At what point should I worry?

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are TTC for our second. We have a 3 year old that was conceived naturally the first month of trying. It has been over a year now and granted, I have not done things like ovulation tests, but I have regular periods and we try to have sex around the time I estimate I would be fertile. I am 34. Should I be worried? Is it possible to have regular periods but to not be ovulating? I am wondering if there are others who have had trouble conceiving the second time around, and whether you needed any help medically.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't sound like you are "actively" trying. Unless of course you are having intercourse every other day, you could be missing your window. I'm no expert, but I would suggest a few things:

1. Pick up a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". Your estimates of when you are fertile could be way off, without you even knowing it!
2. Start charting your temperature. All you need is a thermometer. You can plug the results into FertilityFriend.com to see when/if you are ovulating.
3. Why not pick up some ovulation predictor strips?

And to answer your question, yes, you can have your period without ovulation. I would try the above for at least a few months, then talk with your OB about next steps. I'm sure the other folks on this board have a lot of great advice, too.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you try using ovulation tests for a few months and see what happens. You might just be missing the window. But, don't wait too long before getting a consult -- most insurance will help you diagnose infertility even if it will not pay for treatment.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have clockwork 29 day cycles and thought I could get pg easily by having sex on days 13-16. Like you, I got pg easily the first time around. So after a few months of no success I tried opks (cheap ones, from amazon) and found that I ovulated around day 10, much earlier than I thought. we ended up pg that month, and I give all the credit to the opk.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 14:59. I thought I was pretty regular and even followed the advice in Taking Charge, but it seemed that I needed more than charting to help with conception. I got pregnant the very first time after using an OPK. Taking Charge kind of dismisses the use of OPKs, so I didn't even think of using them. Apparently, they work!

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I charted my temps, used the Clear Blue Fertility Monitor, AND some cheapo OPKs on top of that! Overkill? Probably. It worked, though.