hours after ovulation to work. By the time you have missed a period, it is too late to save a pregnancy with a luteal phase defect
I've found alot of docs seem to have conflicting opinions on whether luteal phase means anything to ttc and the treatment of.
If I get a BFP then obviously I prove my doc wrong eh?
Well..sorry if that was much longer than expected! I guess the short answer would have been 'through charting and online research' lol
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Why is spotting not counted as CD1?
Even injuring yourself can cause some spotting. There are just too many possible causes and it doesn't mean that your body has started to flush things out yet. The first day that you have at least a light flow is CD 1, but spotting just doesn't count.
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