Is It Possible to Not Ovulate for 40 Days Straight?

Updated on February 09, 2011
S.S. asks from Petaluma, CA
18 answers

I used two 20 day ovulation kits consecutively and not one indicated positive. My periods have been off since September so I am trying to figure out what might be happening. I know stress can be a factor but really! Is it possible to not ovulate in that period of time? We are looking to start trying for our second child and I am completely frustrated! If anyone has experienced something similar, I would love to hear from you. Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the information ladies. I ended up going to my doctor this week. He has asked me to chart my cycle for the next 6 months to see what is really going on (he said I do NOT have PCOS!). In addition, I will work on losing about 15 pounds and exercising at least 3x a week.

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

I went for 7 months straight w/out ovulating. It's part of my medical condition that was made much worse from a whole lot of stress I was going through. It is absolutely possible you can go for 40 days straight.

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M.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Absolutley! I went months without ovulating due to stress and weight. Once, I lost the weight and started ovulating again (hello baby number two-not planned) and once the doctor gave me meds to 'restart' my system.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

Get the book http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Reprod... which describes in great detail how to take and chart your basal temp in order to know exactly where you are in your cycle and what is happening with your body. They call it Fertility Awareness Planning or FAM and can be used to perfectly time intercourse for conception (or avoiding conception but only if you are very regular). I used to have cycles anywhere from 24 - 36 days and now after kids they are 21-45 days with the occasional time where I totally skip a cycle. I am 50 now and hope that soon they will be so far apart that the next one never comes! Don't waste time on OTC gimmicks, but use this book to get to know your body signs from temps to fluids (I like that she despises the word discharge since the fluids are nature's way of cleaning you up) to the position of your uterus and the size of the opening of the uterus (os). I read it ages ago and will pass this info on to my daughters or perhaps just buy them each a copy when they are older.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

Yes. What is your age? I only ask, because that can be a factor. I have not experienced this personally, but my sister's body when completely out of whack after a miscarriage, and she only ovulated twice in a year. She went and had a complete workup done and she had thyroid, adrenal gland, and progesterone issues. Once they got all that worked out she started ovulating again.

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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Oh yes. I dont get my periods regularly, never have. (I simply could not understand before and am in awe now that women can know what day their period is gonna start (heck, knowing what WEEK would be lovely!) and even decide when to get pregnant!

I found out I have PCOS only after hearing a friend also had this and noticing our tendencies/patterns were the same (mostly, irregular periods.) Since Aug of '98 I have only gotten pregnant one time.

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

Sounds like the same problem I had. have your OB test your progesterone levels.

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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

.

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T.R.

answers from Orlando on

The older you get, the less frequent you may ovulate. Meaning; you will always get your period, but not necessarily release an egg every month. This is normal. Just keep trying, be patient, you will ovulate :)

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S.B.

answers from Chicago on

Yes, it's possible. Some women do not ovulate every month. You should see your doctor and tell her/him your concerns. Worrying and stressing about it and trying to self-diagnose is not helping. Your doc can run tests and let you know what's going on. My sister (she's 28) was trying to get pregnant for awhile and it wasn't happening on it's own. She ended up on Clomid for two cycles, and she is due this month with my neice! She wasn't ovulating regularly, and the meds helped get that going again. Not saying you will need medication, but I think it's best to get your doctor's opinion on this. Good luck to you!

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A.S.

answers from San Diego on

Yes it is possible, I didn't ovulate for 50 days and I think that stress has something to do with it. I went to an acupuncturist and my period started the next day. I also think that the acupuncture treatments helped me get regulated and fertile for my pregnancy. I went throughout my pregnancy and didn't have food cravings or aversions, swelling, nausea. Try to see an acupuncturist. I loved it, and still do.

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H.C.

answers from Dallas on

Very possible. Read up on PCOS, sounds like you have it (I do too and lots and lots of others too) Give Vitex fruit (an herbal supplement) a try. Its inexpensive $4-5 and helps tremendously with your cycle and ovulating. PM if you have any other questions.

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

This may be a silly question, but are you using the kits correctly? You could get a "false negative" (so to speak) if you are using your first morning pee or not holding your pee for four hours. I've also heard that some women do not produce enough of the hormone needed to get a positive.
It is possible you are not ovulating and I agree temping is a great way to find out. I also agree that Taking Charge of your Fertility is a GREAT book. I think every girl should be given the book when they hit puberty, I learned so much about what my body does each cycle.

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A.F.

answers from Raleigh on

Yes, it is possible. I have had 60+ day cycles due to stress and being away from home. We use the fertility awarenes method to determine ovulation by checking waking temperature and cervical fluid. Once I got the hang of it, I know the exact day I will ovulate. Great book: Taking charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler which describes in detail how to use the method. Blessings to you as you seek to add to your family! :)

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E.C.

answers from San Francisco on

yes it's possible to go that long without ovulating and it's also possible for the test to be wrong (I conceived despite a boatload of negative results from a couple ovulation kits - and I worked in pharmaceutical quality control labs for several years so I'm pretty sure I was using and reading the tests correctly!).

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Oh yeah. I've often gone 3-6mo without having a period.

There can be many causes... the 2 most common are stress & dieting. Being preggers is reeeeally h*** o* your body (the baby is something of a parasite, and it gets first dibs on all the nutrition / saps your strength/ etc.) so your reproductive system shuts off in order to protect you from getting pregnant during periods of low food supplies (dieting and famine look the same to our bodies no matter how much our minds know differently), or stress which used to equal life threatening situations, and now just tends to be daily life.

Other common causes are hormonal imbalances (sooooo many causes for that), anemia (multiple causes), PCOS, amongst a handful of others... as well as about 20+ uncommon causes.

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

In my 30s, I wasn't ovulating for months at a time, so it is possible.

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C.W.

answers from Washington DC on

you can go months without ovulating. My doc gave me a one week course of Provera when we were trying to conceive our first. It was supposed to start up ovulation. I guess it worked because I got pregnant the next month. Good luck. Check with your doc if you are worried.

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S.J.

answers from San Francisco on

I've gone years without. Then I must have at just the right moment and concieved my daughter after 12 yrs of marriage and 7 convinced that we couldn't. My husband purchased a miata and we had decided to be content as a couple - I started a new job I loved, an excercise program and was finally over no kids. Relax and stop concentrating on the issue (hard, I know it took me years) and you'll probablly have better luck

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