Posts by Jacob Long

Technically, infertility is just when a couple can't conceive after a year of trying

which doesn't mean they're actually barren—or that kids are totally off the table

so, what actually causes low progesterone?

Is it an ovulation issue or maybe just a luteal phase deficiency? Who knows.

It’s hard to say if irregular cycles lead straight to permanent infertility—not quite that simple—but the underlying issues causing those irregularities can definitely cause long-term damage, making it way harder to conceive naturally or even with basic help later on.

Take PCOS, for example. Eventually, you can end up with so many cysts that ovulating becomes nearly impossible—even with fertility drugs—and for some women, they might even need surgery just to stand a chance at getting pregnant.

Plus, skipping periods isn't exactly great news for your uterine lining, either.

I don't think that bacterium is exactly "safe"—I've heard it can actually be worse than E. coli

I know a girl who’s been dealing with this for almost six months now without any luck—it’s settled in her bladder

Might be worth getting a urine culture checked, too, since it tends to break through the cell barrier

Man, you really had me worried there with those FSH levels...

Thank God everything turned out fine 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Honestly, if the results are that wonky, they really should just run the tests again 👎 👎

It’s the same story with my sister—she was checking her thyroid hormones during pregnancy, and her T4 came back through the roof while her TSH looked totally fine. She panicked, obviously, and rushed to a private endocrinologist, only for him to tell her that with a T4 that high, there's no way that TSH stays normal. Apparently, she's just one of countless people getting those exact same weird readings from that same lab 👎 👎

I mean, you could probably hack it with estrogens for a bit—but honestly? Even then, they aren't exactly a magic fix

this feels like my menopause hitting early

so, how are your other hormone levels looking?

you sure they didn't mess up the sample at the lab?

It could totally be the hormones
I’ve got PCOS, so I’m pretty sure some of this bleeding is tied to that—not just random E. coli issues—but honestly, it’s complicated, and I wouldn't want to give you a definitive answer without knowing more.

Does it seem like it's happening in relation to sex?

Gerald Murphy53 said:Well, I just had my CA 125 checked again, and the results are higher than ever—141. My doctor told me to get the blood drawn right when my period starts. For the first two days, everything seemed totally normal, but by the third day, it was nothing but clots. I went in for the blood work the very next day. I haven’t actually managed to sit down with my specialist yet because our work shifts are constantly clashing. What really gets to me is that last month, I didn't even have that usual ovulation pain I usually get, and I didn't feel any discomfort before my period either, yet my CA 125 is still climbing. It’s enough to drive me absolutely insane! I’ve been seriously considering heading over to the Sunce clinic to get a full systemic check-up; who knows, maybe there's a localized issue somewhere else that's throwing things off. Or, I might make the trip to Washington, D.C. to visit the Podobnik clinic. I've heard they have an excellent reputation. Does anyone happen to know how much a full exam costs there?

Honestly, it sounds like it's time to take those results to a specialist.
There's already a thread about Podobnik where you could ask—or just give them a call, wouldn't hurt.
If you don't, you're just going to stress yourself out over nothing... but if it *is* something serious, better to find out now and deal with it.

one question, a thousand answers 😢

there are basically a thousand ways to answer this—and only one right one
unfortunately, it's not just that we can't help you here; honestly, you're lucky if even an OB-GYN knows what's going on

I've dealt with irregular bleeding quite a bit myself. Not sure if they all stem from the same thing, but ever since I cleared up my yeast infection—seriously, what a nightmare—it's been gone for six months now

and since you mentioned it, brightbadger69, it sounds like you're talking about E. coli... if you still have it, that could easily be the culprit. I was reading up on the symptoms earlier, and once I connected the dots with my own history, it all clicked

granitecrane332 said:This is certainly an intriguing topic to unpack... 1. Regarding gestational age, you typically won't see anything definitive on an ultrasound until the hCG levels cross that 1,000 mIU/mL threshold—which usually places you right around the six-week mark, or roughly 30 days after ovulation.
2. Furthermore, if you look at the fine print on almost any standard pregnancy test, the clinical recommendation is to wait until the day of your expected period; testing any earlier than that is often just guesswork and lacks real reliability.

3. I have to wonder: how long will it take to finally wrap this discussion up and reach a consensus? If I had to bet, I’d say we’ll have it all settled in two days tops.

could be twins

Based on everything you’re saying—and I mean everything—it sounds like you might be dealing with PCOS
When was your last OBGYN visit, and how often do you actually go?
Ever had your hormone levels checked?

I'm in the same boat—know a ton about this stuff, yet somehow feel totally clueless

A test can easily come back negative if you just did it too early

If you really think you're pregnant, you should get a blood test for beta hCG
You can go through your doctor or just pay out of pocket—you can usually get results in about $53

If that beta level is over 5, then yeah, we're talking pregnancy

Jamie Gonzalez said:It wasn’t even that the plus sign was particularly prominent—it was more that the vertical bar (|) was barely even discernible

People online say there’s no such thing as a false positive, and if you can see a line, it's a line

Think you'll retake the test?

In what way isn't the test making sense to you?

rapidrider3 said:I feel like I need to put this out there, just in case you haven't stumbled across it yet. For anyone constantly asking about symptoms, or those who are already freaking out because their stomach is bloating up a few days after hookups and... well, everything else... just look at this:

Speaking of which, I should probably mention what happened with my mom

She was dealing with massive nausea and had zero clue she was pregnant—even though she already had three grown kids

One night she noticed some discharge, like actual tissue, so she headed straight to her OBGYN the next day with it in hand
The doctor takes one look and tells her it’s fetal tissue, then suggests she might need a D&C
But then he checks again and goes, "Wait, the baby actually came back to life"😲😲

Guess she was carrying twins, and one passed away, only coming out once the other was already viable

That second baby—my younger sister—was stuck in a transverse position and wouldn't budge

In August, her water broke and she had to have a C-section—her first three births were all natural—because the baby stayed sideways, and she wouldn't let them try to turn her

She's all grown up now, bigger than me, and doing great

People say if it had been a boy, he wouldn't have made it—something about being born premature in the eighth month, I guess

Gerald Murphy53 said:In this country, women just seem to attract nothing but trouble. Let me tell you my story. I’m 33 years old and have two kids—my youngest is two and a half. Everything always seemed fine during my OBGYN appointments, though I frequently dealt with pain on my right side. For about the last year, I’ve been dealing with painful ovulations, or at least that's how I interpreted it. My cycle is usually pretty regular. However, my last two periods arrived early. In the third month, I actually got it a full week ahead of schedule, and the bleeding looked... suspicious. It was one of those gut feelings where you just know something isn't right. I went to see my doctor, and because he noticed my uterus looked a bit purplish and was tilted backward, he ordered an ultrasound. That's when he found some kind of fluid-filled cyst on my uterus, and told me I needed to get tumor markers checked. Well, the CA 125 marker came back at 137, when the normal limit is 35. I went back to him, but he wouldn't tell me anything! He didn't want to speculate or give me any clarity; he just told me I have to come back immediately after my next period ends and redo the marker test. Only then can he actually say something. This uncertainty is absolutely killing me. What is happening to me? I should start my period around the 25th. From what I've searched on Google, that marker is linked to ovarian cancer, but who knows what else it could be? He didn't even mention my ovaries to me. Does anyone know anything about this? Please, someone, comfort me... maybe it isn't cancer.

I don't think it has to be cancer necessarily
because those markers are just certain proteins (or other substances) that *can* indicate cancer, but they aren't enough for a diagnosis on their own—other conditions can mess with the levels too.

He probably sees that formation on the ovary via ultrasound (that "pocket") and based on the color and shape, he can judge if it's dangerous. It sounds like he thinks it's fine and is just waiting for your next cycle to clear things out before re-running the marker.

If he were sure it was something serious, wouldn't he have sent you for more tests already????

What do you mean your uterus is purple? I don't get that part.

Besides, even if it is something serious, it doesn't automatically mean cancer—it could be a benign growth.

Since you've been getting regular checkups and everything was fine, whatever this is probably isn't in an advanced stage. Listen, doc could have been a bit more communicative instead of leaving you hanging like this.

If you're not happy with his answers, go get a second opinion.

So, what actually caused the split?
What kind of drama pushed you guys apart—and is that stuff finally in the rearview, or is it still hanging between you?
Honestly, I think getting everything out in the open might help move past all these current feelings...

I did the same thing during my period, but honestly—it was a total emergency

Regarding Garlic—I heard about this girl who was using these Garlic capsules (suppositories), does anyone actually know anything about those things?

Sandra Morgan2 said:A friend once told me straight up: she didn't want kids. She said she couldn't even wrap her head around the idea, let alone the terrifying thought of someone growing inside her and stripping away all her freedom forever. Fast forward three months—she’s pregnant. The second she saw that positive result on the test, she transformed into a mother. Seriously, she’s one of the most nurturing moms I’ve ever met. It seems like those maternal instincts don't really kick in until you actually hold that baby for the first time... Before that, "motherhood" is often just this abstract concept we're told we need because it's what society expects from us.

Look, deciding whether or not to have children is entirely your call. If you don't want them, that is perfectly okay! Stick to your gut rather than bowing to social pressure. But, if you do find yourself pregnant, there's a huge chance your whole perspective will shift, and suddenly you won't be able to imagine life without that little bundle of joy...

I’ve read through almost this entire thread and I agree most with this post, especially the bolded part.

I'm 27, been married for three and a half years, and honestly, I haven't given much serious thought to kids until now—even though I always knew I wanted them eventually. I just wasn't ready, for a million different reasons... long story. And I was never one of those people who has to squeeze every baby they see; I'm just not built that way. But I always knew I’d want my own child someday, and I knew I'd love them for the right reasons—not to please others, but for myself and my own internal needs. I just hadn't felt ready yet...

As for those comments and questions that come out of nowhere—they're awkward and frankly rude,

And even now, I'm not 100% ready—though maybe you're never truly 100% ready—but I'm facing the reality that if I keep delaying, I might not be able to later on due to hypothyroidism, diabetes, PCOS, and HPV. All those medical factors basically acted as an accelerator for my decision to finally start trying soon.

Sure, I'm a little scared about how it'll all turn out, and I know having a kid is a massive responsibility, but seeing how many people less capable than me manage it gives me hope that I will too.

I think a lot of women have kids just because it's expected—because it's a reason to get married, an excuse to stay home, or a way to avoid facing the real world and competing in the workforce. For some, motherhood is a catch-all justification for everything, primarily their own inability to handle life.
Because of that, they elevate that stage of life above everything else—which makes sense, really, because if that "noble act" isn't viewed as being that high, then their whole sense of worth is threatened...
I used to exhaust myself trying to justify things to people like that—just trying to explain myself, because apparently, if they set the rules of the game, you're supposed to defend your moves. But thank God I've moved past that. I know I don't owe anyone an explanation, and I'll have kids when I want them, if I want them, and when I'm ready—and that's strictly between me and my partner, nobody else!

The older I get, the more certain I am that it's a good thing I didn't have a child sooner; I'm only just becoming a complete enough person to actually be a decent parent.

You should probably hit up an OB-GYN to see if they can prescribe something—maybe some hormonal stuff—to get things back on track.

I dealt with similar issues myself, and none of it had anything to do with being pregnant—never even been there.

But seriously, how much is actually coming back after you give birth?