If my periods are irregular am i ovulating

Let’s clear up any misconceptions about regular vs. irregular periods and how they relate to ovulation and fertility.

While ovulation and periods naturally go together, it is possible to ovulate without having a period. This often occurs for women with irregular periods. Conversely, it is possible to experience monthly bleeding with no ovulation. However, that bleeding is not a normal period and results from an anovulatory cycle. While this may seem confusing, it becomes clear when you understand how ovulation works. 

Ovulations and Regular Periods

Assuming a normal menstrual cycle of 28 days, a healthy woman who is not using hormonal birth control will ovulate on the 14th day of her cycle. During ovulation, your ovaries release a mature egg that is ready for fertilization. After the egg is released, it remains alive for an amount of time between 12 and 24 hours. If the egg isn’t fertilized, it disintegrates and gets absorbed into the uterine lining called the endometrium.  

Two weeks after ovulation, the lining of the uterus will discharge from the vagina in the form of menstrual blood. This is called a “true period,” as the bleeding comes from the lining of the uterus, cervical mucus and blood. 

Ovulation Without a Period

Again, since your period results from ovulation, it is uncommon to ovulate without having a period, but not impossible. Factors such as uterine scarring or becoming pregnant can cause your period not to occur. 

If you have had a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure, a C-section or reproductive disease, you may have scarring on your uterus. If so, the usual thickening of the uterus lining that normally happens after ovulation does not occur. You may ovulate without having a period, or you might have a light period. 

You also may ovulate without periods if your ovaries release an egg between 12 to 16 days before you expect your period to begin. 

Reproduction and Your Period 

It is easier to conceive if your periods are regular. If you have irregular periods, contact your OB-Gyn to have the cause discovered and begin appropriate treatments. Even if you don’t have normal periods, you will need to use birth control if you don’t want to conceive. Over-the-counter prediction kits for ovulation can help you chart your fertile days more readily.  

We look forward to talking with you about periods, ovulation and all of your women’s healthcare issues. Contact us today to make an appointment with one of our physicians.

Many mothers-to-be often ask “How can I track ovulation with irregular periods?”.  This question is very common and there are multiple solutions available.

Irregular periods create a challenge in tracking ovulation and knowing when the best time is to have sex in order to get pregnant. The good news is that tracking ovulation with irregular periods is pretty easy to pinpoint.  You can even track your ovulation with a good amount of precision thanks to the advancement of modern medicine.

Knowing when ovulation occurs is essential for those trying to get pregnant

Charting Your Cycle – Even though your cycle is irregular, it is good to track it on a calendar for a few reasons. First, you may notice some clues that give you a pattern. Second, if you experience fertility problems, the data from your tracking efforts is valuable information to share with your gynecologist or fertility specialist.

Cervical Mucus – 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.  As you approach ovulation, the cervical mucus will be plentiful, slippery, clear, and stretchy. Many women compare the consistency to that of egg whites.

Basal Body Temperatures – 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.

Tracking Ovulation With Irregular Periods: Ovulation Predictor Kits

Some people find it cumbersome to manually track ovulation with irregular periods. Ovulation predictor kits and fertility monitors are tools that do the tracking for you. Unfortunately, with irregular periods, particularly those that are longer, you will probably have to do more testing month to month.

The Luteinizing Hormone (LH) is consistently detected in your urine. There is an increase in presence 24 to 48 hours prior to ovulation. An ovulation predictor kit detects this increase and lets you know that you are ovulating.  As ovulation predictor kits help you identify and confirm when you are ovulating, you should record these dates on your calendar. Whether you look for patterns on the calendar or not, the information will be helpful to a fertility specialist if you find yourself encountering problems when trying to conceive.

Want to Know More?

Our Ultimate Fertility Resource Guide provides the information you need on fertility, tips on how to get pregnant faster, and how to boost fertility through sometimes simple tweaks to your lifestyle and approach. The guide is easy to read and meant for anybody wanting to increase their ability to conceive. It’s a free download and includes coupon codes for essential products. Even free Nightfood Nighttime Ice Cream.

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