Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Follicular Phase Length

My husband and I have been TTC for about 6 months with no luck yet. I have very consistently ovulated on day 18.

From what I have been reading this is considered a long follicular phase and the egg could be old or defective, which could lead to infertility.

Is this true? Is there anything I could do to decrease my follicular phase? My luteal phase has always been right around 14-15 days which seems long enough to allow for implantation.

Thanks!

Answer:

I have also read the same information that suggests that a long follicular phase can lead to lower fertility rates. That said, I know women who have gotten pregnant even when ovulating later in the cycle - and they go on to have healthy babies.

But there is evidence that shows that once you move past about day 16 of your cycle, the egg is not as fresh and fertilization doesn't happen as easily. Working on adjusting your cycle through nutrition and well-chosen herbal supplements may help. You can get more information on fertility foods to help enhance your cycle and your fertility.

The book Pregnancy Miracle has a detailed section on this topic that you may want to look at, too.