Survey re: ovulation / menstruation

This topic came up in another post, but I would like to address it head-on.

Females among us:

Do you have a period? Is it regular?

Do you ovulate? How do you know - temperature charts, observations of mucus, "just a feeling," etc. -? (Note: having a period does not mean you are ovulating)

Have you gotten pregnant while eating any variation of a raw or low-fat diet?

This is very important to me, as we would like to have children in the near future and I have not had a period in over a year - coincidentally (?) since I started eating high raw. I didn't start with LFRV, and at first I was undereating and lost a fair amount of weight. I've gained some back, but maybe not enough. It's been about 5 months now since I started gaining weight back.

I am almost positive I am not ovulating, because I think I would have gotten pregnant by now if so. I should chart my cycles more regularly, but I stopped doing it after a couple of months with no changes in temp or mucus.

So - I would be very grateful to you for sharing your experience! Please share, no matter how long you've been raw / 811.

Thank you!

Tags: infertility, menstruation, ovulation

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Permalink Reply by Julie on July 31, 2010 at 5:54am

in the beginning i didn't get a period for almost 10 months! i don't know if i was ovulating or not. i was also about 10-15 lbs. thinner and was not eating the same amount of food i am now.

now i get them pretty regularly. give it time, i think it takes about a year or so for the body to regulate itsef.

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Permalink Reply by Sara on July 31, 2010 at 6:12am

That is good to hear, thank you. I do believe things will sort out eventually. Eating this way makes me feel wonderful, and I do not want to change it!

Just lately I've been feeling some doubts, and feeling impatient because I want so much to have children. In fact, part of that is BECAUSE my life has become so amazing. I have so much energy and love that I want to share! Thanks again for the reassurance Julie =) Our bodies are very mysterious and fascinating.

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Permalink Reply by Sara on July 31, 2010 at 6:51am

As much as I want to see it for reassurance, it IS great not bleeding every month, isn't it? HIGH FIVE!

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Permalink Reply by Tarah @ 40 Below Fruity on July 31, 2010 at 7:32am

I've been lfrv for 4 months, and last month my period did not come. I was not pregnant and it returned again this month, much lighter and lasted only 3 days.

I would assume i'm ovulating, though I feel no difference at all during any time of the month.

I have not gotten pregnant, as I take measures to assure that I do not get pregnant.

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Permalink Reply by Sara on August 26, 2010 at 2:24am

Just a BUMP because I was hoping for more responses to this.

I am reading Female Fertility and the Bodyfat Connection by Rose Frisch righ now. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I think she says 22% bodyfat is necessary for ovulation, which Dr. Graham categorizes as "overfat" in the 80-10-10 book. I think this is a very important question, because if your hormones and fertility are not functioning correctly, how can you say that you are truly healthy?

So, do you know what % body fat do you have? After I read the whole book I'll probably post another discussion about this.

Thanks everybody! Everyone around me seems to be pregnant and it is making me sad.

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Permalink Reply by PK on August 26, 2010 at 3:02am

I wish you all the best and may Mother Nature give you a happy and healthy child.

This is an interesting article on the hypothesis of do women really need to have periods. In nature, mammals ovulate like we do. But when they eat the foods natural to them, the do not have periods. As our bodies become more pure, we have less detoxing to do, and less needs for periods.

http://www.giveittomeraw.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1407416%3ABlogPo...

If you do not get your period, do not worry about it. What you need to find out is if you are ovulating. A doctor might be able to run more in depth urine and blood tests to find out. (Hate to say it, but occasionaly the problem lies with Daddy.)

About me:
Before lfrv, got my period every 28 days. After lfrv, every 6 to 8 weeks and a little lighter. YEA! I believe I still ovulate about 2 weeks after the start of my period, and I can tell by an increase in discharge. It lasts about 1 day, then back to normal. I have not gotten pregnant on LFRV as I am done with my babes, have two boys, 13 and 12.

In Peace, PK

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Permalink Reply by Sara on August 26, 2010 at 5:22am

Thanks for the article and your kind wishes, PK. That article includes a more detailed explanation of why menstruation may not be necessary than others I have read. I am not totally convinced that our bodies can reabsorb the endometrial lining rather than shedding it in menstruation, and I think that it must be quite easy to mistake amenorrhea due to low body fat for amenorrhea due to "purity" (or whatever you want to call it).

That's why it seems so important to me that we know how to tell if we are ovulating or not. You don't actually need a blood test or anything to find out, you can just monitor your basal temperature and vaginal fluids over the course of a month.

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Permalink Reply by kat green on August 26, 2010 at 5:56am

no period or pms for me :)
however, the two times i have eaten cooked while raw vegan caused me to bleed.

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Permalink Reply by Arrow on August 26, 2010 at 6:33am

Have you gotten pregnant while eating any variation of a raw or low-fat diet?

Yes. My case is somewhat unusual and you would have to know my whole history to fully understand.

But yes. My son was considered a "miracle baby". But was he really?

I had ovarian cancer when I was in my early 20's. Long story short...I went in for surgery had cysts, tumors, appendicts removed and had entire intestines scrapped to remove fibrous tissues...was suppose to have a hysterectomy but Dr. listened to me and held off. After surgery..and 6 months of recovery..I had refused chemo and drugs and all that....I had had a "vision of sorts" and the message was ...You wont survive if you dont go back to nature. At the time I went to herbal medicene and treated myself with a lot of herbs and fasting. It worked to a degree...but in time I had to have the right one removed and that was again confirmed as Ovarian Cancer...with Endeometriosis...which I battled for YEARS. Only one ovary..and one tube that was so scarred I was told I would never get pregnant... Lots of stuff. At 35 I was told I was in menopause...and yep...hot flashes..no periods..ect....gained weight.. At 38 I got real healthy. I was active in sports..every day..all the time..and I became a vegetarian...a low fat vegetarian.... I counted every morsel and kept my percentage of fat to 10% fat. At 39, with only one ovary, and a tube that was supposably not working....and without even having a period....the biggest SHOCK of my life...I became pregnant (and fell off my low fat wagan..argghhh! if only I had known about 811 and FRUIT). Anyway...that little bundle of joy...ha! is a teen now :)

So..exersise and LOW FAT is key. No miracle about it ...really!

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Permalink Reply by Sara on August 26, 2010 at 7:10am

Wow! That is definitely a unique and inspiring story. I think it shows how complex and unpredictable our fertility truly is. Thank you Arrow!

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Permalink Reply by Ki on September 8, 2010 at 4:20am

Do you have a period? Is it regular?
No, I have not had a menstrual cycle for 4 months now, since going high raw 70-80%. I still eat low fat cooked vegan with lots of vegetables.

Do you ovulate? How do you know - temperature charts, observations of mucus, "just a feeling," etc. -? (Note: having a period does not mean you are ovulating)
I believe I ovulated 3 times over the past four months, with no bleeding. I felt my uterus drop and experienced an increase of discharge.

Have you gotten pregnant while eating any variation of a raw or low-fat diet?
No, I haven't been trying to.