If you have irregular periods, you might have a difficult time determining when you are ovulating. I ran into this problem myself when I was trying to conceive. My cycles were all over the map. One month, my cycle might run only 27 days, while the next month, it might run 36 days. This made it very hard to determine when I was ovulating.

When I first decided to go off birth control pills and tried to conceive, my OB-GYN told me to make sure we had intercourse two weeks after my period started. If my cycles had been exactly 28 days each month, that might have been correct, but my cycles were rarely, if ever, exactly 28 days long.

Some women struggle with much more varied cycles than mine were. At least mine were within the range of normal, even though they varied quite a bit. According to FertilityCommunity.com, a normal cycle can run anywhere from 24 days to 35 days in length. I have heard of women who only had periods every few months, but they still managed to conceive if they happened to have intercourse at the right time.

What causes irregular periods? There can be a number of causes. In my case, endometriosis was the culprit. I had a significant amount of endometriosis covering my female parts. After I had my first laparoscopy, my periods suddenly started being spaced exactly 28 days apart. Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can experience irregular periods. This was the case with my friend who only had periods every few months. Be sure to let your fertility specialist know if you have irregular periods.

Over the counter ovulation predictor kits can be very helpful in pinpointing when you are ovulating. They are not cheap, so you can wind up running a hefty tab if your cycle is very irregular. However, compared to the cost of fertility treatments through a professional, the cost is not that bad. If you wind up conceiving, then the cost will definitely be worth it.

Related Topic:

What Does My Weird Cycle Mean?

Photo credit: Rosanne Mooney