I have been beating myself up about this for many months.  I have heard through many an infertility/miscarriage forum that having a longer cycle with late ovulation is a sign of poor or diminished egg quality.  Ever since going off the pill a little over a year ago, my cycles have been anywhere from 35 days (first 2 cycles off the pill) to 41 days (in cycles following miscarriage).  I verbalized my concerns to my RE who tried, unsuccessfully, to put my mind at ease by saying that a late ovulation does not automatically equal poor egg quality.

A few days ago, a girl in one of the miscarriage forums posted an article that she had found that completely refuted the theory of long cycles/late ovulation = bad eggs.  A gentleman by the name of Dr. Thomas Hannam posted an article with the exact opposite theory.  In his article he stated, "Delayed ovulation -day 13 or later- is not a sign of egg quality concerns; in fact, it is more commonly a sign of an excess ovarian reserve, generally a good thing."  Now compare that statement to something that I just found on BabyMed.com, "Delayed ovulation may be a sign of poor egg quality."  Another blurb on StorkNet.com, made by Dr. Sam Thatcher states, "The average cycle length is 28-29 days. The farther one deviates from the norm the greater the likelihood of poor egg quality, lack of ovulation. Delayed ovulation is also associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. The rate of infertility is very high when cycles are over 35 days and I do not even recommend testing for ovulation, just progressing with therapy. At 32-34 days you may be somewhat borderline for normal ovarian function."  Ok really?  Wow.  This doctor doesn't even want to give a longer cycle a chance at having a natural successful pregnancy.  Now I am thoroughly confused.

Back to Dr. Hannam, I read his biography and he seems legit.  He runs a large fertility clinic in Toronto, Canada and looks to be quite successful in his practice, judging by the patient testimonials.  I am wondering where he got his information though and how medical professionals could have such differing opinions on this subject.  I would love to speak with him and pick his brain about this.

A few other major points from his article that intrigued me:

-Earlier ovulation (days 8,9,10) can be a sign of lower egg quality especially if you once had a normal ovulation day and now your ovulation day is consistently earlier. 
-Spotting ahead of your period can be a sign of poor egg quality.  Apparently lower quality follicles are associated with less progesterone production.
-Shortened cycles can be a sign of poor or failing egg quality.

Ok so reading the article by Dr. Hannam, I would not think that my cycle length/ovulation days are an issue.  If you Google late ovulation and poor egg quality you get a million hits.  If you Google late ovulation and good egg quality you get  the Dr. Hannam article along with a bizillion other articles about late ovulation and poor egg quality.  What gives?  Am I doomed or blessed?  I posted a question to his blog about my situation.  I'll report back if I get a response.

References:
How your menstrual cycle reflects your egg quality: http://www.fertility.ca/2008/06/how-your-menstrual-cycle-reflects-your-egg-quality/

Long Cycles and Delayed Ovulation: http://www.babymed.com/menstrual-period/long-cycles-and-delayed-ovulation

Delayed Ovulation: http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/infertility/exst19.htm

Anyone that uses Fertility Friend (FF) knows that it can be very nerve wracking to wait for cross-hairs to be added to your chart (a line that shows you when you ovulated and what your coverline is).  When you are TTC the stakes are high because perfectly timed BD is so important.  Finding out when you ovulated after you ovulated makes things even more difficult!  When you aren't actively TTC, it pretty much sucks waiting for cross-hairs.  The only thing I have to look forward to is AF.  Booooo!

For the past several months I have been using a combination of OPKs, daily 4:30 AM BBT readings, CM checking, etc.  The combination of these tools has been obviously pretty effective in telling me when I ovulate.  The problem for me is not determining ovulation, but the waiting.  Since my cycles are anywhere from 35-41 days I have to wait until around day 27 to ovulate.  Most people get AF on day 28.  How annoying.  Then I have to wait around 11-12 days to get AF. So I have a long cycle, late ovulation, and a short luteal phase.  I am constantly wondering if this has been a factor in my M/C.  :(

This month (my post M/C D&C cycle) I got a positive OPK on day 25, a big temp dip the next day, followed by 2 days of higher temps.  I am hoping for a higher temp tomorrow so that FF will give me cross-hairs on the 26 and I can move on to my next cycle.  I am actually surprised that I got a positive OPK as normal this cycle since I was getting positive PG tests 2 weeks after surgery.  I guess I'll have more news tomorrow.

On a side note, I am so happy to hear that Giuliana Rancic is going to be a mom in a few months!  I have been following her story for a while.  She has amazing courage to be able to smile and be positive after dealing with infertility, miscarriage, and cancer.  She helps me to think more positively in my own life and stop feeling like a victim.  Yay Giuliana!!