QuestionHi - My husband and started ttc last July. We successfully became pregnant in December. Unfortunately I had a missed miscarriage and had a DNC performed at 11 weeks. Since then (and during our previous efforts) I have been using OPKs. I am a 27 day cycle and the predictors indicate that I am ovulating around day 16. This has been consistent month to month, and though this gives me a slightly shorter luteal phase, I have had no reason to doubt the validity of the tests. However, I recently had my progesterone level tested at 7 days after when I "should" be ovulating based on my cycle length and again at 7 days after when my predictor is indicating that I am ovulating. At day 20 I my progesterone was 24.6 and at day 23 it was 10.9. My doctor says that this clearly indicates that I am actually in fact ovulating at day 13 which is exactly where I should be for my cycle length.
How is it possible that for almost a year of using predictors, that they consistently show my ovulation as being later. Also, this month I suspect that I had a chemical pregnancy (faint blue line for one day and then all days since, negative results). If that was in fact the case, can that have effected my progesterone results.
Thank you.
Andrea
p.s. I'm from California
AnswerHello,
The progesterone test does not indicate WHEN you ovulated. It only indicates that you ovulated. The OPK can still be right but I would be a little concerned if your luteal phase is less than 14 days. That would be a luteal phase defect and could jeopardize your chances of getting pregnant. The treatment for that would be supplemental progesterone such as Crinone, Procheive, Endometrin, Prometrium. Any of these formulations would be started right after ovulation and continue until you check a pregnancy test two weeks later.
OPK's are not perfect, however.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
