Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

I feel so dumb. Ive looked it up and I just cannot understand how to figure it out :blush: Can someone TRY to explain it to me please? And how to figure out what mine is?
Thanks :goodvibes:

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

It's the second half of your cycle. In the textbook cycle, your period start on day 1, you ovulate on day 14, and day 14-28 is considered the "luteal phase"--basically meaning post ovulation. This is when your body's progesterone level shoots up, increasing your body temp slightly. If you can pinpoint your ovulation, you'll know how long your luteal phase is. Some people do this by taking temps. I just tracked cervical fluid and can pinpoint it within a 6 hr window. If you haven't already, I HIGHLY recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It's amazing how many signals our bodies send us and we've just never been taught to tune in. HTH!

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

So is it THAT important when trying to conceive? I know that alot of sites that I look at for determining my ovulatin date ask what your luteal phase is. If my cycle is 26 days long, does that automatically make my luteal phase 12 days? :headscratch:

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

It is totally important if it's too short. The only way to know what your luteal phase is is by taking your basal body temperature. Even cervical fluid is not for sure. It is possible to have cycles without ovulating, or to have cycles with short luteal phases. I second the recommendation for Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It explains it all very well.

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

Not all lutenal cycles are 14 days long. So you can't just subtract- you have to actually track you ovulation.

I know when I took NFP with Couple to Couple League they did a good job explaining it. I haven't read the other book recomended. HTH

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

OK, so some websites, you just enter you last period date. Some have you enter a luteal phase. SInce I dont know it, can I just use the ones that you dont enter it. How accurate are they?

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

I didn't read the replies but your Luteal Phase is the from from O, until the time your AF arrives.. The average "LP" is 14 days but many women have LP's that are 16 days, some even 10 days!! I highly recommend buying the book "taking charge of your fertility" by Toni Wheschler (sp). It's a GREAT book and it has taught me SOO much about my body! Also www.ovusoft.com is a great site that is ran by the same woman.

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

The luteal phase was important for us with TTC this time, because mine was less than 10 days. From what I've read, it isn't a worry with how long the phase is as long as its more than 10 days.
Since mine was too short, it wasn't giving a fertilized egg long enough to implant before my body basically called the whole cycle a loss, and AF started. I took B6 supplements to lengthen mine and got pregnant right away. I know I didn't implant until 11 DPO with this pregnancy and I know the pregnancy wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been charting and on the B6 to fix my little problem.
I 2nd the advice to pick up Taking Charge of your Fertility, its a great book with lots of info in it. :thumbsup:

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

They are not that accurate. They are going to use averages. They assume *most* women will have a 14 day L Phase and a 28-30 day cycle. If you are not average it will give you bad information. If you have the textbook cycle it will work.

Re: Can someone please explain "Luteal Phase" to me..
 

Your LP is very important when TTC. If it isn't long enough, typically 12-14 days, it may be an indication that your body isn't producing enough progesterone to support a viable pregnancy. If that's the case your dr/re can give you progesterone (suppositories or otherwise) to increase your levels, lengthen your LP and increase your odds of a H9M. Many drs consider 10 days the minimum. Also important to know your LP if you have long cycles, b/c it's possible you have long cycles and regular LPs (ok) or long cycles and irregular LPs (not ok, b/c this is considered an irregular cycle, which means you aren't Oing optimally).

Some drs believe than a longer than average LP could be a precursor or red flag to cancer, as some exhibit the symptom of increased estrogen levels, associated with some cancers. But that's a still far-fetched under studied/proven idea. My LPs are typically 17-19 days on a *regular* cycle.