what is the lueteal phase and how do i calculate how long mine was???

Answer 1

You should find that your menstrual cycle is made up of three phases. The first stage is the beginning on your cycle and is known as menses. Charting begins on day one of menses. The second phase is the follicular phase and occurs after menses and before ovulation. The length of the follicular phase may vary from cycle to cycle and from woman to woman. The follicular phase length determines your cycle length. Ovulation divides the follicular phase from the luteal phase. The luteal phase occurs after ovulation and lasts from 12 to 14 days, but may last from 10 to 15 days. The luteal phase length is usually fairly consistent rarely changing, more than a day or two, from cycle to cycle in an individual woman. You may have been told that most ‘regular’ cycles last from 29 to 30 days, as you are probably aware, we are all different and so are the lengths of our cycles. A typical menstrual cycle may be anywhere from 21 to 35 days, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Our cycles are all individual and different things can affect each cycle, but hopefully yours will show the hormone patterns that you seek. Life happens and things affect our bodies differently. You will probably find that no two cycles are exactly the same, but they should be similar. Charting will help you to realize when the three phases occur in your cycle so you can determine when you are most likely to conceive. You probably grew up believing that you ovulate, or are most fertile, on day 14 of your menstrual cycle, mid cycle or 14 days before your period is expected. This time frame is known as the cover line, but the assumption is based on broad averages and they may not be true for you, even if your cycles are regular. When cycles are irregular, it is usually a result of ovulation occurring earlier or later than expected. Knowing when you ovulate allows you to have a good idea if intercourse was well timed for conception and lets you determine your luteal phase length. Knowing your luteal phase length tells you when to expect your period or a positive pregnancy test result. Though not accurate either, the luteal phase is supposed to be 10 to 17 days long. By using this, you count back the length of your longest luteal phase from the length of your average cycle. It is suggested that you mark and ‘O’ on your chart to signify the earliest that you may ovulate. If you have a ‘regular’ length cycle, this means you should mark you ‘O’ at, or around, day 11 in your upcoming cycle. You can use this ‘O’ as a warning point for you to be a bit more observant in your monitoring.

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Answer 2

The luteal phase--LP-- is the second half of the cycle from ovulation til your next period starts lasts anywhere from 10-16 days. But your LP will not vary much from cycle to cycle, for example, if your LP is usually 14 days then it may be 13 or 15 but no more than that. To figure out how long your LP is you will need to pinpoint ovulation by basal body temping.