Luteal Phase Defect

Luteal Phase Defect

A luteal phase defect, or LPD, can be a cause of female infertility and is one that can be suspected by women who are charting their menstrual cycles and observe that the luteal phase is shorter than average. A luteal phase defect is vital to correct in order to achieve pregnancy, as a strong luteal phase is required to give an embryo enough time to implant. In order to understand LPD, however, one must first become familiar with the luteal phase.

The female ovulatory cycle can be broken up into three phases: the follicular phase, which begins with menstruation; the ovulatory phase, which occurs at the time of ovulation; and the luteal phase, which is the period between ovulation and the beginning of a new menstrual cycle. Women can most closely observe the timing of their cycles by tracking their Basal Body Temperature, or BBT. The BBT is tracked by using a Basal Body Thermometer to take a resting body temperature at the same time during each day of the cycle. Using a BBT chart, a woman with a normal menstrual cycle will find that her temperatures are low pre-ovulation, dip prior to ovulation, then rise when ovulation occurs. The temperature should stay high throughout the luteal phase, only dropping when and if the woman begins her next menstrual cycle. Not only does the BBT help a woman learn when she is ovulating and when to expect a new period, but she can observe the number of days of her luteal phase as well as the average temperature.

A normal luteal phase is about 14 days long. Some women have shorter and some longer, but less than 12 days of luteal phase can signal an LPD. Likewise, LPD can be observed by shifting temperatures prior to the next menstrual cycle. This is almost always caused by a disruption in the hormone progesterone, though the cause of the lack of progesterone can vary. One cause is improper ovulation. If a woman does not ovulate properly, the egg does not secrete the hormones necessary to trigger the release of progesterone. Usually, annovulation is apparent by a lack of temperature shift mid-cycle, but in some cases a poorly developed follicle can still cause a temperature shift. Other causes may be defects within the corpus luteum or the uterine lining itself.

Women who suspect they may have a luteal phase defect should see their physician to verify the diagnosis and to determine the best method of treatment. Some women choose to use over-the-counter treatments to combat female infertility, but they are best served to find the source of the issue before trying to self-treat. Most Reproductive Endocrinologists agree that over-the-counter progesterone creams are not at all harmful, but they may be completely ineffective, especially if the underlying issue is not within the low levels of progesterone alone, but due to other factors that can be either diagnosed or ruled out before wasting time and money on otherwise useless treatments. If a doctor does find that progesterone levels must be increased, he or she will likely prescribe a progesterone suppository or other prescription medication.