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Read about why I am sharing my cycles here. See Cycle 6 analysis here.
Cycle 7 Stats:
- 72 Days
- Ovulation on Day 62 (estimated)
- Ovulation 9 days after full moon
- Luteal Phase 10 days long (estimated)
Cycle 7 Analysis
Here we had another long cycle, but with a happy ending! And no surprise really that it was such a long cycle. We came home from our honeymoon and I started a fertility cleanse. I had this detailed plan that I put into action in the hopes of balancing my hormones and getting to the bottom of my health problems. I used a variety of resources and supplements, and went on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in order to find out if I had any food sensitivities that I had missed during my first elimination diet. I thought it would also help me with nutrient density. You may wonder why I never wrote about this cleanse. I had big plans for writing about it! Well….it kinda went off the deep end.
I took on too much too quickly. I also wasn’t getting enough carbs on AIP, which my body did not like. I’m carb sensitive, but I definitely need them in my diet. After 30 days I wasn’t seeing improvements and in one glorious State Fair trip through everything out the window. I did not feel good that night, but surprisingly didn’t have any strong reactions. Now, I know that you need to give lifestyle changes 3 months to really see an improvement in fertility. But with my cycle even longer and no other physical improvements, it wasn’t worth it.
So I finally got to the bottom of it. I had a full panel of blood work done and found that my thyroid and almost all of my reproductive hormones were low. But interestingly, I did not have estrogen dominance or adrenal fatigue. Two things I was sure I had. Add in non-Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and I really didn’t know what to do about my hormones. The 3 problems everyone has, and I have the symptoms but not the root cause. How should I treat that?
I started working with Dr. Meghan Birt. This was not something I could do alone. During the luteal phase of this cycle, I began a protocol with her to heal my gut and detox my body. It was a huge help and did a great job of healing my thryoid. I am very glad a did it. But as you will see over the coming posts, my reproductive hormones were never fixed.
The cycle itself was annoying. I had excruciating menstrual cramps the first day. All my other cycles were uncomfortable, but manageable. That first day I had to try all the tricks available to someone in a foreign country at my cramps. Following that my cervical mucus was all over the place, but generally considered infertile.
Then, over 50 days into my cycle, I saw a change. I had several days of very, very fertile mucus. I had never seen anything like it! Then one day, it just stopped. Completely dried up and stayed that way until my next period. I was traveling and therefore missed the temp rise until I got home, but I didn’t need it this cycle. For the first time I could identify peak through my cervical fluid, and that was an amazing feeling.
Although this cycle was long, I had hope.
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