Calling my Girls!

Hi ladies. I am having a WACKY cycle. I know that some of you have personal experience with weird cycles and I just thought that perhaps someone could give me some insight. I thought that if I gave you some information on what was happening with me, that you could play "Mystery Diagnosis" and help me out! LOL!

Here is my story: After I had Mason I had the normal amount of post partum bleeding. I nursed him for 18 months with an abundant milk supply. These two things seem to indicate that all was well with me hormonally. At least at that point. At the end of January to the beginning of February I weaned Mason. As I started the weaning process I started to pay more attention to my cervical mucous (CM) as my nursing were fewer and fewer. CM is the first indication of returning fertility. As my CM became more and more fertile, I started to take my temperature in the morning. I still had not had a Post Partum Period yet, so I just started my chart from when I started to see returning fertility in my CM. Tim & I were still undecided on whether to try to conceive (TTC) at that point or wait a few more months. Well during that week of returning fertility Tim had a momentary lapse of reason and "failed" at our method of Birth control. LOL! I was not really worried since I thought it was too soon for me to Ovulate since I had just begun spacing Mason's nursing out. But Low and behold my temp shifted a day or so after our birth control mishap. ECK! We figured that I should start taking the prometrium (progesterone supplements I usually take when TTC to help maintain a pregnancy and avoid a miscarriage). I called my DR and got a prescription filled and started taking it. Here is my chart from that cycle:

So Tim & I had our "mishap" on Cycle day (CD) 14 and I ovulated on CD16. I started taking the prometrium on CD 18. Not surprisingly, I started to spot on CD24 and my period started full force on CD 27. That gave me a 11 day Luteal Phase (LP = the time from Ovulation to period starting). Considering this was my first cycle since weaning it was not alarming that it happened this way. But once the baby bug hit me I could not get it out of my head. So we decided to actively TTC the next cycle. My pre-ovulatory temps were kinda all over the place and the day that I actually ovulated is still kinda debatable. Because I did not have a clear thermal shift and Tim was working out of town we again were unsure if we catch the egg or not. And I had a delay in Ovulation which I am not sure of the cause. I probably started taking the prometrium too soon and it delayed or even prevented a viable egg from being released. So again our timing was off. This time thanks to the prometrium and a decrease in my Breastfeeding hormones my LP was 12 days long. During my LP I thought for sure that I was pregnant so I had a blood test drawn when I went in for my routine thyroid blood draw. The pregnancy test came back negative, but my thyroid test was within normal range. So again at this point my hormones seemed to be in somewhat of a balance. Once I received the 2nd negative blood pregnancy test I stopped taking the prometrium and my period started within a few days. See chart below:

When we did not conceive on the last cycle we decided to sit the next cycle out and let my body kinda reset and also avoid conceiving a baby that would be due in December. We thought that the next cycle would be easy peasy, just wait it out and then get back to TTC in April. Well I am still currently ON that cycle! Today is CD50. Yes you read that correctly... 5-0, 50, fifty. Yup. Long cycle. It seems that my body has "geared - up" to ovulate a few times without actually releasing the egg. We thought I Ovulated on CD27, but 12 days later and no period. All the pregnancy tests are negative. Then I thought perhaps I ovulated on CD 40. But my temps took a nose dive to a pre-ovulation range of temps. So then today I thought perhaps I have ovulated since my temp is higher today (97.6*) than it has been the previous 31 days. But I won't know for sure for another 2-3 days. I need a few more temps to confirm ovulation. The sad thing is that since I have "thought" I ovulated like 3 times now, and I "thought" Tim and I were safe to go without birth control, we have done so on a few occasions. While the potential for pregnancy is a LOOONNNGGG shot, there is still some potential. This is only a problem because pregnancy is one of those things I really LIKE TO PLAN! Ugh. Here is my current (and somewhat never-ending) cycle:

You can go to: http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/35660 there you can see my charting homepage for a clearer and more detailed view of my chart.

The other portion of this is some new symptoms that have cropped up in conjunction with old symptoms. I am mostly concerned that all of these are indicative of a hormone imbalance, be it PCOS, Thyroid, or some other hormonal dysfunction. My "old" symptoms are:

• Low Thyroid function - but has been well controlled on meds
• skin tags
• thin/thinning hair
• dark pigmentation of skin folds and groin area
• low waking temps
• Long patches of fertile quality CM (more than 4-5 days)
• Ovarian cyst on right ovary that causes constant dull pain for most of cycle.

New symptoms are:

• dark hair growth on upper lip
• long cycles
• delayed ovulation/possible annovulatory cycles
• No clear thermal shifts confirming ovulation

I know that a few of my close friends have had PCOS or still have PCOS. Other close friends have had other non diagnosed hormonal imbalances. So I am hoping to hone in on the minds of my girls and the collective research we have all done to find some answers. I am really wanting to avoid things like Birth control pills, clomid or other fertility drugs if possible. Tim & I have been doing some soul searching on what these developments mean in terms of our family planning, but feel we don't have enough information yet. Please if you have information to share, do so!

Thanks so much!!!