What Happens When You Ovulate Later Each Cycle?

What does it mean if I keep ovulating later every cycle?

Well, how long has this been happening – how many cycles? Ovulation is very sensitive to stress, changes in routine, getting sick so what has been happening during this time? Has there been anything major been happening over the months that could have an effect on ovulation? If something has been going on for three plus cycles, we need to do more digging.

Let’s go a little deeper – Certain things need to be considered if ovulation is getting later and later:

• Knowing if and when ovulation is happening
• Period length ideally should be 3 – 7 days
• Entire cycle length ideally should be 24-35 days
• Cycle length consistency – is your cycle about the same or is it all over the place
• Luteal phase length – time from ovulation to the day before your next period ideally is 10-18 days, usually around 2 weeks
• What are your period and cycle symptoms – are they new – getting worse

Let’s review a few scenarios

1. Cycle length – staying the same or shorter plus ovulation happening later? This could mean you are seeing a shorter luteal phase. This could point to a luteal phase defect (short luteal phase), poor egg quality, poor corpus luteum development (this produces progesterone) and/or low or suboptimal progesterone production
2. Cycle length – longer than usual plus ovulation happening later? Your luteal phase could be an optimal length, but something like stress is resulting in delayed ovulation
3. Irregular cycles plus ovulation happening later? An irregular period is one that is outside of the 24-35 day window, a long cycle 35+ days and/or a varied cycle length more than a few days from cycle to cycle (i.e. 45 day, 34 day, 60 days)

You could be experiencing period blood that is dark purplish and clotty (a sign of estrogen dominance and can be seen with more painful periods), brown blood (a possible sign of low progesterone), or light pink (a sign of low estrogen). Your cycle could also be super symptomatic, dealing with things like cramps, pain, breakouts, mood swings, food cravings and more.

If your period is irregular and you are dealing with a long cycle length or big variations in your cycle length, this is actually an ovulation issue. An irregular period means irregular, delayed or missing ovulation. Ovulation is actually the main even of your cycle, not your period like you might think.

For some with irregular cycles ovulation could be occurring, just later in the cycle or somewhat sporadically resulting in long or irregular cycles. A normal healthy cycle means that each of your hormones reaches its proper level throughout the previous cycle. If you cycle is irregular, you want to get into the why!

Common reasons for an irregular or missing period:

• Stress
• Under-eating
• PCOS
• Birth Control
• Hypothyroidism
• Elevated prolactin
• Elevated androgens
• Low body weight

Note that there are times when an irregular cycle is actually normal and expected:

• Postpartum/breastfeeding: your cycle will return depending on breastfeeding (how often and duration)
• Perimenopause: irregular cycles occur as you near menopause
• Teens: when teens first get their period it can take up to a year or more for a regular ovulation patter to occur

What is key is to determine your unique mix of root causes (or reasons) your period is irregular, while incorporating foundations for happy hormones:

• Balancing blood sugar
• Eating enough nutrient-dense foods
• Exercising mindfully
• Getting enough quality sleep
• Managing your stress

Ready to dig deeper into your unique Why’s? Let’s set up a complimentary discovery call and start digging! I look forward to chatting with you!