Question for people using NFP

[Christian4life]

I have this problem, and I was wondering is this normal? Do any of you women who use NFP ever notice that you are not ovulating at all? Is that normal?

I also just started having irregular spotting between periods…could that mean I am about to ovulate? I tried to look it up on the women’s health sites but couldn’t find anything that would apply to me as I am not pregnant.

Would appreciate any insight/advice…

 

[Princess_Abby]

Christian4life:

I have this problem, and I was wondering is this normal? Do any of you women who use NFP ever notice that you are not ovulating at all? Is that normal?

I also just started having irregular spotting between periods…could that mean I am about to ovulate? I tried to look it up on the women’s health sites but couldn’t find anything that would apply to me as I am not pregnant.

Would appreciate any insight/advice…

Do you use the Creighton Model of NFP?

Spotting can be indicative of low progesterone (which is what is released from the corpus luteum AFTER you ovulate…so if you’re not ovulating, you have no progesterone usually).

Not ovulating could be a result of a few things. Are you exclusively breastfeeding your daughter still? (I can’t remember how old she is.) Have you documented ovulation since birthing your daughter? It may be a possibility that your cycles just haven’t resumed their normal pattern yet. It is very normal for a new mom to not have ovulation resume right away, even if she is having periods.

PCOS is another possibility that comes to mind. (Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome.) Eggs are not released from the ovary and become cysts that eventually block other eggs from being released. Sporadically a woman with this condition might ovulate, but irregularly. PCOS develops from a hormonal imbalance and has a host of symptoms, but you do not mention anything remiss, sooooooo…being that you just had a baby not too long ago, it is not what comes to mind as being the best possibility.

I would continue to chart my cycle for at least two months and then take it to an NFP doctor for review.

 

[Princess_Abby]

Christian,

I just read in another thread that you also suffered a miscarriage. I am so sorry to hear that!

The only reason I bring this up is because low progesterone can often be a reason for miscarriages. Since you are spotting, which indicates low progesterone, it makes sense the two MIGHT be linked.

Dr. Hilgers of the Pope Paul IV Institute has been revolutionary in determining women’s needs for progesterone. You have to chart for two cycles using the Creighton Model and then he will review your chart for a mere $25, I think. He might ask you to get a series of blood draws throughout your cycle and then send them to him for review, upon which IF he determines you DO have low progesterone, he will suggest remedies. Progesterone is very important for maintaining a pregnancy, so I really suggest you talk to a Creighton Model Practioner!!!

 

[Jennie]

I hope this information helps.

You may be experiencing “mittleschmerz” (German for middle pain). During the ovarian cycle, with the help of hormones, about ten to twenty of the thousands of follicles within the ovary begin to mature. One of these follicles develops an egg that can be fertilized.

Eventually, the follicle and ovarian surface open up to let the egg float out. Women respond differently to this phase of the cycle, called ovulation. Some women feel a slight pain or cramp, some release a vaginal discharge that can include blood, some get headaches, gastric pain, and/or feel lethargic, and some women feel nothing at all. The pain and/or discharge is called “mittleschmerz.”

However, it is recommended that when a female experiences spotting between cycles, that she see a gynecologist or nurse practitioner to make sure that her breakthrough bleeding is normal and not a symptom of another problem, including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, cervical cancer, or ovarian cysts.

 

[Christian4life]

Thank you all I will definately ask my doctor about some of these things when I have the chance. He is very supportive of my using NFP so I am hoping he will know something about it too. So far I am having trouble finding a babysitter so that I can go, as my mother-in-law is on vacation.

No I am not breastfeeding anymore. I did have a miscarriage only a couple months ago. I had to stop breastfeeding due to thrush at only 4 months, my daughter is 1 now. I did have relatively normal cycles a couple months after I stopped. I’m using the sympto-thermal method and I noticed I rarely have more than 8 or 9 days after ovulating, and I read somewhere you have to have at least 14 to sustain a pregnancy. The other thing is I was told I had an ovarian cyst on an x-ray a couple years ago but that was before I got pregnant, so I will definately mention that too.

It is really worse now than I can say because I don’t want to get too detailed on a public forum, so I decided I need to see a doctor. Thank you all for the concern…I guess I just got really freaked out when this happened and wondered if it was something to get freaked out about or not.