Ewcm, spotting but -opk??

[Lisa2701]

Hi ladies,

I am currently on my second cycle of TTC. I previously TTC for 3 years unsuccessfully and took a year out to lose weight (lost 150lbs). So we have decided its time to start TTC again which was a tough thing for me as I am so scared of history repeating however last cycle went so well, I ovulated cd 12 and had a 12 day LP, I was pretty delighted that it all seemed pretty normal which is very unusual for me. So I am now on CD18 and have had no +OPKs so far! some very close over the last couple of days but nothing definite. Been feeling a bit down today about it all as it feels a bit like history repeating itself with regards to not ovulating when I should be, cycles being longer and irregular etc however I noticed a little bit of spotting earlier and thought little of it, but just went to the toilet and there was red blood in EWCM, not sure if this is likely to be AF, is it possible to get ovulation spotting before ov, or am I just spotting for the sake of spotting? Anyone else had anything similar or any idea what could be going on?

 

[Lisa2701]

Anyone any ideas? I've had no more spotting so I don't think it's AF.

 

[k4th]

OV spotting happens when a bit of bleeding happens with the release of a follicle so it's highly unlikely you'd get ov spotting before ov. It's possible that you missed your positive opk but caught the rise & fall of the surge - when were those opks? Would that fit with ov?

The other possibility is a cyst. I have pcos and get occasional spotting from a cyst - cysts can release oestrogen too so could lead to ewcm. This is much less likely that ov though!!

Do you temp? That's the only way you could reliably say whether ov has actually happened. I temp and it really helps me to see where I am in my irregular cycles.

 

[Lisa2701]

I guess missing the surge is possible however I've been testing since CD9 about 3 times a day lol. Been getting close positives for several days now and in fact just got one 5 minutes ago (earlier this afternoon there was more or less nothing). I'm really not sure what's going on. I was tested for PCOS a couple of times a couple of years back when we were TTC back then but showed no signs of it. Haven't been temping this time (so far) as I'm trying to stay a bit more relaxed about it. TTC previously took over my life and I'm just trying to stay more grounded this time round. DH and I have had a pretty healthy sex life this month so if I've ovulated and missed it I'll be covered anyways. Just getting frustrated not knowing what's going on with my body. Last month was so simple, cd12 +opk and then cd13 +opks and a really bad ovulation pains, so it was so obvious when things were happening. I'm just not sure why I was spotting yesterday if I haven't ovulated and it's frustrating me not knowing what's happening.

 

[k4th]

Unpredictable cycles suck.

Lots of positive opks could be a sign of a cyst. If it carries on I'd probably visit a doctor & play up mid cycle bleeding. Lots may ignore the opks but probably won't ignore unusual bleeding. Not trying to scare you into thinking you have a cyst - it's just if you're aware of it as a possibility you might get it sorted faster ( if it's even there).

I know what you mean about getting obsessed. I stopped Bnb for a while & today I'm back to checking regularly - it's a bit obsessive!!! I do think temping is helpful if you want to know where you are in a cycle though. Especially for those of us with irregular patterns.

Good luck hun - really hope you're ov-ing!

 

[Lisa2701]

The opks haven't quite been positive though, just close to and I've had plenty which were clearly negative like this afternoon. Last cycle I got a very clear positive and a smiley face on a cb digi, this cycle no smiley face and no clear positive so I'm assuming i haven't ovulated yet, so the spotting is a mystery. Only happened yesterday though. Hopefully I've ovulated and just missed it. Like I said I'm sure we will be covered if I have. Will continue to test with opks until I get a positive or AF gets me. I may start temping in a cycle or two if we have no joy but for now I am trying not to become too obsessive. Thanks for the advice Hun

 

[Lisa2701]

Guess what.... Got a +opk tonight! Wasn't expecting anything so I hadn't kept my "sample" to be able to confirm with a cb digi but I'll take a digi tomorrow to double check I'll keep you posted

 

[k4th]

 

[Lisa2701]

I'm so confused. Digi days no, IC looks positive. And I've had EWVM tinged with blood again

 

[k4th]

I think the IC looks almost positive but it's not quite there yet. The bottom line has to be as dark or darker than the control line. Your looks a little fainter. Keep testing though - maybe your surge is rising? Fx'd!