Question:

I am 18 years old and my biggest fear is not being able to become pregnant. I have been on and off birth control since I was 13 and have been off for about 4 months. I have always had an irregular menstrual cycle where it normally comes later than 28 days apart (with no in-between bleeding) and it is hard to tell when I am ovulating. I am terrified at the thought of being infertile and I am in desperate need of some answers. Please give me any information possible.

Answer:

A normal menstrual cycle should have a regular interval and may vary for each women.  However, it should not be shorter than 21 days, and should not be longer than 35 days.  If you fall outside of these ranges, you may not be ovulating regularly.  If you wish to conceive now, I would suggest that you contact your physician for an evaluation; he/she will also likely talk to you about medication which can help you to ovulate.  If you are interesting in becoming pregnant at some point in the future, your physician will likely talk to you about regulating your cycle with hormones (i.e. such as birth control pills). 

For more information:

Go to the Infertility health topic.