When you have irregular period and trying to get pregnant so many doubts comes in mind. I can relate very well with that. I always had irregular period. After marriage my lifestyle changed and my period became unpredictable. Because of this I always had long cycle like more than 35 days. When we were planning for a baby many thoughts were coming into my mind like:
- Can I get pregnant?
- How will I calculate my ovulation date?
- Am I fertile enough?
- Should I be concerned about this?
- When to take a pregnancy test?
- Should I go to doctor before even trying for a year because usually it is said that on an average it can take a year to get pregnant.
and many other questions.
Don’t worry about that. Here I will try to answer each of the questions that can come in mind while trying for baby and if u have irregular period.
But before that
Let me tell me what irregular periods are in short:
A period is considered irregular if the gap between starting of your periods keeps changing. Your cycle is counted from the first day of your last period to the start of your next period. Mostly, each period last between four to seven days in women.
Your period is considered irregular if
- If your cycle is of less than 21 days or more than 35 days.
- Period last more than seven days
- You missed three or more period in a row
- The length of your cycle keeps changing since more than 6 months
You are getting less than 8 cycles in a year.
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Can you get pregnant with irregular period?
The answer is simply yes, of course. Irregular periods don’t always mean infertility. It can be little harder to get pregnant but doesn’t mean infertility. Many women get pregnant with irregular period including me, and have normal pregnancy. Now I am also a mother of 3 year old.
Having irregular period doesn’t mean you are not ovulating. The only concern is that your ovulation is unpredictable and you can’t predict correctly when are you ovulating and when not.
All women, especially women with irregular periods, can ovulate at different points from cycle to cycle. That makes it impossible for a woman to know when she is most fertile. Irregular periods also can make it hard for a girl to know if she is pregnant, since she doesn’t know when to expect her period. So if you have irregular period and trying to get pregnant, this doesn’t mean you cannot get pregnant.
How can u track ovulation days with irregular period?
Another question that comes in mind while trying for a baby is how I can calculate ovulation with irregular period when trying to get pregnant. A girl having regular cycle ovulates 14 days before the date of next cycle. Like a girl with 28 days cycle ovulate on 14th day and girl with 35 day cycle ovulate on 21st day. But with irregular period cycle is unpredictable. But there are many other ways to calculate ovulation that I have mentioned below:
1. Calendar method:
Even though your periods are irregular it’s always good to maintain a calendar and keep tracking your cycle. This will give you an average idea of your cycle and there will be times when similar patterns are encountered, during the course of monthly cycles. And this data is also very important for your doctor if you further receive any treatment.
2. Cervical mucus changes
This is another way to calculate ovulation. Your cervical mucus changes when you ovulate. Cervical mucus during the first few days after your menstrual cycle will be dry. Your cervical mucus will begin to increase. During ovulation, the cervical mucus will be, slippery, clear, and stretchy like egg white consistency.
3. Basal body temperature
Another method is to keep tracking your basal body temperature. Your body temperature fluctuates with the onset of ovulation. If you are tracking your basal body temperature, you will find a spike in temperature as ovulation occurs. This lets you know that ovulation is occurring.
3. Ovulation predication kits
Now a day’s many ovulation predictor kits and fertility monitors are available in the market. The concept behind using these predictor kits is to measure the Luteinizing Hormone or LH which is typically present in urine, one or two days prior to the ovulation timeline. The kits detect a substantial spike in LH levels and identify that ovulation is around the corner.
However, calculating exact ovulation date with irregular period is quite challenging. But all the methods above can make the task bit easier.
Are irregular periods means infertility?
As I already mentioned above that a woman can get pregnant with irregular period but it can take bit longer than a woman with regular cycle.
Irregular period is a sign of infertility but it doesn’t mean that every woman with irregular period is infertile. Yes, there are exceptions in every situation. I am also having irregular period but I am not infertile, now I have a very naughty 3 year old boy.
If you have sex without using contraception, you can get pregnant at any time during your menstrual cycle, even during or just after your period.
A Woman can get pregnant with an irregular periods. However, the ability to get pregnant decreases significantly. The disadvantage is ovulation becomes difficult to determine. The pregnancy success rate of a healthy woman with a regular cycle is 30%. This decreases exponentially if periods are unpredictable.
One of the main causes of an irregular period is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is an imbalance in the hormones controlling the reproductive system. PCOS causes irregular ovulation, cysts on ovaries, bleeding, and infertility. Research shows PCOS cases double miscarriages and premature deliveries. There are many other causes of irregular period apart from PCOD.
Having an irregular cycle, including missing periods, can contribute to infertility. It means a woman may not be regularly ovulating. So it is always advisable to check with your doctor if you have irregular period and facing any difficulties in conceiving since more than one or two year.
Should you worry about irregular period and trying to get pregnant with this?
Irregular periods are not always a sign of problem but its best to check with your doctor to ensure about your health.
Irregular periods are concerning. If you are concern about getting pregnant than seeking advice from your OB/GYN doctors can help increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. Missing periods can also be a sign of an underlying medical issue. There’s no need to panic. Take action early.
Lifestyle is another cause of irregular periods. Excessive exercise and dieting can create irregular periods or stop them entirely. High-performance athletes often suffer from irregular periods. Stress, weight gain, and weight loss have adverse effects on the body including your periods.
When to take a pregnancy test with irregular period?
Another problem with irregular period is you don’t know when your next cycle will start and you don’t know when to take a pregnancy test.
If you have irregular periods, try counting 36 days from the start of your last menstrual cycle or four weeks from the time you had sex. At this point, if you are pregnant, your levels of hCG should be high enough to detect the pregnancy.
If your test says you are not pregnant, but you still think you may be pregnant, wait a few more days and take another pregnancy test or you can go for a blood test as well.
Do irregular periods affect the health of a pregnancy?
They can and cannot. Its highly depend on the cause of your irregular cycle. If the cause is unknown to you and your doctor than you may not have increased risk of pregnancy but it’s always best to discuss with your doctor about the possible complications.
Most common cause of irregular cycle is PCOS and pregnancy with PCOS has higher chances of:
- Miscarriage
- Pre-mature birth
- Gestational diabetes
When should you visit to the doctor when trying to conceive with irregular menstrual cycle?
Trying for a baby with irregular period can be stressful but believe me stress can only do bad for you and your health. A woman with regular period can take a whole year to get pregnant but when you have irregular period it can take long time.
You should visit to doctor if:
- You think you are not ovulating
- Have very long cycle and trying to conceive since long time like more than a year
- Experiencing painful period
- You missed more than 3 period but not pregnant
- History of miscarriages
- you think you have fertility issue so it’s always better to rule out the cause of underline problem
- If you are suffering from PCOD and facing problem in conceiving
- Your age is more than 35 years.
When you are thinking about getting pregnant with irregular period, it is always advisable to check with your doctor as early as possible to check the cause of irregular cycle. So if there are any fertility related issues you can take action on time and can increase the chances of conceiving.
The primary sign of infertility is not getting pregnant after trying for a certain length of time. A doctor may diagnose infertility if a woman has not become pregnant after 1 year of trying.
If the woman is over the age of 35 years old, she may be infertile if she has not become pregnant after 6 months of trying.
