Short luteal phase

I'm bf-ing and am about to have my second AF since having my LO. My first cycle I had a LP of just 6 days, and judging by the cramps I have today my LP will be similar to the last or perhaps even less and I don't know when I actually ovulated.

I want to keep bf-ing for more LO, but also because I heard it sways pink. We are weaning and not night feeding anymore so I'd thought that the reduced feeding would help my cycles...

I did some reading about how to lengthen it and wondered if anyone could add too, or indeed advice;

B6: I read this us safe to use whist bf-ing but can reduce supply. Does it sway blue/pink/not at all? What dosage is recommended and for how long?

Vitex: What is this exactly? Is it safe whist bf-ing? What dosage is recommended and for how long?

Progesterone cream: I've read mixed things about whether this works? Do you need a prescription to get it? One of my concerns is becoming pregnant and lacking in progesterone due to bf-ing so this could be a good solution for that and increasing LP...? But is there such thing as too much progesterone in early pregnancy? And do you then need to wean off it?

Sorry for the essay! And advice would be greatly appreciated.

I was also wondering if its possible I'm just not ovulating at all? I get positive opk's but the ov pains go on for days (previously I'd just get one day) and my periods (all two of them) have been very light!

Have you read these essays yet? They should cover a few of your questions:

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-...stfeeding.html

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...stfeeding.html

Vitex (Agnus Castus) is a herb, which can help restore cycles and is safe when breastfeeding. There is more information on it here:

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/ttc-...nces-here.html

There is no definite answer if you are ovulating unless you have a blood test done at your doctors to establish if you ovulate or not. You might, however, want to think about temping/charting for your own understanding of your cycle as it will give you a good indication if you do ovulate or not.

As far as vitex goes, I just take one "femaprin" a day and there is no wondering how much to take, etc. It is about $13 for a bottle of 60 on Amazon.

Vitamin b6 may sway blue, but it's true that it might help with your LP. Vitex is a great product for regulating your cycles, and sways pink. I would def talk to your doctor before administering any progesterone cream on your own, but I think it's pretty safe while b/f'ing.

The OTC prog creams do nothing, they are made for women in menopause and cannot help people who are TTC.

Even the prescription strenght prog support has not been shown to help preserve a pregnancy anyway.

The best thing you can do for your LP is a big dose of Vitamin P = patience. I know it's hard but even waiting 1-2 more months may be a big change in your cycle. You don't need to do or take anything, you just need to let your body get a little further along and it will start to fix things all on its own.

Agreed with Atomic, no shock! LOL

Give it some time to regulate. If after quite a few cycles your LP is still too short (consistently less than 10 days) then you can try a few things. Vitex will bring up your ovulation if you tend to O late. What's helped immensely for my LP is B6. It can possibly sway blue, but my LP was really crap without B6 and had no hope at all.

My 'usual' cycle without supps is O on CD19-21, and LP of 8-10 days. Blech. But now I take Vitex CD1-14, and also B6 (50mg) and B50-Complex throughout the cycle. With that combination I O on CD14-15 and get an LP of 11-12 days which is excellent for me.

The B-complex is because you need to take ALL the B vits in combination to help absorbancy. You don't need to worry about toxicity either since B's are water soluble so excess just gets pee'ed out.

Thanks ladies for the advice!!

Atomic, I was wondering given as I don't know what my LP will be this month if its worth an attempt?

Is LP something that builds back up gradually, or suddenly resumes?

It'll vary from woman to woman, but for myself and many others I've seen, it will come back gradually, a day at a time.

I only weaned DS3 in December because my LP was shot when he was still nursing even just once at night (he turned 3yo in Dec). My LP was only 5-7 days long! Yikes! Within 2 months after I weaned it went back to 9-10 days, and with the B6 I've gotten it back up to 11-12 days. Ymmv.

LacePrincess - My cycle sounds exactly how your no supps cycles sounds. O on day 20-21 and 9-10 day LP. I've only charted for 2 months but my period took a few months to come back after I stopped BF'ing (last may - didn't get my period back until Aug.) so I feel like maybe things got a little messed up and haven't bounced back to my regular 14FP/14LP. I started B6 and B complex this past month and I'm on 7 or 8DPO so I'm not sure how it's working so far but I've been debating between Soy Isoflavones or Vitex to move up O.. happy you hear about your good experience with Vitex!

And AF just come this morning.. making my LP 7days (if I go by fertility friend, but I think I may have O'd the day before with a slow temp rise). How is it that the cycle I take B6 my LP gets worse? Ughhh

B6 and vitex did nothing to lengthen my lp... it was always less than 9 days and sometimes as little as 6. Think you should give your cycles a chance to lengthen before you attempt as chemical pregnancies due to short lp are very upsetting. I had to go on progesterone crinone after i had 2 chemicals and it worked a treat..... just saying. GL!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deaks66

B6 and vitex did nothing to lengthen my lp... it was always less than 9 days and sometimes as little as 6. Think you should give your cycles a chance to lengthen before you attempt as chemical pregnancies due to short lp are very upsetting. I had to go on progesterone crinone after i had 2 chemicals and it worked a treat..... just saying. GL!

---

Thank you! Yeah I think I should wait. I was just wondering though, with a LP between 6 and 9 days long how would you ever know you were pregnant?

I stopped bf'ing 10 months ago... shouldn't my cycles have regulated themselves by now from the wacky hormones from BF'ing? I'm trying to get into a fertility Doc for my LP but I haven't heard back and since we haven't been trying a year it might not happen. Which is stupid, because with that short of an LP I might as well not be ovulating so it's basically impossible to get pregnant. GAH, so frustrating!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tree

Thank you! Yeah I think I should wait. I was just wondering though, with a LP between 6 and 9 days long how would you ever know you were pregnant?

---

The times i got pregnant my lp was 9 days and i got 1-2 weeks pregnant on a clearblue digi and then the bleeding started :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSBLAKELY

I stopped bf'ing 10 months ago... shouldn't my cycles have regulated themselves by now from the wacky hormones from BF'ing? I'm trying to get into a fertility Doc for my LP but I haven't heard back and since we haven't been trying a year it might not happen. Which is stupid, because with that short of an LP I might as well not be ovulating so it's basically impossible to get pregnant. GAH, so frustrating!!!

---

i always told my doc i had been trying for a year even though it was more like 7-8 months. i just knew there was something wrong with my lp and i may as well not be trying as id never keep hold of a pregnancy anyway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deaks66

The times i got pregnant my lp was 9 days and i got 1-2 weeks pregnant on a clearblue digi and then the bleeding started :(

---

I'm so sorry!!

I've been there, only I had a missed miscarriage. It was when I was still breastfeeding too, which does make me nervous. I don't think I had a short LP at that time though.

Sometimes I think I should just stop bf-ing all together before ttc again. I just don't know!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by deaks66

The times i got pregnant my lp was 9 days and i got 1-2 weeks pregnant on a clearblue digi and then the bleeding started :(

---

I know.. I wish I had of lied.. but my youngests dr. is the same as mine so she would have known I was lying when I basically said we started trying when he was 3-4 months old! She said she wasn't going to specify the length of time I was trying for on the referral in hopes they'd accept it because of the LP but no call so far (it's only been a week since I was in to see my dr. when she said she'd refer)

mrs Blakelely....this sounds to me like some progesterone support may be in order. Has your dr broached this with you?

If not, I would call and ask if you could start the suppositories after confirmed O, just to see if it lengthens your LP or helps things along. Since you are waiting anyway, this can't hurt and won't affect any future blood work.

When I took b6, it screwed up my cycle royally. I am not a fan of the b6 AT ALL.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by harleyquinn

mrs Blakelely....this sounds to me like some progesterone support may be in order. Has your dr broached this with you?

If not, I would call and ask if you could start the suppositories after confirmed O, just to see if it lengthens your LP or helps things along. Since you are waiting anyway, this can't hurt and won't affect any future blood work.

When I took b6, it screwed up my cycle royally. I am not a fan of the b6 AT ALL.

---

Yah, I haven't yet had progesterone tests done on 7DPO so I could have low progesterone for all I know. I don't have any of the symptoms of it though - my temps are always high in the 2ww and I never ever have spotting. But, I know progesterone could still be the culprit. I believe the b6 messed things up for me as well because I got a +OPK on cd18 and FF say I didn't O until CD21 (Which was a day and a bit after I decided to stop with the b6 because I read it can delay O). I don't understand why you'd want to take B6 if it apparently lowers estrogen, because you need your estrogen to rise in order to O.. so maybe it was delaying my estrogen levels from climbing to where they needed to be to O? soooooo frustrating. I just want to get in to see a Dr!

I think a short LP is a classic sign of low progesterone. xx

When I reduced breastfeeding hours in Nov, my Af returned a month later but I had 6days LP. It gradually increased as the months passed by from 6days to 8days and currently it is at 10days LP this march. LP Might increase further with time, though my Ov shows up at day 16 therefore giving me 26days cycle. I believe AS answered the question, Patience will certainly correct LP with time.

I was wondering if you ladies found any correlation between the first half of your cycle shorting at your luteal phase lengthened?
The first half of mine has been over three weeks long and then one week luteal phase. I used be standard two weeks, two weeks.
I think I might o on time this month... If I do it will be interesting to see if this correlates in anyway with my luteal phase lengthening.
Fingers crossed.

Will let you know.

Bump... 2/3 days before I'm due to ovulate if my body returns to normal...

No, not for me. As my luteal extended (using soy iso) my cycle lengthened. Generally my o date got moved after as well. So while before I had 28 day cycle and o on cd 18 with 10 day luteal, it changed to 29, 30 and last one was 37 day cycle, with 12, 12, and 13 day luteal, and o on cd18, 20 and 24.

Ps b6 sways boy heavily.

Vitex has worked to move o earlier in many (quite radically too) but can unpredictably effect your cycle length and muck things up for ages, so do your research.

Prog cream really only worthwhile if your doc first tests you and finds you low. It's One of those things that you age to keep up for the whole first trimester and can cause miscarriage if you stop it wrong. Again, worth researching if you wish to pursue.

Good luck!

I used to have 2week FP and 2 week LP and now i have an almost 3week FP with a 9day LP. I didn't do anything except have a second baby that could have caused this. I'm scared to ever try vitex for fear it'd mess my cycle up even more as it is always 28-29 days. I also read some negatives about Soy so I'm at a loss. I have an appointment end of April with an RE so I'm not sure what she'll do... Any ideas what a fertility doc usually does for a short LP?

For a short LP, they will most likely prescribe progesterone or Clomid.

I got clomid for my short LP. Doc Didn't even test progesterone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSBLAKELY

I used to have 2week FP and 2 week LP and now i have an almost 3week FP with a 9day LP. I didn't do anything except have a second baby that could have caused this. I'm scared to ever try vitex for fear it'd mess my cycle up even more as it is always 28-29 days. I also read some negatives about Soy so I'm at a loss. I have an appointment end of April with an RE so I'm not sure what she'll do... Any ideas what a fertility doc usually does for a short LP?

---

How long ago did you have your second baby? Are you still breastfeeding? If not how long ago did you stop.

If my cycles were normal (2wk FP, 2wk LP) I'll ovulate today or tomorrow... Somehow I doubt that I will as I've only had very mild twinges so far.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tree

How long ago did you have your second baby? Are you still breastfeeding? If not how long ago did you stop.

If my cycles were normal (2wk FP, 2wk LP) I'll ovulate today or tomorrow... Somehow I doubt that I will as I've only had very mild twinges so far.

---

I had my second in Oct. 2011. I stopped bf'ing in about may 2012 and got AF back in Aug. 2012 so it's been 7 months after my cycles resumed and I still have a short LP. It's like my body is stuck in a rut and doesn't know to normalize. Since I'm seeing a doctor next month I'm not taking any supps but I'm trying Lunaception just for fun to see what happens. Last month I ovulated exactly on the full moon after we slept with our blinds open all month.. so I'm sleeping in darkness and going to turn on the lights around CD14 to hopefully fool my body into ovulating. I'm really not counting on it.. but it at least makes me feel like I'm doing something since I can't try supps!

Are you still BF'ing? if not when did you stop?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by meeks32

I got clomid for my short LP. Doc Didn't even test progesterone.

---

Has the clomid helped at all?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSBLAKELY

Are you still BF'ing? if not when did you stop?

---

Yes 7 months does seem like a while. Sounds like a visit to th docs would be a good idea.

I'm still breastfeeding morning and afternoon. Not sure I will ovulate on time this mont after all. :-(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSBLAKELY

Has the clomid helped at all?

---

I will let you know, this is my first month on it, after a year TTC without.

I tried soy iso for 3 cycles to extend my luteal, and it did, but not enough. Only from 9/10-12 days, and finally on the last month to 13 days but that month it delayed o.

Hoping clomid 3-7 will help, as taking soy 3-7 worked best for me personally (different for everyone).

When I first started AF after DS, my cycle was 32 days and LP was only 8 days. Over the 9 months since then, my cycle has shortened to about 29 days and my LP to 13 days. For me, it happened a day at a time, taking one away from FP and adding one to LP, with sometimes a step backwards or two forwards. When I stopped BFing in December, that's when the LP started consistently lengthening.

I have my own LP issue, though: I start to spot around day 10 post O. Could this mean that my effective window for implantation is only 9 days long?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Niva

When I first started AF after DS, my cycle was 32 days and LP was only 8 days. Over the 9 months since then, my cycle has shortened to about 29 days and my LP to 13 days. For me, it happened a day at a time, taking one away from FP and adding one to LP, with sometimes a step backwards or two forwards. When I stopped BFing in December, that's when the LP started consistently lengthening.

I have my own LP issue, though: I start to spot around day 10 post O. Could this mean that my effective window for implantation is only 9 days long?

---

It depends if your temp drops... Yes potentially it could. I was spotting at 10 as well and my temp always dropped that morning and stayed down. Mind you by the end of cd10 I always had full af. So I'm not sure in your case. If you don't temp it might be worth doing it for just one cycle to check?

Unless its a progesterone thing?

I haven't breastfed for almost 2 years so not bf-ing for me, but perhaps for you it's still influencing?

Have you seen the doctor about it?

Thanks for the answer, Meeks. You must be a night owl like me!
I haven't temped all the way through a cycle, but I am going to do it this month (I'm on day 5 of my 2ww). I don't actually know if my LP is a problem or not -- I figured I would give ttc a try before seeing a doctor. If I have a chemical, or just can't conceive, then I will definitely ask my OB about it. Right now I'm just reading about what's normal and what's possible. (e.g. obsessing, lol!)

[QUOTE=meeks32;372837]I will let you know, this is my first month on it, after a year TTC without.

I tried soy iso for 3 cycles to extend my luteal, and it did, but not enough. Only from 9/10-12 days, and finally on the last month to 13 days but that month it delayed o.

That's interesting to hear about Soy iso!! I was totally debating whether to use it and I actually bought it to use this cycle, took my first 2 on CD3 and then didn't feel right about it so I didn't take it again. A day or two later I got my appointment with a RE in April, so it was good I didn't take it incase it really changed things as I want the Dr. to see my 'normal'.

I hope it works well for you, I'm interested to hear since it seems like we have a similar situation. Both my two DS's were also born in 2009, 2011

So for me I was happy I tried soy iso and would not take it back, it was just interesting.

I took 200mg a day on these days and this was the results:

Cd3-7: 12 day luteal (up from 10) and ov as usual cd19
Cd4-8: 12 day luteal (up from 10) and ov as usual cd18
Cd5-9: 13 day luteal (up from 10) and ov cd24!!!


3-7 was one of the cycles I had a pos then got my period anyway so I have a good feeling about trying clomid 3-7.

I did 4-7 first so I believe o was on cd 18 that cycle because that's when I usually o anyway and it didn't effect me much yet.

Finally got positive opk!! 3 and half weeks into cycle! Will see what my luteal phase does now. Really hoping it will be back to 14 days but with a luteal phase of just 6/7 days since Af returned that might be a little optimistic...