Confused about ovulation tracker

[bernie40]

Hello ladies, please can you help, I don't know if I'm being dense or not!  My ovulation tracker has me at 10days DPO.  Now I always thought the TWW was the last 14 days of your cycle with AF due either on or day after the last day of the TWW.  If this is the case then the tracker is saying that AF is due on the 5th October which is a whole 4 days before it is really due (I have a 24 day cycle most months).  So it's 4 days out???  Am I missing something here?

[bernie40]

Thanks Bridgette, it's funny what we assume until we need to know more :-/  thank goodness for this forum! xx

[bam1014]

Like Jenni said the 14 days is just a guidline for the "average" woman.  It should generally run between 10-16 days.  If it's short like 10 days, they say you can have a luteal phase defect and will probably treat with progesterone.

On the other hand the start of your cycle, the follicular phase, has no ryme or reason.  It can be really short or really really supper long (like with women with PCOS).  It can be affected by stress or sickness.  Your TWW should always stay a fairly consistent length with a day or two.

If you haven't already, pick up the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.  I can't recommned it enough times and should be the "bible" for any woman who is TTC =)

[bernie40]

Thank you Jenni, that's explained it, lol.  I was getting so confused, I kind of thought the 14 days was set in stone but had wondered about how it worked with people having different length cycles etc.  Thank you so much xx

[Jenni1187]

The tww is not always 14 days. It's different for every women just like the cycle length and ovulation day is different for everyone. The "average women" has a 28 day cycle, with ovulation being right in the middle on CD 14. So that's why they call it the tww. It's also refered to as your luteal phase. And generally, your tww/luteal phase will always be the same number of days. For example, my tww is really only 11 or 12 days. I usually ovulate on CD 11 so I know to expect AF 12 days after CD 11 (CD 23). But if I ovulate later (this cycle I didn't ovulate until CD 13), then I expect AF to arrive 12 days after CD 13 (CD 25). So if you usually see AF 18 days after you ovulate, then you have more than just two weeks worth of waiting. But a long luteal phase (tww) is better for implantation too. Hope that helped!!