Cycle concerns

Hi all...Would anyone know why my cycles keep getting shorter and shorter? I was always 28 days like clockwork before having my two sons (who are 19 months apart). My youngest son is now 21 months old and my periods have gone from 27 days down to 23 over the past 19 months. (I didn’t breastfeed and got my period two months after he was born). It appears as though I’m just about to get my period which would make this one 22 days and a luteal phase of 9. I’m 36 years old. I was hoping to TTC later this month but am now afraid that I won’t be able to conceive or I will miss carry. Any insight as to why this could be happening to me? Anyone else experience short cycles? I’m feeling so lost and frustrated and my doctor just brushes my concerns off 😞 I had my hormone levels tested back in March and all was fine but I’m wondering if things have since shifted.

Some questions:

Are you dieting or doing any exercise? Recently lost a lot of weight? Have you cut way back on fat?

Are you taking any supplements or drinking a lot of herbal teas (and if so what)

Did you actually get your period? Many times people will come to me worried because they think they're about to get their period and then it comes days later.

How many periods have you had that were actually on the shorter side? You say this is over the course of 19 months, so were most of them longer (more like 25 days plus) and this short one is an anomaly or has it been shorter for quite some time?

I know it's hard to believe but anything longer than 21 days IS enough to conceive. Your luteal phase (if it truly is 9 days) is a bit short BUT we've had many people conceive with 9 day LP. Try to keep in mind as well, that your luteal phase says nothing about THIS month in which you may TTC, but has to do with LAST month's hormone profile.

Long story short, I think it's fine for you to try but I do want more info if there is something we can do to fix this for you (since no one wants to be having periods every 3 weeks!)

Hi Atomic,
Thank you kindly for your response. To answer your questions, I haven’t lost any weight recently. I have hovered within the same 5 lbs for over a year now. I work out 6-7 days a week. 5 days a week I do an hour elliptical and the other two days I do an hour of power walking/running intervals. I have been doing this type of cardio for my sway since March. Before then I was doing both weights and cardio. I have also been a vegetarian for a year now. I have been somewhat following the LE diet, but honestly, not really. I feel my sway will be a “light sway” through exercise and being vegetarian and one attempt at the first OPK.
I used to be on a lot of supplements but stopped them all two months ago. I now only take folate acid and magnesium at bedtime for sleep and constipation. That’s it. Before I was on a variety of different vitamins.
This is my third “short” (23 days) cycle in a row. Before then all my other cycles the over past year have been 27 days (with one random 24 day in between). My luteal phase on the 27 days cycle was approx 11 days.
I always worry about perimenopause because my mom started it at 38.
I wonder if 24 days plus or minus if my new normal? I wonder why my last 3 cycles got so short. It’s such a mystery....

Did you wean off the supplements or just drop them cold turkey? What were they?

What is your BMI at this point?? I get you've been on diet and exercise a long time, but these things can be cumulative...as your body depletes its reserves, your cycle can be affected even without anything drastic happening.

Can you give me a rough estimate on the amount of fat you're eating?

I would have you add in a serving of full fat dairy and 4-6 eggs a week beyond what you're aleady eating to start with.

It is within the realm of normal, but since it's a change and it's concerning you I do want to do what we can to rectify it.

My BMI is about 22 (5 foot 7 and 140-145 lbs...I don’t have a tiny build...I’m broad...and this weight is on the lower end for me. I was 165 before kids. I look quite slim and wear a size 4) . I don’t know exactly the fat I’m eating but I’d say it’s at the high end or over of the diet. I haven’t following the diet strictly and eat a lot of nuts and seeds. Same with my protein, it’s on the high end. I love tofu and eggs.
Supplements up until the summer I was taking B12, B6, C, D drops, Vitex (from October until June of this year. My naturopath put me on it to lengthen my luteal phase). My ND just told me when the bottles were done I could stop. The vitex they weaned me off of. I wonder if this is why I’m having shorter cycles? They aren’t heavier periods or last any longer then usual thankfully. No bad pms either. Just 23-24 days instead of 27.
I feel I won’t have the greatest sway due to my diet. I have quite the sweet tooth. I’m hoping one attempt ,the exercise and being a vegetarian will help. I was going to sway his month. Not sure if I should wait or just give it a go... I wonder if I still have a chance.
Thank you again atomic for taking the time to reply addressing my concerns :)

Ok. In that case it's unlikely that it's diet and being too thin that is causing this. :agree:

I would have strongly recommended weaning off those nutrient supps. But at this point your body has adjusted or will shortly.

PLEASE do not go back onto the vitex. I despise vitex and find it causes exactly this type of problem - people go onto it to solve a "problem" that isn't even a problem, and end up creating a problem. Naturopaths love vitex because it helps people with PCOS, but scads of people have irregular cycles and/or short LP for other reasons than PCOS, and for those people, vitex actually is like throwing gasoline on a fire, it makes matters way way worse.

So hearing all that, I suspect that a) this is a non-problem to start with, as your cycle is still in normal range, and b) your body is probably already working to fix it (if, as I suspect, it was caused by dropping the B vitamins too fast and the vitex). I think taking anything else at this juncture will simply get in the way of that happening and could end up aggravating the situation. Hang in there!

RE whether or not to try, it's up to you. You ALWAYS have a chance of a boy or a girl. Exercise is a great sway tactic as is one attempt. FXFXFX!

Thank you so much atomic for taking the time to respond. You’ve definitely put my mind at ease. As you said, my cycle is still in a “normal rang”. I’ve been ovulating now around day 12 on a 23-24 day cycle and when I was on a 27 days cycle I was ovulating around day 14-15. My Naturopath originally put me on vitex to lengthen my luteal phase because I was ovulating day 18 on a 27 day cycle (I forgot to mention I was taking a probiotic too up until this summer).
I’m going to continue to think positive, do my exercise, skip breakfast (which I’ve also been doing for 6 months) and do my one attempt when ready. I really want a daughter but I also feel I’m reaching a point where a healthy baby no matter the gender is most important.
Hopefully it’s not the perimenopause I’ve been worried about :) Quick question, do you think the change in many cycle would affect the quality of my eggs? I worry about egg health at my age.
Thank you so much again :)
I’m so curious to see when I’ll ovulate this cycle...I’m now on day 2 of my period.

The change in your cycle does not represent anything about your egg health. Very young women often have irregular cycles and great egg quality, and I am a few months from 50 and my cycle is like clockwork. :)

I don't find the mother-daughter connection to be anywhere near as strong as people assume. I regularly see people (and this is true for myself as well) where the mother/grandmother/aunt went into menopause young and the daughter didn't. There may be some genetic components but it's NOT "my mom went into menopause at a certain age, so this means I will too." It just doesn't work that way. I would not have any qualms about your egg quality at 36 unless it's been tested.

Good luck and please let me know how I can help!

Thank you once again atomic taking the time to answer my questions and concerns. It’s greatly appreciated!
The female body is such a beautiful and complex thing ❤️

It truly is! Good luck and let me know if I can help any further.