What is my next step?

[krystee]

I did OPKs and temping this month, and it looks like I did not ovulate (AF is due in one week, so I should have by now). How many months of no ovulation is usually needed to determine that there's a real issue and steps need to be taken? And what is the next step--Clomid?

I suppose I could just call my doctor, but I don't want him to think I'm crazy calling after only one month.

[Deleted]

Are your periods regular? There was a post on MMMs a few months ago and I think the consensus was something like 6 months after trying if you 30 or over and 1 year if you are under 30. I called my doctor after 2 months though and am so glad that I did. My period was mia.  I was diagnosed with a thyroid issue and have to take medication for the next few months before starting ttc again. If I had waited 6 months to talk to my ob-gyn, that would have set us back even longer. I am 30, almost 31 fwiw.

[krystee]

I'm 30, and my cycles have always been like clockwork until the cycle we started TTC (last month), when it was about 10 days longer than usual. Since it was different that month, I decided to chart and use OPKs this month. Fortunately, I have a doctor who's super proactive and very willing to do tests fairly early on, so I think I'll call him if the next month is like this one.

I am also significantly overweight, so I am going to see if a lot more exercise and healthier eating fix things next month.

[lola]

Feb 4, 2013 11:38:48 GMT -5 krystee said:

I'm 30, and my cycles have always been like clockwork until the cycle we started TTC (last month), when it was about 10 days longer than usual. Since it was different that month, I decided to chart and use OPKs this month. Fortunately, I have a doctor who's super proactive and very willing to do tests fairly early on, so I think I'll call him if the next month is like this one.

I am also significantly overweight, so I am going to see if a lot more exercise and healthier eating fix things next month.

Listen, you just started TTC last month. You *think* you didn't O this month. It is SO not time to start worrying, running to the doctor, and throwing out things like, "What's next, Clomid?"

Clomid isn't fucking Tylenol - it's a serious Rx drug with serious consequences/side effects. When you get to the point where it's on the table (and two months of TTC is definitely not that point!) you'll understand this.

If you're 30, you need to try for at least six months, and probably a year, before there's cause for concern. I have a very proactive doctor and I also live in Chicago and in Chicago, at 30, you're still going to be considered pretty young. Chart and temp and OPK if that makes you feel better, and because I think all those things are helpful. But, try to remember that it can take a perfectly healthy couple A YEAR to get pregnant. Two cycles is barely enough time to be sure you're fucking peeing on the OPK at the right time of the day.

Spend the next six cycles working on what you can control. Take a yoga class, walk daily, try to lose some weight - all of these things will be good for you and make a pregnancy easier on your body. They'll also take your mind off of TTC, which you're going to need if you're thinking about Clomid on cycle 2.

[thoseareradishes]

I agree with Lola. Get a few more cycles under your belt and see how things are going. Wonky cycles happen- see my post from today.

[krystee]

Sheesh, I am not about to start popping Clomid like M&Ms after two months of TTC. Mainly, I was curious if one annovulatory cycle was common, or if it's usually indicative of a larger problem.

[linz]

I'd continue to temp in case you are just late this month, could be stress or a number of factors. My OB makes me wait 60 days and if I still don't have a period then I get provera. I have PCOS so need other meds to help me ovulate each month. I have been wonky since I got off the pill. Were you on the pill? Sometimes it takes a while to get back to normal.  I didn't wait the 6 months but my doctor tested me and knew I had PCOS so that's when I got jump started on other meds. But if it's just a messed up cycle I wouldn't get too worried about needing tests yet. If anything you can have a blood draw.

[lola]

Ok, well, "Is a cycle without O normal?" is very different than, "What's my next step? Clomid? My doctor is very proactive!" But, I guess that's neither here nor there at this point.

Yes, it is normal to not O for a cycle.

[krystee]

lola, I apologize. In rereading my OP, you are right. I do sound a bit nutty (for the Clomid question, I meant what is the next step if a longer pattern of no ovulation occurs, but it didn't come out that way). I blame that on my over-anxious, over-planning personality.

[thoseareradishes]

Feb 4, 2013 12:29:35 GMT -5 TR said:

Feb 4, 2013 12:20:41 GMT -5 krystee said:

Sheesh, I am not about to start popping Clomid like M&Ms after two months of TTC. Mainly, I was curious if one annovulatory cycle was common, or if it's usually indicative of a larger problem.

One annovulatory cycle is common.  But if it keeps up, I'd start asking questions.  I know people say it can take a healthy couple up to a year, blah blah blah. But for ME, if I was temping and all that for three or four cycles straight and I wasn't ovulating at ALL?  I'd have my ass in the doctor's office.  Because, yeah, there's a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month even with perfect timing.  But without an egg, there's 0% chance and 0% times 6 months or a year is still 0%.

Yep, this is why I think you need to temp for a few more cycles.  You want to see if it is a pattern or a one time thing.

[lola]

Feb 4, 2013 12:30:17 GMT -5 krystee said:

lola, I apologize. In rereading my OP, you are right. I do sound a bit nutty (for the Clomid question, I meant what is the next step if a longer pattern of no ovulation occurs, but it didn't come out that way). I blame that on my over-anxious, over-planning personality.

LOL - listen, no need to apologize, I swear. TTC is hard, emotional, insanity inducing work (even if it is fun!). From where I stand, I'd like for people to be able to enjoy it, and embrace it for the "ride" that it is, at least for the first few cycles.

[coribelle26]

FYI just because you've been having regular cycles doesn't mean you ovulate at the "normal" time. I almost always have a 28 day cycle but I wasn't ovulating until CD19. If you're stressed (and it sounds like you might be, lol), it can push ovulation back even more and extend your cycle. I wouldn't make any assumptions about your cycle and its patterns until at least three months in.

[Jalapeñomel]

And really you may have missed your surge with OPKs by ovulating earlier then you thought, and you may not be familiar enough with your chart/charting in general to know if the temp shift around ovulation is happening.

[Cheesecake]

Everything that lola and radishes said plus this:
you're only using opks??? That doesn't tell you jack shit. Opks give you an indication of when you *might* O if you pee at the right time.
Super super useful if you know your cycle and pattern. Worth jack shit if you don't, cause, as Jalapeno says, easy to miss a surge.
So really chart temps and CM for a few months. And really, just try to have fun trying for a little while. And PS, no doc in the world will give you meds to stimulate O without temp info or mich ore invasive tests to srr of you're Oing.

Sent from my phone, please disregard typos!

[FastHands]

Good lord. What's with the need to be such assholes? There's a whole board designed so that you can avoid newbie questions if your only reaction is snark. Wasn't that the point?? I guess some people just get off on coming back to tell people they're Doing It Wrong.

She was asking how this usually works IF it's determined that she isn't ovulating and what steps would be taken next IF that were the case. The nerve!