Anovulatory. I never knew. Here's what Wikipedia had to say:
The anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle characterized by varying degrees of menstrual intervals and the absence of ovulation and a luteal phase. In the absence of ovulation, there will be infertility.
::Insert facetious "awesome" here::
So, I had some folks on a chat board look at my chart, and it was almost unanimous that I am heading towards not ovulating this month. It could still happen, but, it's unlikely especially with my normal charting history. The thing that I find so strange about all of this (aside from not ovulating..does that mean no real period?!?!) is that it ALL STARTED with that spotting at the beginning of the month. I was supposed to be having my period, but, it was just spotting for days..and light spotting. So, I'm not sure what all of that means, but, I don't think it's coincidence!
Anovulatory cycles can happen every so often...but, I need to keep my eye on it given my severity of endo. I have an appointment with the RE on Dec 9th, so, I'll definitely be letting him know then. Now, I'm wondering if I'll have a period this time. They say you can bleed, but it's not like a period? I don't really understand that at all. But, I guess we'll see what happens. You never know!
The Quiet Zone
1 hour ago
6 comments:
Oh how horrid - I had a friend who had awful periods even when at one stage her oestrogen levels dropped lower than her mum's (who was going through the menopause) - she was so gutted to have to put up with the bleeding and pain when her cycle wasn't even working properly. I hope you don't have a bad period this time round and that next cycle all is back to normal - keeping my fingers crossed for you!
I hope that your troubles are just a one-off rather than something like, say, Poly-Cystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS).
One of the main symptoms (taken from medicinenet) is: All women with PCOS will have irregular or no menstrual periods. Women who have PCOS do not regularly ovulate; that is, they do not release an egg every month. This is why they do not have regular periods.
The test for PCOS is an uncomfortable intra-vaginal scan. It's not painful.
I've got both Endometriosis and PCOS and I've managed to survive so far.
I just peaked at your chart and I wouldn't count yourself out just yet! I ovulated really late in my cycle (I don't think I ever ovulated before CD20) so it may be be that its on the way! How long are your cycles typically?
I usually ovulate between day 10-13. And, my cycles are about 28-31 days long. Will I get a period with no ovulation?
AManda-
I can't find your blog again! :(
Do you have another doctor who is treating your for endo besides the reproductive endocrinolgist? Do you have a regular GYN or a pelvic pain specialist that you could call?
Even though you have an appointment coming up, can you call the RE's office before then and run it by them? (By the way, has the RE checked your thyroid?)
I have a friend who wasn't ovulating regularly and she had thyroid issues. She had had a miscarriage and they pinpointed her thyroid problems. Once her thyroid got treated, she was able to get pregnant and carry to term twice. After her first two children, she had secondary infertility for about 8 years (despite them having figured out her thyroid problem before her first pregnancy). She finally did conceive a third child.
During the time she was trying to conceive her third child, she had had lots of tests done and I know they had found she was not ovulating regularly.
While she had laparoscopic surgery at some point and it came up negative for endo, her symptoms have always seemed highly suspicious to me of endo and I've always wondered if she really does have it and her doctor somehow missed it during surgery. (Her mom has endo and her symptoms over the years have just been so suspicious).
There are so many things that can cause bleeding that it's really hard to know what's going on for sure... The fact that it's spotting does sound (and this is just guessing!!) like maybe your estrogen level might be a bit out of whack??
It's really hard to say what's going on based on what you said.
I one time bled every day for over a year... from August 1994 to August 1995. I bled for 1 year and about another week. Some of it was heavier and some of it was lighter.
Whether I was ovulating throughout that whole time, I don't know. I don't believe my doctors considered that a "period" because of how very long it went on and the fact that part of that time was light bleeding.
I do know that for part of that time I was on danocrine which is supposed to cause menopausal symptoms... but I kept bleeding! My doctor at the time said he'd never seen anyone keep bleeding while on danocrine.
So for the time period that I was on danocrine, I should not have been ovulating but I still bled. (I was only on danocrine for about 2 months).
Whether the medication didn't stop the ovulation like it was supposed to or it did stop ovulation but somehow I kept bleeding, I really don't know??
I would really suggest pushing your doctor(s) for answers. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion.
My mom always has strange bleeding problems. She has endo too.
I'm not very well-informed about PCOS but I have heard a bit about it and there are doctors who specialize in treating it at a hospital I know of. Whether such a specialist is available near you (or whether such a doctor would even be appropriate for you), I just don't know?
I wish I could direct you somewhere for info but in this case, I really think you need a doctor (or doctors) to really pinpoint what's going on.
I know you must be very frustrated!! I wish I knew what to tell you. There are just so many things that can cause abnormal bleeding that it's almost impossible to say what's happening.
I would at least call the RE's office and tell them what's happening... rather than waiting until December. It can't hurt to run it by them. Try to get a nurse on the phone rather than talking to a receptionist. While it's doubtful that you'll get to talk to the doctor on the phone, you may be able to run it by a nurse before your next appointment. I wish I could help you. I don't know what to tell you...
I'm sorry you are going through all this...
Jeanne
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