Disclaimer: If you do not want to read about my menstrual cycle, bail now. It’s all down hill from here.
My cycle is ALWAYS predictable. It may vary within one or two days, but it is always predictable with the same set of symptoms and nearly the same length -27 days. It has only ever varied by a few days when I was very ill, when I was pregnant (obviously), and post surgery to remove the ectopic. Other than that – 26-28 days.
Waiting for this period to start I have dealt with:
- Extreme stress from training my four temps in the office
- More stress from IVF beginning soon
- The flu
- Did I mention more stress?
When my period didn’t show up on day 30, I just sort of accepted it and assumed it would show up in its normal, routine fashion. I figured, “Okay, so my period is late, but whatever, I have been stressed.”
32 days. “Maybe I should take a pregnancy test. Fine, I will test. Negative? Cool. Thanks for the reminder, body.”
34 days. At 6AM, “Oh, I started spotting! Maybe I will get my period…or could I be pregnant? I’ll take another test. Still negative? Awesome.”
36 days: “I’M STILL SPOTTING WHY HASN’T MY CYCLE STARTED. I WANT TO EAT, CRY, AND SLEEP. WHY WONT SOMETHING HAPPEN?”
My rage at my bodily functions finally came to an end when my period showed up today – at 37 days. Meaning, my actual period was 10 FREAKING DAYS LATE. I posted about this online in www.reddit.com/r/infertility, asking if other women have experienced something similar and apparently, this is something that happens to women who are preparing for their first IVF cycle. In case you wanted another reason to hate your body other than it not cooperating with you in regards to fertility, this will do it. One of my friends likened it to bringing your car to the mechanic. It makes that sound for a month straight when you are driving alone, but when you finally take it into the garage it stays silent.
Those 10 days I was a hormonal wreck. I was sick, stressed, and my hormones were fluctuating. There is a certain amount of guilt that I experience (very common according to my other friends who are treating their infertility) when my body does not cooperate. It’s definitely a dose of, “I cant even do that right.” As a fun side note: everyone knows about ‘period cramps’ but there’s also plenty of wonderful side effects that happen to some (most) women including but not limited to: acne, bloating, breast soreness, upset stomach, headache, nausea and my favorite – FATIGUE. I had all of these. But mostly, the fatigue was crippling. I was so exhausted I could barely function and this is not quite a great recipe for relaxation, which is exactly what I needed. Sure, meditation helps briefly, but definitely not enough to bring me complete relaxation which is what I so desperately craved. Today – all my symptoms have subsided (besides the stress) with the onset of my period. For this, I am extremely thankful.
I will be calling the RE office tomorrow to schedule an appointment for tomorrow or Wednesday to receive my birth control pills that will be crucial to next months IVF cycle. After the birth control, I have one more period and that is when I begin injecting the medications. We are getting closer and closer – and HOPEFULLY my body will sort itself out with the aid of the birth control.