G’day from Australia!
I highly recommend the Creighton method to address your short luteal phase because I have done so with great success!
We are blessed to have an excellent NFP clinic just 15/20 minutes from home, with young and enthusiastic doctors. They have changed my life!
I too suffer what is known as a ‘luteal phase defect’. The NFP doctors sent me for blood tests during the luteal phase of my cycle which confirmed extremely low levels of progesterone (hence the short cycle). I have experienced such cycles all my life (I’m in my late thirties now). The simple solution is to administer progesterone throughout the second half of the menstrual cycle, once ovulation has occurred. In the Creighton method, this is from day P+3. ‘P’ being ‘Peak’ day of mucus, that is, any mucus which is clear in colour, lubricative or stretchy (1 or more inches). ‘3’ being the third night after the ‘P’ night. Which form of progesterone depends on how low your particular levels are.
The mild forms of progesterone are patches (worn on the arm) and lozengers (dissolve inside the mouth). Unfortunately, these were not strong enough to make any difference to my short cycles. The 2 higher dose forms are pure progesterone pessaries (especially compounded and inserted intravaginally as you go to bed at night, used for 10 consecutive nights) and HCG injections (4 in total, days P+ 3, 5, 7, 9, given in the thigh). These two types of progesterone worked wonders for me…like a miracle!
I am currently using the pessaries and they have extended my cycle to a more ‘normal’ 27/28 days. I still get my usual pre-menstrual headaches on this dosage (although not as bad and far more bearable). I personally think that the pessaries are just scraping my hormone levels over the line. Just. The HCG injections are whoah! No pre-menstrual symptoms, great blood test results and cycles of 30-32 days. HOWEVER, it is only recommended to take the HCG if you are trying to get pregnant (however long that may take), not as an indefinite plan of managing a luteal phase defect. What a shame
A post luteal phase defect is a major cause of infertility and miscarriage, as you are probably aware. We tried to have a baby for nearly 5 years without success until stumbling upon NFP/Creighton. Once the luteal phase defect was addressed with HCG, along with Clomid, we fell pregnant within 6 months. A real miracle! We knew we were at high risk of miscarriage so continued with progesterone support through NFP for a large part of the pregnancy. Using this method and by God’s grace, we now have two perfect, precious and beautiful children, a boy and a girl. We even made the local paper with our fertility story! All thanks to NFP/Creighton.
You are certainly correct though about the ‘other’ local doctors not being interested in these methods. It’s so incredibly frustrating. As a teen I was told the solution to short cycles was to take the pill. Which I certainly did not take. When trying to get pregnant, so called fertility specialists told us my short cycle wasn’t going to make a difference. Which it certainly did. When I was pregnant the outside obstratician (sorry if spelling is wrong), scoffed at the progesterone support I was receiving from NFP and said I didn’t need it to prevent miscarriage. I most certainly did…and kept using it under instruction from my NFP doctor without the ob’s knowledge that I was continuing to do so. The results speak for themselves! Thanks be to God!
In today’s electronic age, I really hope and pray that you will have access to a wonderful NFP/Creighton trained doctor and professionals. Can this be done even through a web cam phone/internet hook up type appointment to your closest clinic? If not, due to where you live, could they do appointments with you over the phone? You could always fax through or scan in your charts prior and surely they could post you blood test forms and scripts? Where there’s a will, there’s a way (especially when it’s God’s!).
I hope to have been of some help, I’m just sorry I’m so far away! I actually hope to train in becoming certified in Creighton charting some time in the next few years. I’m a trained school teacher but am really enthused about helping others who are in a similar situation to mine!
God Bless and all the best to you, Molly
xx
