u/asdfgfjkgmzf

Hi! For various NHS admin mistake reasons, I have had my progesterone tested two days in a row, neither of which are 7 DPO (I have to have regular monitoring blood tests for an unrelated health condition I have, and for some reason the hormone ones were attached to these despite wrong timing – & another admin error meant I had to repeat them the next day). By my calculation, these were done on 4 DPO and 5 DPO, though there is a possibility its 5DPO and 6DPO. However, the results show my progesterone trending down, when my understanding is it should be rising to peak mid luteal phase (eg 7DPO):

• 4 DPO (taken morning ~9am): 25 nmol/L
• 5 DPO (taken afternoon ~3pm): 19.1 nmol/L (I think this converts to 6 ng/mL)

When I saw the first test result, I was pretty pleased as I had been worried I might be having anovulatory cycles, and while the lab result guidance says >30 nmol/L indicates ovulation has occurred, I think I just assumed that given it was early, it would continue to rise to hit its peak in a few days, and that 25 was close enough to 30 to suggest that this would happen, particularly as the test was done earlier than they're meant to be. However, the fact it's dropped LOWER the next day, rather than rising or even staying around the same, has me worried and confused. Does this mean it's likely I didn't ovulate?

Obv, I wouldn't really have asked for these blood tests at this point in my cycle, or twice in two days, but as I say it happened because of a string of frustrating admin areas, and now I have the numbers I keep trying to work out what they mean!

Hi! My husband and I have recently stopped not trying for a baby if that makes sense (so, keeping things casual for now, but no longer using protection etc). However, partly because of my personality, partly because of a backdrop of health issues, I am struggling to be casual about it (lol), and finding things relating to my cycle very confusing. This is a bit of a ramble, with lots of context – but essentially, I'm confused about my cervical mucus lol

My whole life I've had incredibly regular cycles (literally, like clockwork, 28-9 days every time), and have been blessed generally with short & pretty manageable periods, no major hormonal effects at any point in my cycle etc. But over the past 5(+) years I've had a lot of health problems and was diagnosed 2ish years ago with a very rare autoimmune condition, and have been on DMARDS to manage that. Just under a year ago I was put on steroids alongside this as the DMARD was not managing things sufficiently alone, and my Drs tried to taper me off them from October, but in Jan this caused lots of problems, and I ended up short term needing to be on double my OG steroid dose for a short while, and then back down to the dose I was on pre tapering off them. At my last appointment in April with my specialists, I was told I might need to be on the steroids indefinitely – or at least until I had had a baby & breastfed etc, because post that they could try me on other medication that might mean I don't need the steroids, but which you can't use while TTC/pregnant/or breastfeeding.

However, since the period in Jan where I went up in steroid dose abruptly, everything seems to have gone into wack hormonally. I ended up not having a period for nearly 3 months, which is SO unlike me, and had a very painful period (but very light period) towards the end of April. I saw my GP about my periods, and she basically said the steroids had given me the same effects PCOS without actually having PCOS (I've also had weight gain and hirsutism from them), and that I would struggle to conceive on them and just to wait until I come off them "hopefully in a few months" (contrary to my specialists saying that I would not be coming off them, and that they should not be too much of a barrier to conceiving). My GP said there would be no point referring me anywhere for further tests etc because everyone would just say 'well its the steroids, so we won't see her until she's off them and if the problems persist after'. But as above, my specialists have basically said they won't be able to take me off the steroids until I've had a baby – so feels like a bit of a catch 22.

Because my cycles are now irregular, I've started using an app (Clue) to help track them – I never used to do this because I never saw the need in daily life considering their regularity, but I didn't want to end up in some situation where I'm getting overly excited about "missing my period" when actually, I'm not taking into account my new issues etc. I put in my last 5 or so period dates (roughly for some of the earlier ones), and the app has estimated (based on my previous cycle length, then this super long one from Feb-April) that my current cycle will be 34 days long, and that I will have ovulated on day 19 or 17 (depending on which mode I put the app in). Obviously, this is a completely random estimate so not putting much stock in it, just giving a bit more context. However, around day 12 I started getting EWCM which was most present day 13 and ended after day 14, which stopped and dried up after from the 15th onwards, so I just figured that I had ovulated some point around the 14th, kind of more in line with my previous cycles, and maybe hoped the 2.5 month long cycle I had was more an anomaly of the higher steroid dose I'd taken around that time short term, rather than the long term dose I've been on for a while starting to have a bigger impact.

I did use some OPKs I bought, and got some lines getting stronger each day first thing in the morning in that week, but always got weaker ones later in the day (I think due to medication I take which has diuretic side effects & makes you drink lots more water, meaning my pee is super diluted throughout the day). I also wasn't using them super dedicatedly, so don't think I actually did one on day 13 or 14, but I did do one first thing day 16/17 (around when the app said I might ovulate) out of interest, and it was v v weak, which also seemed in line with the idea that my ovulation was earlier, and more reflective of my previous cycle patterns and length.

However, since yesterday (day 20) I've had EWCM again, and an increasing amount today. Could it be that I didn't ovulate last week, and my body is trying again now? I've seen people who've had continued EWCM for a week+ where they thought that might be the case, but as I say, I had around a week gap where I had little to no CM at all, and what I did have was more dry/tacky rather than clear and very stretchy like it is now/and was day 12-14. In both instances, its been increased in quantity, visible on tissue paper (ie not like settling in to the tissue, but sitting on top), stretches multiple inches, and clear. Or are there other reasons for a like second round of EWCM later in the cycle?

As I say, I think I'm finding this all v confusing and stressful because I'm just sooo used to completely regular cycles (including like the defined stages of my discharge/cm), and so it's a bit of a bummer for this irregularity to coincide with when my partner has decided he's ready to start trying etc. I really want to be relaxed and chill about the whole thing, but I think my past few years and backdrop of these health problems is making it hard for me to be because my body feels so out of my control in so many ways! Thanks so much to anyone who has read this, I think I just needed to get things out a bit!