Spotting week before AF every month - anyone else?

[MrsPTTC]

Hi MrsPTTC,
I used to check my cervix but stopped now too. Even though I've had spotting for years its always a shock when I see it.
I can tell you how my spotting usually goes and sorry if its TMI. It starts off being a light beige colour and then it gets gradually darker until its a horrible brown colour. Usually its extremely light, I wouldn't describe it even as a very light AF. Very occasionally the spotting starts with quite a lot of red blood but then settles down to my usual pattern. Last month was different to any spotting I've had before. It developed to be quite heavy (like a light period) and had really bad cramps so it can differ quite a lot.
Soy can seem quite scary but so far have had no adverse reaction from taking it. Have you thought about acupuncture? xxx

Hmm I haven't really thought about the acupuncture, I remember you had a really bad time after your first session, but let me know how it goes and I'll have a think about it. How much does it cost btw? Sounds like my spotting is much lighter than yours, really it's just a funny colour CM, but it's still not normal is it?! I'm worried about this red spotting I've had too, very strange... Gonna give the AC a miss this month and see what happens, but continue with the Maca and Pregnacare. Good luck hun xx

 

[MrsPTTC]

Hi ladies, like a lot of you here, I'm glad I'm not the only one! The internet research I did before now was just driving me even more crazy. I also have been having issues spotting and we're TTC #1 after a miscarriage completed on 1/2011. Sorry for the TMI but it has been very very light, only in the pantyliner (sporadically) or while wiping and it's always a brown color (light to darker) with small clots sometimes. I started charting my basic spotting, time of ov and AF since my miscarriage. I initially thought the spotting was due to a ruptured cyst back in January, but it has continued since then as well. It was 6dpo last month and 4dpo this month (still waiting for AF and, it's 7dpo today) and continues until AF so it is really driving me crazy to spot for nearly two weeks and then bleed for AF for 6-7 days, even more so since we don't have sex during this time (which I also think might be effecting our chances).

I am so very confused since reading your stories it seems progesterone could help, but my LH is long at an average of 15 days. I feel really bad this month with the spotting, cramps, tired and a lot of bloating. Has anyone been through this? Any luck conceiving even with this early spotting? I go to the OB/GYN for it in 6 days, but I'm afraid they are just going to tell me it's nothing to worry about.

Hi Cosmos, well a fellow spotter on here got her BFP the other month so there is hope! I search the FF charts as well for spotting and there are some with BFP's which makes me feel better. This month was weird for me as I had brown spotting 6DPO and it's not normally that early, then red blood 8DPO then back to brown, but I've had lots of cramping and bloatedness, which of course you put down to IB even though you know deep down it's not! I don't normally get the cramps until the day before AF arrives... Good luck with your appointment x

 

[happyshopper]

Hi MrsPTTC, my spotting was rough last month but I was more stressed than usual which I think may have contributed. Acupuncture is a cumulative process so I will give it a few months to see if it has any affect. The first session was £35 but £25 for every session after that. Of course, I will let you know how it goes. I have also bought some maca and progesterone cream this month so hopefully I will find out soon whether they have any effect.
Good luck to you too xxx

 

[karithomp6774]

I normally spot anywhere from 3 to 6 days before AF. It usually starts off really light tan color and increases to a dark brownish red and then becomes full blown AF...But last month I found a couple spots of red blood in my underwear at 4dpo and 5dpo and nothing again until my usual spotting around 10dpo. I actually was excited thinking it was implantation. It wasn't-AF showed up right on time. I've never had spotting that early before and am wondering if it's from the AC. I've only been taking it for 2 months now. I have also been taking b-6 for the same amount of time but just switched to b-100 complex. So, I am not sure if AC is doing me any good or if it may actually making things worse...

 

[yum]

hello ladies, its been a while since i posted after my last rant !
welcome new spotters !
hope all had a good weekend !
sorry 4r the long post, just wanted to share my xperience !

my temps are up but just above CL & spiked the day i got my spotting
they fall below CL just the day b4r af .. my spoting starts off beige & can c wen i wipe then it increases on day 2 to brown( pantiliner) day 3 brown with little clots & 1 or 2 drops of blood in this time( TMI)..i always had bad cramps cd1 & mild pms wen spotting but my cd1 cramps got better to just mild after my procedure
this cycle was bad though, i had real bad cramps cd1 with 1 more xtra day of spotting( i think its 4rm BD though )..felt like ovary was gonna fall out 4r a couple of hrs..i hope its not b/c of bvits i'm also on RRL tea but i tuk it last cycle too but just a week b4r AF & had no cramps at all( a little ) but this cycle i tuk rrl 4r whole mnth
it was driving me nuts so stopped checkin cervix !
i'm scared abt AC too..heard can cause spotting..

happyshopper- h r u feeling after ur accu sessions now ? i thought of it too but xpensive @ 60-70 $ a session & insu wudn't cover ! r u planning on using prog & maca this mnth ? gud luck with everythin dear !

mrs pttc- sorry abt all the spotting ! i get real upset too wen i c mine
does ur early spotting has anythin to do with BD? i'm just saying b/c i sometimes get a little spotting after BD ! i got mine next day/2nd day/3rd day after BD if its a week b4r actual af & once or twice in middle of mnth ! so annoying ! dont feel like BDing during spoting as it got worse once !
its like i only have 10 day window a mnth for BD which is sometimes making my DH frustrated


gud luck to all !

 

[happyshopper]

Hi Yum, I think the acupuncture is gradually improving things. Although it hasn't done much yet to help the spotting, last month I had 5 day AF rather than a 2 day AF so I'm assuming my lining was much healthier. My acupuncturist is off for 2 weeks this month so I'm throwing everything in this cycle; soy iso, maca, progesterone cream, b-100 vitamins. I really hope it works and I get my Thanks for your words of support and good luck and lots of to you too xxx
Welcome Kari, you're not the only one who gets duped thinking its IB; its a cruel joke on all spotters. I tried AC last month and my spotting was worse too but I'm not sure it it was to blame. I have heard it can take a couple of months to take effect though. FX the b-vits improve things xxx

 

[cantwaitforu]

Hi Ladies!

I'm just dropping in to see how everyone is doing. I still stalk this discussion...hope you don't mind...I just hope that one of you uncover the mystery to spotting so we can put an end to it for everyone and you can all get your much deserved BFPs.

Sending loads of babydust to you always

xoxo

 

[Soili]

cantwaitforu, that scan picture is so precious!! It really is a perfect beanie!! I'm so glad to hear that everything is going well with you and the little one!

I don't have much to report myself. Still not ovulating and started spotting really early on. Last 3 cycles I would start at CD25-27 and this time I barely had one non-spotting week after the period. I'm not sure what to think about it just yet, I'm trying to kick all TTC related thoughts out of my heads as soon as they pop up. I'm getting pretty good at it, finally getting my life back It's quite amazing how much fun life is, when you manage to get yourself out of "why am I still not pregnant" misery LOL

 

[_Nell]

Hi all

Haven't been on here for a while due to holidays and I see we have some newbies to the thread too

Just trying to catch up with Q's asked, my spotting is like MrsPTTC's, starts as just very pale brown creamy CM and gets darker to a very dark brown more ewcm type consitency, it is almost always only there if i check internally (which i've now stopped as it's too depressing). Mine starts at around 6dpo but if i don't check internally then there's usually only the tiniest of bits there when i wipe.

I don't get bloated but I do often have a sort of sore stingy feeling in my abdomen and commonly a little right sided abdomen discomfort. This is only in my LP, except for this cycle where my abdomen has been tender pre O too
My temps don't drop in my LP and my actual AF is cramp and pain free.

Yum - I didn't mean to stress you out hunny, i'm sure your ovarian reserve will be fine. Yes ovarian reserve is how many eggs you have left. Your antral follicles show how many potential eggs you have that month (and the usually only one goes onto grow suffice to be dominant and released, the rest will fizzle out!). Your AMH as i understand it tests to look at how many antral follicles you have that month, but also the ones that are pre-antral so stored up for future months.
There is a bit of a divide on if low reserve also means poor quality or not. Many doctors think if you are young then low reserve likely means the few eggs you have left will still be good quality. The only way to find out would be IVF when they harvest your eggs that cycle and grade the quality of them. I think the measurement on your ultrasound was showing your follicle size - which was good.

Can't waitforU - glad to hear all is going well, love your ultrasound piccy of your little bean?

So, AFM....
Well my holiday was unexpectedly hard. It was a couples resort (booked pre discovering infertility) and I thought it might be good for me not to see babies for the week, but no, it seems pregnant women book into these sorts of places pre first baby. only 50 couples and 7 pg ladies . On top of that I found myself wondering about the other women, there were those older ladies who probably had kids left home and a few newlyweds but a lot of 30 somethings. Which were they? struggling with TTC like me? Chosen to not have kids? Or hoping there fertility was all ok and they had a few more years ahead before trying? It rained all week and I think i went more than a little lol.
I also found it hard to relax from my TTC regime and drink alcohol, I just couldn't shake the though that this might be harming my few remaining eggies. I have officially lost the plot
I'm a couple of days post O today so my spotting should be along shortly.

Babydust to all

 

[cantwaitforu]

Thanks Soili!

I'm sorry to hear about your ovulation issues, but glad to hear that you feel like you are getting your life back. TTC isn't fair. You were on the fence about some of the fertility testing - hsg - are you taking a break from all of it, or are you still considering having the tests done in the meantime?

Thank you Nell! It still doesn't seem real. What options has your doctor given you? I hope that you and your dh can find one that you are comfortable with and that works for you. I'm sorry for your vacation. That's really the last thing anyone ttc needs to see while trying to get it away from it. The thought of it is still very hurtful.

 

[Cosmos]

Wow, I'm still amazed by how many ladies have this problem. Especially after finding no help elsewhere on the internet and having doctors act like I'm the only one that has ever come to them with issues of spotting before.

Sorry to hear about your vacation Nell, that sounds really rough. I can't stand it when something you spend time and money on to help you feel better just makes things worse. ...I hope things get better for you though. TTC definitely is NOT FAIR and MC is even less so (been and going through both myself in the past 6 months). It is so hard to see all of these pregnant couples/people and new babies around you in stores and even within your family/personal relationships. Sometimes I wish there were a way to get away from it all!

As for my personal issue. I'm now on 11dpo, the spotting was much heavier in the PL from 4dpo-7dpo and now it's so spotting and light (barely even there) that I'm really confused and once again like a lot of you am praying it was/is IB, but am doubtful. Very confused and still looking forward to the Dr. apt. I have on Thursday. Good luck to you all!

 

[baddream13]

I'm back with more to report. This is month two of my "primal" diet (mostly meats and veggies, very little grains, very little sugars) and I haven't lost any more weight, but I was amazed to note that as of today I'm on day 24 of my cycle (10 dpo), and absolutely NO sign of spotting! This is highly unprecedented. I've been spotting at least 5 to 7 days before AF for the last 7 years or so. I had to double check my ovulation calendar just to make sure, and yep, I'm on day 24!

Try it ladies, change your diet! This diet I'm doing is all about regulating your insulin levels, and insulin GREATLY affects your hormone levels! You can fix this naturally!

 

[Soili]

cantwaitforu, I'm not doing HSG for the moment. I only was going to do it if insurance would cover it and they don't. In fact nothing that could be even distantly related to infertility is covered, so I will be canceling insurance as well

I think I'm disappointed in my doctor too. She MUST have had good reasons to suspect PCOS still back in July and she didn't tell me anything. I think the whole "try for a year no matter what" thing they have going on is complete bullshit. I would have at least appreciated the advise to watch my weight. Or to chart. No, in the end, it had to be me self-diagnosing and asking for hormone testing and deciding how I wanna do it. She just went, yep, ovaries look polycistic, do this test and that exam and we'll start inducing your ovaries. Ugh!!! And she kept telling that my mid-cycle spotting must have been the actual period. UGH again. Anyway, I'm going to think well if I wanna see her again or not.

 

[Soili]

_Nell, so sorry about the crappy holiday you had! I catch myself thinking that a lot when I see pregnant women or couples with kids or even just couples. Wondering if they got pregnant easily, or was it very long way, was it assisted, how they dealt with it. And if it's just couples, I wonder how it's going to be for them.

I also been finding it that I no longer wanna look in the direction of young kids or pregnant women. I used to look at little kids and admire how cute they are and how funny, all that ooh, aww stuff. That was back when I was thinking that one day I'd get one of those and how awesome it would be. Now I just don't want anything to do with it, period.

 

[Soili]

baddream13, I'm so glad to hear your new diet plan is working for you! I had to drop it myself, I just couldn't look at meat any more and I was really craving bread. Besides the weight loss stopped for me pretty quickly and I NEED to loose weight. I'm not insulin-resistant and I don't have gluten-intolerance, so I don't think it'd have been very beneficial for me anyway.

 

[happyshopper]

Hi Baddream,
I'm really encouraged by the positive results you have. I have a sneaking suspicion that my diet is contributing to my spotting; unfortunately I have a huge sweet tooth. Next cycle I will definately try the paleo diet unless I get a before then of course xxx

 

[yum]

cantwait4ru- the pic is so precious ! i'm so glad all is perfect dear!

soili- sorry abt everythin u r going thru ! i know how some docs just like to brush off everythin..they just keep saying its ok & don't really listen to us i had to push my doc 4r the hrmne tests ! i thought that wud be one of the first things they do wen u have men irregu ! i know wat u mean abt lukin @ babies...
so, u r no more on the diet !

happyshoper- its gud abt the 5 day af ! wen r u planning to srt the prog cream ? on 3dpo?

nell- oh, u din't stress me ! i have become a bit of compulsive worrier abt anything with my cycles i din't knew that abt the fsh..i was so worried abt prog & wen i saw otrs within limit i just thought gud ! nurse cald sayin my doc was on vacation & the otr doc said its gud !
thankyou 4r all the info dear !
i'm sorry abt the holiday i can understand how u felt !
wat happend @ ur cd1 u/s ? dont loose hope dear
i'm not just sayin this! now that u know whats goin on, u can take the next approp step who knows, u may just get that bfp this mnth !

SSBD!

 

[_Nell]

aww Yum thanks for asking I know exactly what you mean about worrying about everything with your cycle - me too. If not my spotting, then my lack of CM!

My ultrasound was ok I suppose. My big fibroid is actually a little smaller, 2.1cm (v's 2.6cm a few months previous). There were 4 more visible and a couple in the fundus part of the uterus where a pg would take place. But they all appear to be in the uterine wall so will liklely not be removed at my hysteroscopy in a few weeks time. My follicle count was surprisingly good, 14 on one ovary but only 3 on the other, in total better than i'd expected. The ovary with 3 was hard to see as it was behind my bowel but appeared shrunken it wasn't 2 months ago so hopefully it was just hidden and not actually shrivelled.
I also repeated my cd3 bloods and they are still within normal range, a touch high for my age but 'ok' (FSH 7.2 ,LH 6.6 and E2 50)
However my doctor says all of this is a little irrelevant as my AMH test is the most important and accurate and that shows i have poor ovarian reserve.

I'm wondering about a re-test of my amh tbh, i know that sounds like i'm in denial but surely there can be lab error from time to time. clutching at strwas i know

 

[happyshopper]

cantwait4ru- the pic is so precious ! i'm so glad all is perfect dear!

soili- sorry abt everythin u r going thru ! i know how some docs just like to brush off everythin..they just keep saying its ok & don't really listen to us i had to push my doc 4r the hrmne tests ! i thought that wud be one of the first things they do wen u have men irregu ! i know wat u mean abt lukin @ babies...
so, u r no more on the diet !

happyshoper- its gud abt the 5 day af ! wen r u planning to srt the prog cream ? on 3dpo?

nell- oh, u din't stress me ! i have become a bit of compulsive worrier abt anything with my cycles i din't knew that abt the fsh..i was so worried abt prog & wen i saw otrs within limit i just thought gud ! nurse cald sayin my doc was on vacation & the otr doc said its gud !
thankyou 4r all the info dear !
i'm sorry abt the holiday i can understand how u felt !
wat happend @ ur cd1 u/s ? dont loose hope dear
i'm not just sayin this! now that u know whats goin on, u can take the next approp step who knows, u may just get that bfp this mnth !

SSBD!

Yes I'm a slow riser so I want to make sure I've ovulated. Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot I had it-so many potions and pills to take its hard to keep track xxx

 

[Soili]

yum, oh no, still dieting! I need to drop another 9kg to get back to the weight when I ovulated, to find out if it's really just weight issue for me. I'm just not doing the Primal Blueprint anymore.