Anovulatory experiences…. Please help!

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Hi everyone,

I am 28 years old & new here after discovering this forum on a blog. My pregnancy journey began in December when I unfortunately miscarried (very early) during the height of the pandemic it was a difficult time for me any my partner as we were also grieving the loss of a family member.

Around March time we were ready to try again & everything was going well. I was tracking my cycle on Naturalcycles and measuring my basal temperate every morning. My ovulation was confirmed and we were able to conceive again pretty quickly. I developed severe pains in my groin and tummy area and eventually was told it was ectopic, much to our horror. I had to have my left Fallopian tube removed on the 7th April.

We were of course devastated and I don’t think I have truly gotten over it if I am completely honest with myself. I wanted to reach out to anybody on this forum that can help or give some advice on how you have been coping with your losses?

I wanted to also get some advice on my cycle, ever since April it has been very irregular. I had 5 day periods of spotting in may and June (around the same time) and in July I had a very light ‘period’ for almost 2 weeks. I was bleeding after sex during this time too.

I have been doing ovulation tests to try and pinpoint my ovulation but so far I don’t think I have ovulated. The Naturalcycles app has told me that last month I experiences an ‘anovulatory’ cycle which means I didn’t ovulate. I am now late for my ‘period’ and don’t think I have ovulated again this month too.

To top it all off I have also been experiencing pain in my right side, which automatically filled me with fear. I am still waiting for a referral to see a gyno since my trip to A&E (long story). I am not pregnant but fear I have a cyst causing me pain after sex and at random stages of the month.

I am basically all over the place and just wanted to see what other people who have been through the same have experienced with their cycle post op?

Sorry for the long post!!

Emily x

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Dear Emily,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,

When we experience ectopic pregnancy we are suddenly faced with a life threatening emergency and it’s treatment, reduction in fertility, concerns about the future and the loss of our babies. Experiencing any one of these is an ordeal, putting them together is immense and your feelings are completely normal.

Experiencing some pain after an ectopic pregnancy is normal as your body has been through a great deal over the last few months. The pain may be due to adhesions (scar tissue that binds two parts of the body together) which form and take some time to settle. Your body may be preparing to ovulate and many women experience ovulation pain when they did not before their ectopic pregnancy - including myself. You also may have a heightened perception because of the sad loss that you have had to go through. If you find you experience offensive smelling discharge or an increased temperature of more than 37°C or just want to be checked out to be on the safe side, it would be worth asking your doctors to run tests to check for infection.

If the pain persists, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.

Your periods can take a while to get back to a rhythm that is more usual for you. I also found that my periods changed for a few months after my losses.

Periods can be delayed for a number of reasons including stress or even (as surprising as it may sound) excessive exercise or weight loss. Doctors normally consider menstrual cycles of between 23-42 days to be within normal parameters. If you have not had your expected period, we would advise speaking to a medical professional for advice.

Above all be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally.

Sending much love,

Karen x

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