Pregnant with OvulaRing despite irregular and prolonged cycles

Interview Q&A

Dear Anne, how does your personal journey to having children begin?

Today, I’m a mom of three children, ages 12, 9, and 3. Before my first pregnancy, I worked for 9 years at the birth control pill After stopping the pill, I didn’t have a period at all at first, and unfortunately, I had no idea what was going on with my cycle. My body had lost its balance.

It’s actually a miracle that I still got pregnant spontaneously. With my second child, two years later, the whole thing happened again. In that case, too, I didn’t have a period for six months after stopping the “birth control pill.” My anxiety grew. Do I even have a ovulation? When will my body regain its natural balance? I was lucky that I ended up getting pregnant spontaneously after my first menstrual cycle. However, even with my second child, I didn’t know what my cycle was like, nor when I was ovulating or my fertile days were actually.

What challenges did you face during your first pregnancy?

This lack of knowledge regarding the timing of my ovulation and, consequently, the time of conception led to problems, particularly during my pregnancy with my first child. The determined date of ovulation and the resulting calculated due date for the baby were, in fact, based solely on the doctors’ estimates. During the ultrasound scans carried out as part of antenatal care, the progress of the pregnancy is closely monitored. In particular, the health of the embryo and its development in terms of size and weight in relation to the calculated due date are checked and recorded on growth charts (percentiles). As the calculated due date and the size of my embryo did not match, my baby was, in the doctors’ eyes, too small and not developing optimally. I was very anxious throughout my pregnancy and worried a great deal about my baby. Especially during your first pregnancy, and without any personal experience to draw on, you can very quickly become unsettled; after all, you’re relying on what the doctors tell you. But I gave birth to a completely healthy and normally developed little girl! By the time I had my second child, I’d already learnt to trust my instincts and didn’t let myself get unsettled during the ultrasound scans.

You still have your “happiness curve” saved, right?

Yes, of course I saved you:

This is a screenshot of my account from the OvulaRing browser app from 2015, showing my ovulation date and the result of the pregnancy test.

How did OvulaRing help you during your third pregnancy?

When, a few years later, we decided we wanted another child, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so I started wearing the OvulaRing to determine when I was ovulating. By that point, I was already 37 years old. Thanks to OvulaRing, I finally discovered that I have irregular and also prolonged cycles. However, my cycles still involved regular ovulation. What a relief to finally have a clear picture of my own cycle health! I now knew what my cycle patterns were and that, with OvulaRing, I could reliably determine my ovulation dates, which often occurred later than expected. Thanks to this knowledge, we were much more relaxed even before my last pregnancy (despite my age).

Eventually, with the help of OvulaRing, I fell pregnant on day 28 of my cycle. My gynaecologist was grateful to know the exact – and, above all, accurately calculated – timing of my ovulation and entered the date directly into my maternity record. And lo and behold: my baby suddenly fell perfectly within the average range on every growth chart and developed right on schedule for the due date calculated by OvulaRing (here, all the app’s features are shown). No more anxiety or worry, no more uncertainties. I’ve never experienced such a wonderful and relaxed pregnancy! I’m very grateful for that.

Why was determining your due date so important to you?

Without the OvulaRing and knowing when I was ovulating, the following would likely have happened: The gynecologists would probably have estimated that I was ovulating around the 14th day of my cycle—but that would have been two weeks before my actual ovulation day! In that case, the embryo would have had to be significantly larger, since, in the doctors’ view, it would have been two weeks older. Consequently, the ultrasound would then suggest that the embryo is much too small. The uncertainty grows. Perhaps a miscarriage is still possible? The hCG levels would also have been far too low for this stage of pregnancy. The apparent conclusion: the early pregnancy is compromised! The embryo does not seem to fit the norm here, and the expectant parents quickly become deeply unsettled and are often left alone with their fears. This can also have consequences for prenatal diagnostics. For example, nuchal translucency measurements and other prenatal diagnostic procedures must be performed within specific weeks of pregnancy and may therefore not yield valid results. However, with knowledge of the exact time of ovulation, prenatal screenings can finally be performed with pinpoint accuracy. This helped me greatly during my last pregnancy. This helps avoid inaccurate test results that unnecessarily unsettle parents. This is particularly crucial in cases of early or very late ovulation. On the other hand, it also allows for the timely detection of any growth delays.

What advice would you give to women with longer cycles?

Even as the due date approaches, knowing the exact day of ovulation and using the OvulaRing’s built-in due date calculator is truly a blessing. Especially in cases of longer cycles with late ovulation, doctors often calculate the due date too early. As a result, it is not uncommon for pregnant women past the 40th week of pregnancy to be advised to undergo labor induction or even a cesarean section, since they appear to have already “gone past their due date.” In many cases involving delayed ovulation, however, the baby actually shouldn’t be born yet because the so-called gestation period isn’t over. Women can, however, be spared this and the many uncertainties that arise during prenatal care. And what can I say: In my case, our youngest daughter was born healthy and happy almost exactly on time—just one day after the calculated due date—thanks to OvulaRing.

Pregnancy can and should really be a time of happiness and anticipation. A wonderful, magical time to enjoy and look back on fondly. That’s finally how it was for me with our third child. I’m happy and grateful that I ultimately had such a beautiful a stress-free pregnancy and was able to experience the birth!