Fertility Problems - Luteal Phase Defect

I've been charting my bbt's since April 2011, but I never thought to check my luteal phase (LP), but when I did, I realized it seemed a little too short and that it could be why I had a miscarriage and even why we haven't got our bun in the oven yet.

Basically, from what I can gather, having luteal phase defect (LPD) means that there's just not enough time for the fertilized egg to implant into the uterine lining before your period begins.  Hence you get a very early miscarriage.

In short, here's some more info on LDP:

(source of article)

The luteal phase refers to the time in a normal menstrual cycle that begins after ovulation (when a mature egg is released) and continues until the start of your next menstrual period. The average luteal phase lasts for 14 days, but 10 to 16 days is considered normal. The length of the luteal phase varies from woman to woman, although for each individual woman the length is fairly consistent from cycle to cycle.

Luteal Phase Defect (LPD) leads to a disruption in progesterone production. You are considered to have a luteal phase defect if your luteal phase lasts fewer than 10 days. Some doctors, however, believe that a luteal phase of less than 12 days indicates LPD.

If you do not produce enough progesterone, you will be unable to sustain a pregnancy. The endometrial lining of the uterus will break down, which may trigger menstrual bleeding and cause an early miscarriage. If you produce enough progesterone but your uterus does not respond to it, the lining is not adequately prepared or thick enough for the embryo to attach to it.

From my bbt charts, it seemed that my LP may be a little short, and never longer than 12 days, so I researched natural remedies to fix it and found out about vitex agnus castus (chasteberry) and increased doses of vit B6 - the first cycle that I took these supplements, my LP increased to about 14 or 16 days - yay!  Month 2  however it was down to about 11/12 days (bummer), so I'm in my 3rd month of taking these and I'll see what happens this time!

The good news about LPD though is that it's one of the easiest fertility issues to fix, and only with natural remedies!  See HERE for more info.