How do I determine the length of my luteal phase?
There are several ways to calculate the length of the luteal phase. This is the time between ovulation and the day before menstruation. These methods differ in accuracy and those who are worried about the short luteal phase, or the luteal phase defect may require the assistance of the doctor to obtain accurate measurement of this interval.
The less "scientific" method is to count from the date of the period. Because many women have a luteal phase that is about 14 days long, people can determine approximately when ovulation has occurred, and how far it happened after the beginning of the cycle for a month. This could be enough information for people who have regular periods that are about 28 days in length. However, this is not always accurate because the luteal cycle can range from 10-16 days.
What do women need to know to find out the length of the luteal phase a little more precisely when they ovulate and then menstruated. It is quite easy to find out when menstruation occurred, but monitoring of ovulation can be a little more involved. Ovulation sets that could be used in the storesenem help to determine the approximate time of ovulation. Alternatively, people could monitor possible ovulation by means of basal body temperature or vaginal mucus analysis, which is often taught in the class of natural family planning.
With some of these monitoring methods, the date of ovulation can then be identified. The woman would then count the days until she got the period. This time interval would be essentially a luteal phase and could help determine whether the phase is appropriately long or too short. Everything less than 10 days is considered demanding because the uterus does not create sufficient lining to maintain pregnancy.
Some women have extremely irregular cycles and may need more help in determining the exact length of the luteal phase. This is done by typically at the doctor's commands via a blood test. The ovulation time must still be discovered because the blood test must take place about seven days later.It evaluates blood progesterone levels and can more accurately determine how long the length of the luteal phase is and whether it is a problem with the fertility that may have to be solved.
Fortunately, there are potential treatments for a woman with short or too long problems with the length of the luteal phase. They may include providing progesterone to stabilize lengths. These treatments do not necessarily have to be necessary if a woman does not try to conceive. A short or long luteal phase may not be medically important in any woman uninteresting during pregnancy