Skip to content
My WebMD Sign In, Sign Up
Last Reply:
Includes Expert Content
Can I still ovulate only having a period every 3 or 4 months?
avatar
queenmicky3 posted:
I have been off birth control since November of 2011. My first period was late February early March. The second one was July 7th and today is the 16th and I am still spotting. Well my husband and I had sex last night and I wanted to know what is the chance that I could be pregnant? Can I get pregnant? Can I ovulate, since my periods are so out of whack?


Any thoughts?
1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Can I still ovulate only having a period every 3 or 4 months?I have been off birth control since November of 2011. My first period was late February early March. The second one was July 7th and today is the 16th and I am still spotting. Well my husband and I had sex last night and I wanted to know what is the chance that I could be pregnant? Can I get pregnant? Can I ovulate, since my periods are so out of whack?<br /><br /><br />Any thoughts?
Reply
 
avatar
Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP responded:
Dear queenmickey: If a woman has a history of very irregular/missed periods there is a good possibility that she is ovulating only very irregularly. As you read in my other post, it is also possible for a woman to have a flow that was not actually triggered by an ovulation. The only ways to know for sure if an ovulation has occurred (besides pregnancy!), would be to check a blood progesterone level a week after suspected ovulation, do basal body temperatures, or run an ovulation predictor kit prior to expected time of ovulation. Obviously none of these are super easy or convenient.

If you would like to conceive just keep having regular sex. I had a patient who had polycystic ovaries and only rarely ovulated. She never used birth control and actually conceived (new lover and weight loss). She was seven months before the pregnancy was discovered.

queenmickey, if you have not conceived after a year of trying, or if you are over 30 years old, it would be time to ask your GYN to start a fertility work up. Ovulation status would be one of the first things they check.

Yours,
Jane
Report This| Share this:Can I still ovulate only having a period every 3 or 4 months?Dear queenmickey: If a woman has a history of very irregular/missed periods there is a good possibility that she is ovulating only very irregularly. As you read in my other post, it is also possible for a woman to have a flow that was not actually triggered by an ovulation. The only ways to know for sure if an ovulation has occurred (besides pregnancy!), would be to check a blood progesterone level a week after suspected ovulation, do basal body temperatures, or run an ovulation predictor kit prior to expected time of ovulation. Obviously none of these are super easy or convenient. <br /><br />If you would like to conceive just keep having regular sex. I had a patient who had polycystic ovaries and only rarely ovulated. She never used birth control and actually conceived (new lover and weight loss). She was seven months before the pregnancy was discovered.<br /><br />queenmickey, if you have not conceived after a year of trying, or if you are over 30 years old, it would be time to ask your GYN to start a fertility work up. Ovulation status would be one of the first things they check.<br /><br />Yours,<br />Jane
Reply


Back to Top
Back to Top

See Related Women's Health Communities

See All Communities

Featuring Experts

Profile
Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP Expert
Jane Harrison-Hohner, RN, RNP, is a nurse practitioner and has been a practicing women's health care specialist for 15 years. She was on the facul...More

Popular Discussions

Start a Discussion | See All

Helpful Tips

birth control pills and gelatin-like clots
I started taking birth control pills because I had an ovarian cyst that made periods painful. Now when I'm on my periods, I will go to the ... More
Was this Helpful?
Yes No
34 of 73 found this helpful
Post a Tip | See All

Helpful Resources

Post a Resource | See All

Expert Blog

Below the Belt: Women's Health - Jane Harrison-Hohner, RN, RNP

From HPV to irregular periods to PMS to fibroids, Jane Harrison-Hohner, RN, is here to share her knowledge and insight...Read More

Related News

Report Problems to the
Food and Drug Administration

FDAYou are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.