Really not sure I'm ovulating at all.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Hi there. I've been posting on and off for the last few months about my irregular cycles (been off the pill for around a year now and my cycles are anywhere between 37 and 56 days, averaging 45; pre-pill normal was about 32).

I can't believe this hasn't occurred to me until now, but it hit me yesterday. Before I went on the pill 8 years ago, I remember having copious eggwhite-type mucus reasonably often (I wasn't charting it as I was 15 and a virgin). I haven't had that once since coming off.

Does this mean I'm not actually ovulating? Is it possible to ovulate without having that mucus? Could it be that my body has just changed since I was a teenager and is less obvious about ovulation now?

I am not keen to go to the doctor as she laughed at me for being concerned about my irregularity. I don't want to go back unless I have really good evidence of a problem.


(I do get cramping through my cycle, but there's no pattern; it can be absent for a cycle or go on for three weeks. I don't seem to get PMS, but I have unstable moods anyway, so that may be masking PMS. I have no symptoms of anything else such as PCOS, my weight is normal - fluctuated within healthy limits last year but has been stable since December - and my general health is good.)

Comments

[geminigirl]

It is possible that your ovulation is less noticeable now which might seem like not having mucous. It's also possible that you aren't ovulating. There are numerous causes of anovulatory cycles though. Charting might help figure out whether or not you're ovulating and what the cause is.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

I have been charting my cycles since the end of last summer, but I gave up charting the cervical mucus because it really seems pretty much the same all the time.

[geminigirl]

What do your temperatures show? A distinct thermal shift or no?

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Maybe I misused the term 'charting' - I've only been charting cycle dates and things like bad cramping, not my temperature.

[geminigirl]

Unfortunately dates and cramps don't tell a whole lot about ovulation. For that you need to look at FAM (fertility awareness method) or the Billings method or using ovulation predictor kits or a fertility monitor.

[paraxeni.livejournal.com]

Just FYI - PCOS can be asymptomatic. The reason why it's such a problematic condition is that it's "invisible" in some women until they're trying to conceive. It's a myth that all PCOSers are overweight - just look at Victoria Beckham.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know weight isn't the only indicator, but my sister has it and I don't have any of the other symptoms she has (facial hair, acne, etc.) So I assumed it was unlikely. But I suppose I could be wrong...

[tigerlilylynn.livejournal.com]

I believe there is a heritability factor to PCOS. It might be worth pursuing. You say you are charting, are you getting temp spikes?

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not taking my temperature - just charting cycle dates and things like bad cramping.

[tigerlilylynn.livejournal.com]

You might want to go over to the comm fam for details and advice for tracking (I'm not sure if there are also other methods). You'd be able to detect ovulation by your temp chart and then know if you're ovulating quietly or if you aren't ovulating. Then you could take that to your doc and go from there.

[paraxeni.livejournal.com]

Guess what? Nearly every woman in my family has it, and I'm the only 'typical' one with weight problems, acne, hirsutism etc. (Bah!) The only symptom my mother has of it is mild acne, she was super-fertile and everything in her 20s, but didn't have a regular 28 day cycle. My cousins are skinny, clear-skinned and as smooth as silk, they have it too. It's a very easy thing to miss. I've had it since I was 14 but only had heavy, irregular periods because of it. I didn't get the other stuff until I was ill from a bad viral infection at 21.

Ooh almost forgot about my girlfriend. She has it, but was asymptomatic till 4 years ago. She had a scan at 19 (36 now) that showed the cysts, but her only problem was getting (and staying) pregnant, it's only now that she has the other stuff.

I just like to clear up any misconceptions. My untreated PCOS led to a very rare complication which means I'm really seriously ill now, I hate to think of it happening to anyone else.

[archangelbeth]

If you've mentioned your irregular cycles... You've been seen me put my hobby horse through its paces, right? My little hypothyroid pony and all that. (I didn't get the serious weight gain till after it got worse, after my kid.)

(And if your doctor laughed at you, when irregularity is a symptom of various problems, I'd suggest it's new doctor time.)

[silverwing26.livejournal.com]

I second this! A dr. not taking your concerns seriously would be a red flag for me.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Haha yes, we did discuss this possibility before :) I'm not noticing any of the other symptoms you suggested then, but I'll keep an eye out for them.

I wasn't thrilled with my doctor's reaction either. But my family has had trouble finding non-lousy doctors around here, and she may be the best of a bad lot. (The doctor next door to her, for example, nearly killed my sister back in the 70s.)

[archangelbeth]

Eugh, I'm sorry you're stuck with wretched doctors. O:(

Good luck!

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

I went to the women's clinic today and you'll be glad to know I'm going back soon for a hormone test, including a check of thyroid hormones. So I'll hopefully be able to rule that out once and for all :)

[conflictgirl.livejournal.com]

It's very possible that you're not ovulating...long or irregular cycles don't necessarily mean you're *not* ovulating, but it often does.

I have PCOS and was first diagnosed when I was 21. At the time I was underweight, had none of the other symptoms like acne, excess hair, etc. I did notice that you said you have unstable moods, as I always have as well - that's not a symptom of PCOS, but anecdotally there's a link between PCOS, blood sugar issues and unstable moods. Do you get low blood sugar episodes at all, like feeling really shaky if you go more than a couple hours without eating? That plus irregular periods were the ONLY symptoms related to PCOS that I had until I was in my late 20s.

FYI I was on the pill for a while in my early 20s and I think that was a turning point, as my cycles were never quite the same when I came off of it. I think the pill can actually aggravate existing tendencies toward PCOS for some people.

I am sorry your doctor is so dismissive of you. :( I hope you have access to other doctors as your concerns are valid. I don't believe that if you go to your doctor and tell her you don't think you're ovulating that she will do anything unless you're trying to conceive...however if you go in and tell her you suspect you might have PCOS, that might help point her in the right direction so she can run some tests to either confirm or rule it out.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. I get migraines sometimes, and they seem to be aggravated by not eating - but I think that's true of migraines generally. I didn't know you could have PCOS with so few obvious symptoms :(

Yeah, I think my doctor would take it more seriously if I was older and was planning to conceive soon. I do want kids, though, and I'm terrified that if there's something wrong and it goes undiagnosed too long, it may not be fixable. And anyway I just want to know that I'm healthy, you know?

[slobbergal.livejournal.com]

hmm..your doctor laughed at you for being concerned about something? Is there a way you could change doctors? I've never had one laugh at me and I'm pretty sure I've asked some strange questions before.

[sakit-kepala.livejournal.com]

I could, but my family has lived around here for decades and we've yet to find a local doctor that we're happy with (some have been almost lethally incompetent). I wouldn't be at all sure of finding someone better.