NFP related question

[snarf114]

I don’t know where else to ask this question so I’m asking it here.

My fiance and I are learning about NFP and plan to faithfully practice it after the big day. She has been charting for five months now and we are seeing a weird trend…she has two distinct cycle lengths. She has a long cycle (around 28 days) and a short cycle (around 22 days). We thought at first she was irregular but I don’t think that’s really the case because it seems to be consistently long or consistently short. I think one ovary is on a 22 day cycle and the other is on a 28 day cycle. Has anyone else ever had anything like that or are we mistaken?

She’s never been on birth control and lives a healthy lifestyle…takes vitamins, exercises, etc.

 

[Xantippe]

I would take this one to an OB/GYN, because a 22-day cycle is unusual.

I have to mention that it’s also potentially an NFP problem. Double check this with an actual expert, but it suggests to me the possibility of a Day 10 ovulation, which means not much of a Phase 1 for you guys.

I recently had my first 24-day cycle and my husband and I have just given up on Phase 1 past day 2. I’m 39 and my cycles have been in the process of shrinking from 30+ to 28 to 26 to 24–at my age this trend is presumably a pre-pre-menopause thing. Presumably, if my cycles shrink any more, we’ll have to give up on Phase 1 entirely.

Oh, and come to think of it, you guys may wish to monitor your fiancee’s length of luteal phase and maybe talk to an OB/GYN about it. A too short luteal phase can be a problem when trying to achieve a successful pregnancy.

Good luck!

 

[underacloud]

Yes, please talk to a doctor. Could be either a short phase 1 or phase 3. As Xantippe mentioned, a short phase 3 - the luteal phase - is a common problem when trying to conceive. It may be one ovary is not working quite right; eg not releasing sufficient progesterone to sustain the luteal phase.

 

[snarf114]

ok then another question…could it be that on the “short” cycle she isn’t ovulating at all? She always menstruates after the “short” cycle so does that mean she definitely ovulated or not necessarily?

She has also recently started taking Optivite to see if it straightens things out. Our plan was for her to go to the doctor in April either way because that’s two months before we get married (good time for a check up) and also that gives Optivite a chance to make a difference.

Based on our interpretations from her charts it looks like very short Phases I and III which sounds annoying but I like kids so that doesn’t bother me lol. Seriously though, how long is a typical phase 1 and 3 for a 28 day cycle?

 

[Xantippe]

ok then another question…could it be that on the “short” cycle she isn’t ovulating at all? She always menstruates after the “short” cycle so does that mean she definitely ovulated or not necessarily?

She has also recently started taking Optivite to see if it straightens things out. Our plan was for her to go to the doctor in April either way because that’s two months before we get married (good time for a check up) and also that gives Optivite a chance to make a difference.

Based on our interpretations from her charts it looks like very short Phases I and III which sounds annoying but I like kids so that doesn’t bother me lol. Seriously though, how long is a typical phase 1 and 3 for a 28 day cycle?

I hesitate to answer any of this because I’m not an actual NFP teacher, just a reasonably successful long-term user, but I think that if she’s having temperature rises during the short cycles, then she is probably ovulating. Come to think of it, any good NFP book will talk about how you ID an anovulatory cycle. So, have a look.

I bet you are correct about it being a short Phase 1 and 3, but check in with an NFP teacher or OBGYN. On the bright side, there are perks to shorter cycles–it means that while you don’t get a lot of days at a time, abstinence will also be shorter.

 

[Vico]

I don’t know where else to ask this question so I’m asking it here.

My fiance and I are learning about NFP and plan to faithfully practice it after the big day. She has been charting for five months now and we are seeing a weird trend…she has two distinct cycle lengths. She has a long cycle (around 28 days) and a short cycle (around 22 days). We thought at first she was irregular but I don’t think that’s really the case because it seems to be consistently long or consistently short. I think one ovary is on a 22 day cycle and the other is on a 28 day cycle. Has anyone else ever had anything like that or are we mistaken?

She’s never been on birth control and lives a healthy lifestyle…takes vitamins, exercises, etc.

From Fertility and Sterility, July 2003 Volume 80, Issue 1, Pages 116–122.

a Canadian study in 2000-2002Patient(s)

Fifty healthy women of reproductive age (range 19–43 years) with a history of regular menstrual cycles not taking medications known to interfere with reproductive function were evaluated.
Result(s)
Sixty-eight percent of women exhibited two waves of follicle development during the IOI and 32% exhibited three waves. Waves were characterized by an increase and subsequent decrease in the number of follicles ≥5 mm occurring in association with the growth of ≥2 follicles to ≥6 mm. A day effect and day by wave interaction were detected in the mean diameter of the largest three follicles and the number of follicles ≥5 mm.
fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2803%2900544-2/fulltext

“It’s been assumed until now that women have just one wave per monthly cycle, leading to one ovulation, but nobody has actually carried out detailed analysis before,” said Roger Pierson, who led the study. “In fact, all the women in our study had at least two waves and 30 per cent of them had three.”

newscientist.com/article/dn3927-women-can-ovulate-more-than-once-a-month.html#.VMdm0C4l_R8

 

[twoangels]

I don’t know where else to ask this question so I’m asking it here.

My fiance and I are learning about NFP and plan to faithfully practice it after the big day. She has been charting for five months now and we are seeing a weird trend…she has two distinct cycle lengths. She has a long cycle (around 28 days) and a short cycle (around 22 days). We thought at first she was irregular but I don’t think that’s really the case because it seems to be consistently long or consistently short. I think one ovary is on a 22 day cycle and the other is on a 28 day cycle. Has anyone else ever had anything like that or are we mistaken?

She’s never been on birth control and lives a healthy lifestyle…takes vitamins, exercises, etc.

What method of NFP are you using? Is the short cycle short because she’s ovulating earlier or because her lutael phase is shorter?