First, let’s look at Luteal Phase Defect Symptoms and then Luteal Phase Defect Causes.

1. The first symptom may be that your cycles are getting shorter. Now it can be that at first, they do not get shorter; just shift. If you are using the fertility temperature charting method known as temping you will notice that your temperature rise might not be so sharp and that it is a longer time from day 1 to ovulation. This means that your follicular phase would be longer and your luteal phase would be getting shorter – even if your cycle seems the same. The best part about temping is that you can see the shift from one to another. You can actually see that one phase is shrinking while the other is lengthening.

Of course, a shorter cycle is even easier to see and a common indicator (though not definitive) is spotting each month before your period actually starts.

2. Another symptom of luteal phase defect is that your menstruation will probably be more scant; less bleeding. At first this might be something you welcome but it is worth monitoring.

ZRT Home hormone test kits are really our best suggestion for identifying a luteal phase defect.

Now that we can identify it somewhat, what do we know about the causes of luteal phase defect?

1. Well, to start at the beginning of the cycle we would look to the follicles or follicle production would be better put. Poor quality or quantity follicle production will ultimately mean a less than ideal egg, ovulation and luteal phase.

• For some women, it is merely a sign that menopause is approaching. This time can also be called pre-menopause, which is not the same as peri-menopause. To put it simply – you aren’t producing the same eggs as you once were. This time will also mean fewer follicles each cycle which mean a smaller crop to pick from and follicles that will not mature properly or produce enough estrogen for good ovulation. It will take longer to achieve the same results as with healthier follicles. Follicles actually mature until one is mature enough to produce and egg. This is when ovulation happens FSH is the hormone which stimulates the follicles. Having your FSH tested is a good way to see if your follicle reserves are low and will show how quickly approaching menopause may be. Without proper hormonal activity in the follicular cycle, the whole cycle is thrown off. A follicle must mature enough to become the chosen egg and corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is responsible for much of the second half of the cycle and for the ability to stabilize early pregnancy. Progesterone is the hormone that puffs up the blood-filled lining and nesting of your baby in the uterus. A better egg is dependent upon the proper amount of FSH and Estrogen at the start. Fertile Lady female libido booster is an excellent choice for helping follicles along. Many women have had great success in lengthening their cycles with this product. In as little as 2 months, the average testimony we hear is a cycle going from about 24 days a month to a cycle of about 28. Visit Beyond Fertility Shop to read about hormone test kits and Fertile Lady. You can now check these hormone levels within the privacy of your own home.
• The second possibility is when a congested liver or low progesterone (or both) keep follicles from maturing. Diet plays a large role in this. Often times you might see what looks like signs of impending ovulation but there is a repeating pattern happening; a rise in LH, then a fall; another rise, then fall until finally ovulation happens. This can go on for even months and is, most often, easy to fix with a little progesterone at the right time to stop anymore E2 from building up.

2. Yet another reason can be having cysts: This will keep your body from obtaining the progesterone from a good ovulation to be used in the next cycle. The health of one cycle is important to the next. Early on, when cysts are few, you can still ovulate but cycles will tend to be shorter and menstruation lighter. Eventually, your body will not be able to ovulate as cysts will cover the ovary and inhibit their ability to release an egg. Infertility Workshop Natural Progesterone Cream Shutdown has a great plan for overcoming cysts and healing the ovaries.

3. Now the middle part of the cycle has to do with the egg and ovulation. If the corpus luteum (the outer covering of the egg) is not as it should be then progesterone production and hormonal signals will not remain high and enough progesterone will not be supplied in order to maintain the endometrial lining. This means that progesterone levels will drop quickly and the lining will shed prematurely. If you are pregnant, a miscarriage will occur at this time. For this situation, natural progesterone cream such as Balance Cream Natural Progesterone and Cycle Balance Cream can help maintain levels until hormone levels can stabilize. By supplementing with natural progesterone cream, you give your body what it needs to give baby a stronger beginning. We give you two choices of brands but in truth the cream we recommend most and which receives the most feedback is Cycle Balance Cream.

4. Last, but not least, is the importance of enough progesterone. Without progesterone the lining of the uterus cannot “fluff.” Estrogen is responsible for the amount of blood on the endometrial lining. Progesterone is responsible for “fluffing” up the blood in order to allow nesting of a fertilized embryo which we prefer to call a baby. When progesterone production is lowered, the lining will begin to shed earlier than is correct, implantation cannot take place and miscarriage is likely to occur. Again, this is when natural progesterone cream can be helpful but miscarriage may be inevitable if not caught soon enough or hormones are just too deficient.

Read on in our other articles about how to fix a Luteal Phase Defect.