QuestionMy husband and I are just starting to get help for our difficulty with conceiving. I am 33, and my husband is 35, and we have been ttc since November of 07. I have been charting almost the whole time and I have a 25 day cycle and I usually ovulate between day 14 and 17. I also end up having very short periods, only about 3 days, with dark spotting for the next three days.
An initial blood test of some hormone levels for me came back normal, and my husband's SA results are forthcoming (this week).
I have a few questions - If my husband's SA comes back normal, what now? Do I have a Luteal phase defect? Could my weight be a concern? I always thought my weight was perfectly normal at 5 feet tall and 103 pounds, but I was reading a book that was saying that my bmi was too low, and my body fat (at 18-19%) is also too low, and I can tell this is a problem if my periods are short. Could this be possible? I do run about 25 miles per week, but thought my exercise and weight meant getting pregnant would be easier, not harder.
What could be some steps I can do to increase my chances of conceiving.
AnswerDear Danielle,
Given that your cycles are somewhat shorter, and you're ovulating later in the cycle, a luteal phase defect could be possible, but only your doctor can diagnose that. There are ways to treat it with medication. Certainly being underweight and having little body fat can cause irregular cycles and make getting pregnant difficult. If the semen analysis comes back normal, they will likely conduct further tests on you and then develop a treatment plan.
Good luck.
