|
|
Last Updated:
Dec 2nd, 2007 - 23:01:33
|
Question
I was on Depo for one shot. I was supposed to get another one March of '07 and did not because we would like to have a baby. I have had 3 periods. Cycles are 33 days. I have had two kids already and now am unable to conceive after 7 months of trying. I have tried ovulation test strips and for some reason got positive one's for what looked like 7 days last month. I bought a Clear Blue Fertility Monitor but can't use it until the start of my next period which should be Dec. 1st.
Any advice on what to do to improve my chances of conceiving? I can't tell when I ovulate so when should I be ovulating if my cycles are 33 days and my last period was October '07?
Shelly
Answer
Dear Shelly,
Depo provera works by thinning the endometrium, thickening the cervical mucus and inhibiting the hormones that stimulate the ovulation. The side effects are numerous. They can be nausea, fatigue, abdominal discomfort, sore breasts, depression, weight gain and significant loss of bone density. Due to this the FDA suggests that it not be used for long term birth control. Women experience menstrual irregularities for 3-10 months after use and only 68% conceive within 12 months, 83% within 15 months, and 93% within 18 months. Whether it was used once or a long period of time does not seem to matter. So even if you are ovulating the quality of the cervical mucus (necessary for sperm survival and movement to the egg) or the endometrium may not be optimal.
The best I can suggest is to be patient (anxiety can also be a cause of temporary infertility) and monitor the cervical mucus according to the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM). Try to conceive when the quality of the mucus is best, that is, near the last day of a slippery sensation that has been preceded by several days of changing mucus. The mucus has progressed from damp, sticky to stretchy, slippery due to the increasing estrogen produced by the follicle as it matures toward ovulation. After ovulation the egg is available for fertilization 12 to 24 hours. Progesterone is then produced and has a drying effect on the mucus.
To help you start making correct observations you should contact a BOM teacher for instruction. Because the knowledge can be used for achieving or avoiding pregnancy this will be helpful now, and for the rest of your reproductive life!
Angie Frausto
Angie Frausto as a certified teacher of the Billings Ovulation Method has been teaching this method of natural family planning for 20 years in Whittier, California.
She is the Director and Teacher Trainer of WOOMB Bilingual-Bicultural. Her laboratory research at University of Southern California School of Medicine studies
the cellular interactions causing osteoporosis.
© Copyright 2005 by CANFP
The information on this page and web site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment by a physician.
Top of Page
