Spotting week before AF every month - anyone else?

[Buninmyoven]

Trela: My gyn said that it might be a dysbalance between progesterone and oestrogen, so even if progesterone is high, what is important is the ratio between them. Or as I was tested 7dpo and normally start spotting around 9dpo, it might just be dropping early. Well as I said it only helped me when I was taking it vaginally. Still don't know why I started spotting mid cycle, but should hopefully get answers on my next exam in April. My husband had 2 sperm analysis 6 months apart and they were ok, so I don't think that the infections had any detrimental effects on it. How far in your pregnancy are you?

Buninmyoven: I am very sorry to hear your last cycle wasn't successful. For me it has been 7 months since my miscarriage, however the first 2 cycles i didn't ovulate due to hcg in my body, so in reality it has been 5 months but it is dragging and I am nowhere near 2 years like you, it must be very hard. My due date was a couple of weeks ago and as you do I was hoping to be pregnant by then but it didn't happen. How long did it take you to conceive before? Has your partner had a sperm analysis recently?

Nelttc: I was presribed 100mg 3dly

Pampas: Sorry for your chemical, maybe your body was just a bit out of whack after the chemical pregnancy and it might have been a coincidence that it disappeared after the hsg. Well hopefully it won't come back and you will be pregnant soon.

Hi DrCo,

I've been taking progesterone and it has helped the spotting but I think it's masking a deeper issue. I've been taking progesterone and Clomid (even though I ovulate) for months and neither has helped. It took me 10 months to conceive before and that was only after the spotting improved vastly after I started taking mega high doses of vitamin B. I tried that again after my miscarriage and it had no effect. I think the first pregnancy was a fluke. My DH had a sperm test after our miscarriage 2 yrs ago and that was fine but I'm going to push for another one. I am also considering asking if I can have an AMH (egg reserve) test done; although I am terrified of the results. This is really starting to get to me now. We've just had a letter from our local funding authority to say we won't be given funding for another year by which time I will be 35. I feel so low about the whole thing. The last year has been particularly bad I just don't know how I am going to cope with another year of this?

 

[DrCo]

Hi DrCo,

I've been taking progesterone and it has helped the spotting but I think it's masking a deeper issue. I've been taking progesterone and Clomid (even though I ovulate) for months and neither has helped. It took me 10 months to conceive before and that was only after the spotting improved vastly after I started taking mega high doses of vitamin B. I tried that again after my miscarriage and it had no effect. I think the first pregnancy was a fluke. My DH had a sperm test after our miscarriage 2 yrs ago and that was fine but I'm going to push for another one. I am also considering asking if I can have an AMH (egg reserve) test done; although I am terrified of the results. This is really starting to get to me now. We've just had a letter from our local funding authority to say we won't be given funding for another year by which time I will be 35. I feel so low about the whole thing. The last year has been particularly bad I just don't know how I am going to cope with another year of this?

It is so unfair that NHS starts counting from your miscarriage like it was a successful pregnancy. They should definitely let you get the sperm analysis if it has been 2 years, so much can have changed. Trela mentioned here in one of the posts that her husband had 0% morphology but later she got pregnant. Make sure though you get a print off. You don't have to be a doctor to work out if the figures fall in the normal range. Lots of times they can tell you at the gp that everything is ok, but they do not check that properly or make a mistake.
When my husband had his first one they said all was ok and i got pregnant the next month, but when I had the miscarriage I requested the results and all figures seemed to be ok, however one was missing (it said n/a which can either be not applicable or not available) and the conclusion was: one or two parameters are no within the limits and fertility may be impaired. So I pushed for a second one and the result said good fertility, but when checking each figure, two of them didn't add up (concentration in the specimen and per millilitre)... I mean they are absolutely useless in the lab so is the gp - they got 2 out of 2 test wrong! After my complaint they chased the lab up and they corrected the numbers so it looks like the fertility is ok, but I do not trust them any more!
Do you think you could get the ivf earlier if the sperm analysis was bad?

 

[trela]

Just a quick update from me. We got a letter from our local CCG today saying we have to wait another YEAR for NHS funding for IVF because of our early miscarriage two years ago. We are devastated. If I wait another year I will be 35 by the time I have the damn IVF. I've looked at the online stats. Under 35 years old and the success rate at my local clinic is 32%. Age 35 to 37 the success rates are only 27% so waiting another year really affects our chances; not that the CCG cares about that of course. I found out that if you have been diagnosed as unexplained and been ttc 2 years, you only have a 1% chance of getting of getting pregnant in year 3. So basically this is blatant rationing of funding. I've never asked for any help before and the one time I do I'm told to go away and come back a year later when my chances will be a lot lower. So basically if in the unlikely event I do get pregnant before then, I will not be telling any doctor or GP until I have reached at least the 20 week mark. I'm really at a loss as to what to do. I don't know how I will cope another year of this I feel so depressed about the whole thing

This is so upseting!it sucks to see that the systems in every country has so many problems...here in greece ivf may be cheaper i think around 3000-6000 dollars but the government if they approve your case they give you around 400 dollars only for some medicine...!!!
I know many families who have lost their life's savings to go through this process even 5 times!
It is very upseting...
As mentioned previously, my husbands morphology with the ecoli infection was 0 % and of course there can be no pregnancy with 0% ....after taking antibiotics (at the same time as me so that we dont pass ecoli to each other and i suffered from uti in the past thats the reason we already had it) it went to 15% and i think he had the same percentange around the time i got pregnant cause we rechecked every month if the antibiotics had worked and if the morphology was rising...
If you check the sperm go for the full analysis i dont know how the system works there, but here the sperm analysis is divided to two sectors ...the one that check mobility morphology etc and the one that check for infections and if you dont request for the second one you might see a low morphology and never know the reason!!!!

 

[Gobolino]

Just a quick update from me. We got a letter from our local CCG today saying we have to wait another YEAR for NHS funding for IVF because of our early miscarriage two years ago. We are devastated. If I wait another year I will be 35 by the time I have the damn IVF. I've looked at the online stats. Under 35 years old and the success rate at my local clinic is 32%. Age 35 to 37 the success rates are only 27% so waiting another year really affects our chances; not that the CCG cares about that of course. I found out that if you have been diagnosed as unexplained and been ttc 2 years, you only have a 1% chance of getting of getting pregnant in year 3. So basically this is blatant rationing of funding. I've never asked for any help before and the one time I do I'm told to go away and come back a year later when my chances will be a lot lower. So basically if in the unlikely event I do get pregnant before then, I will not be telling any doctor or GP until I have reached at least the 20 week mark. I'm really at a loss as to what to do. I don't know how I will cope another year of this I feel so depressed about the whole thing

I'm so sorry to hear your news Bun..... This really shouldn't be this way. So sorry.....

 

[DrCo]

anybody in their 2ww? i am 6dpo... awaiting spotting on Fri 9dpo

 

[nelttc]

anybody in their 2ww? i am 6dpo... awaiting spotting on Fri 9dpo

I'm also 6 dpo... and I usually start spotting on dpo 8-9, but Im taking progesterone this month so hoping it works. Good luck to all of us.

 

[Jelly84]

Hi everyone! Hope you don't mind me joining! I'm another spotter! Been ttc for about 10 months now and been off BCP for a few years to try regulate my cycles before TTC-ing (might as well have stayed on!!)

Anyway - every month like clockwork a few days after ovulation (ovulation is nearly always on CD14) I start getting the dreaded spotting! It starts as pale brown cm mixed and slowly progresses day by day to rusty, then darker blood, then even some tiny clots before I get a 1 day, yes 1 DAY period of red blood. Then that's it! The spotting before the period is hardly anything - mostly in the mornings when i wipe or i see it after a run. I have a 28 day cycle which means I spot for up to 10 days...this month it started on CD21 so slightly better but still there (started today boooo). When I see it I always know I'm out. I've been going to acupuncture for 3 months in the hope it helps and whilst it chills me out I don't think it's helping my quest for a bump (my tongue looks really healthy though!) I also take wheatgrass shots morning and night as my acupuncturist thinks my BBTs are too high after ovulation and this is what causes the spotting....it does always coincide with the higher of my BBTs so you never know...however can't handle waiting too much longer so might have to knock it on the head!

Today I went to my gyneo referral at the hospital (i pleaded with my GP after being told 'it's normal just relax and it'll happen' about 5 times...easy said!!!! We went through everything. He said my day 3 bloods were perfect and so was my husband's spemen analysis. I was diagnosed with a cervical ectropion a few months ago at a routine smear so mentioned that as my gp thought it may be the cause spotting (i'd accept this if my period was longer but as it's only 1 day and really light I don't believe that it is coming from the ectropion). The gyneo didn't seem concerned about that at all and wasn't interested in testing progesterone as he said my cycle day 3 bloods were enough to know i had healthy ovulation. So next step is a HSG (yikes) and an ultrasound in a few weeks....fingers crossed it gets sorted soon and we get a bfp.

It's so draining isn't it, especially seen as everyone else around us is getting pregnant the first time or so they say! URGH.

Anyway, nice to join you and i look forward to reading about your situations too. XXXXX

 

[Jelly84]

By the way I'm 7dpo and the spotting has started arg. It usually starts 5dpo so quite impressed...not

 

[DrCo]

By the way I'm 7dpo and the spotting has started arg. It usually starts 5dpo so quite impressed...not

7dpo here too... I was actually hoping to get some spotting yesterday as I spotted 6 and 7 dpo when I got my bfp, so far nothing... so if it comes 9dpo (as most of my bfn cycles without progesterone supplementation) it will most likely be a sign that I am out.
It is quite funny that most spotters hope not to get any spotting and I have it the other way around, I look out for implantation bleeding early on. However they say you are never out until cd1 of a new cycle!

 

[DrCo]

Hi everyone! Hope you don't mind me joining! I'm another spotter! Been ttc for about 10 months now and been off BCP for a few years to try regulate my cycles before TTC-ing (might as well have stayed on!!)

Anyway - every month like clockwork a few days after ovulation (ovulation is nearly always on CD14) I start getting the dreaded spotting! It starts as pale brown cm mixed and slowly progresses day by day to rusty, then darker blood, then even some tiny clots before I get a 1 day, yes 1 DAY period of red blood. Then that's it! The spotting before the period is hardly anything - mostly in the mornings when i wipe or i see it after a run. I have a 28 day cycle which means I spot for up to 10 days...this month it started on CD21 so slightly better but still there (started today boooo). When I see it I always know I'm out. I've been going to acupuncture for 3 months in the hope it helps and whilst it chills me out I don't think it's helping my quest for a bump (my tongue looks really healthy though!) I also take wheatgrass shots morning and night as my acupuncturist thinks my BBTs are too high after ovulation and this is what causes the spotting....it does always coincide with the higher of my BBTs so you never know...however can't handle waiting too much longer so might have to knock it on the head!

Today I went to my gyneo referral at the hospital (i pleaded with my GP after being told 'it's normal just relax and it'll happen' about 5 times...easy said!!!! We went through everything. He said my day 3 bloods were perfect and so was my husband's spemen analysis. I was diagnosed with a cervical ectropion a few months ago at a routine smear so mentioned that as my gp thought it may be the cause spotting (i'd accept this if my period was longer but as it's only 1 day and really light I don't believe that it is coming from the ectropion). The gyneo didn't seem concerned about that at all and wasn't interested in testing progesterone as he said my cycle day 3 bloods were enough to know i had healthy ovulation. So next step is a HSG (yikes) and an ultrasound in a few weeks....fingers crossed it gets sorted soon and we get a bfp.

It's so draining isn't it, especially seen as everyone else around us is getting pregnant the first time or so they say! URGH.

Anyway, nice to join you and i look forward to reading about your situations too. XXXXX

I forgot to say welcome although I joined the thread very recently too
I must say according to what you wrote... if I were you I would try to see a different obgyn. I am a doctor myself and even though I do not specialize in gynaecology I still studied medicine at uni and had obgyn as a subject for a year and since starting ttc I have updated my knowledge.. and what this doc is saying doesn't sound right. CD2-3 blood test cannot prove ovulation. It only shows ovarian reserve and might suggest whether you have pcos. They may test some other hormones with it like prolactin etc to see if any are out of the normal range, they can even test progesterone but you can only test for ovulation after it happens to prove that progesterone has risen. The most reliable way to find out though is to do an ultrasound for several days in a row to see dominant follicle maturing and then turning into corpus luteum (imagine a baloon full of air as a follicle and then a creased one when you pour the air out as a corpus luteum). Even positive opk doesn't mean that you ovulate as your body may try to but eventually doesn't release the egg, neither does elevated bbt as it is influenced by many other things. However if you have both positive opk and elevated temperature shortly after then it is very likely that you ovulate.
Having said that to spot most of LP and then only one day period doesn't seem to be a very healthy cycle. I would believe that the ectropion reacts to changes in hormones and may cause some spotting but it would probably be very light and would be unlikely to produce cloths. And exactly as you said... why would you have just 1 day long period???
How were your cycles when you were on the pill and before that to compare?

 

[Jelly84]

Hi!! Thanks for your reply. Aah perhaps I mis quoted them there re day 2/3 bloods. I think they did say it shows healthy ovarian reserve and as my temps go up after day 14 and stay up until my AF they said my hormones look ok. As for the clots in the spotting that has only happened a couple of times and they were tiny ones! The doc also said my bloods showed that even though my period is extremely light, the levels from everything were really good. I'm having both an ultrasound and hsg so will hopefully find out what's going on. I really think it's due to hormone imbalance after being on the pill so long but time will hopefully tell (read things about oestrogen dominance or lower progesterone). My spotting is so odd, literally a tiny bit of pale brown cm per day at the moment - it's so odd! While on the pill I obviously had a normal period and before the pill I can't actually remember - I paid no notice at all!

Anyway, I'm being checked out now so hopefully will find something soon. My gyno is really highly regarded so I'm hoping he'll be ok....

Good luck in your cycle! Could be a good sign re the spotting?! X

 

[Baileylove]

Hi Ladies,
Thank you all for posting your stories and experiences! Ttc has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through! I am a spotter too. I had a mmc in 4/12 and an ectopic in 6/13. Since the ectopic I have had spotting anywhere between 5-8 days before AF arrives. Spotting starts off light and brown and gets heavier leading up to the witch. For years, I had always had spotting 2-3 days leading up to AF. DH and I have been ttc for 6 mos since the ectopic. I recently just had all the day 3 and 21 tests done along with the HSG and DH had a SA done. We received a diagnosis of unexplained infertility because everything came back looking good. Also, the doctors all advised that the spotting was not a concern at all and sent us on our way with some Clomid (which I have not tried yet). Since then we have decided to go to the top rated doctor in our area which will be all out of pocket. We just want answers so bad! We had our initial meeting with him and he did not like the spotting at all. I am going through some more tests this month to see what the issue may be. I will keep ya posted if we find a reason for my spotting. Also, I was put on Phase 2 of the South Beach diet (eat less sugar/carbs). I have a healthy BMI, but this way of eating is supposed to increase fertility I guess.

At this time, I am on CD 23 and the spotting has just started today! Grrrr! I have pretty normal 28 day cycles and got a positive OPK on CD 15 and 16 which was a little later than normal. This has been one of the better months as I am 5 days before AF so I was so hopeful that the spotting would stay away! I am only taking a prenatal vitamin and fish oil. I tried B6 awhile back, but that made it worse!

Baby dust and hugs to you all!!!!

 

[Baileylove]

Yikes! I did not realize my post was that long!

 

[DrCo]

Hi Baileylove,
that is quite a few of us here in the 2ww! I am also cd23 (i thought I was 8dpo but fertility friend tells me I am 9dpo).
Sorry for your losses. I had a missed miscarriage too last year June/July... my first ever pregnancy but hey isn't it great to see two lines on a test other then opk?! After a while of ttc it seems a bit surreal. Unfortunately after a loss one realises that positive pregnancy test doesn't always mean successful pregnancy
If you think you wrote a long post then look at my first here not long ago
We must have been ttc for roughly the same time since last summer. I have passed my due date and soon be in May when I got pregnant last year... very frustrating.
How long did you ttc before your first pregnancy? I fell pregnant on my 11th cycle. They say it is normal to take for up to a year but it still felt like eternity and apart from about 2 cycles we always bd around my fertile days. I also try to stay away from various supplements and only take folic acid and sometimes multivitamin. B6 didn't work for me either. I very much agree with the low carbs diet - problems with insulin can effect hormones a lot. I should try it too, but I have such a sweet tooth! However everything should be done in moderation.

Jelly84 - I hope you are in good hands. Have you got those tests scheduled? What country do you live in? Fx you won't need them and fall pregnant before. I am still holding on, no spotting, but I am pretty sure it will start tomorrow or on Sat.

I wish early spring brings us BFP!

 

[Gobolino]

Hi ladies! Just butting in to wish you all luck! I hope you find answers, I never found out why I spotted...but I did get (I am ) pregnant.
Baby dust to you all!

 

[Jelly84]

Hi Baileylove! Your spotting sounds like mine in terms of length and the changes it goes through. Do you get tender bbs too? I think I see a pattern on fertility friend where the higher my bbts go, the more the spotting happens and once it gets to a certain point my bbs start hurting (last month they were tender from ov to AF!!) I'm so sure it's hormone related. Keep us posted on the other tests they do on you!

DrCo - thank you 9DPO with no spotting is better than I've ever done so sounds good! B6 didn't work for me either.

Did any of you guys try Agnus Casti? I'm going to acupuncture today and my practitioner said he'd look into it for me to perhaps try. I really don't want to go on synthetic hormones etc so really hoping i can sort it out with herbal remedies at most (as i'm sure the pill is the thing which messed me up in the first place!!!)

Also - did you make dietry changes? I cut out caffine, drink v little alcohol anyway etc but now wondering if it makes any difference!

Much love - it's friday so we can be happy and must stay positive

XXXXX

 

[Baileylove]

My spotting started yesterday, but it is weird this month. It was super faint when I used the loo a couple times yesterday and that's it. It is usually really light starting out, but not that light. I am sure that it will ramp up here in the next couple of days. So frustrating!

DrCo - I am so sorry for your loss! It is so awful! I agree it was so great to see those 2 lines. I am hoping that 3rd time is the charm for me and the 2 lines will finally stick. With my first, we became pregnant on the first try. We never saw a heartbeat, but the baby died around 6 weeks and the miscarriage happened naturally at 11 weeks when I went in with pink spotting right before my first scheduled scan. For the ectopic, we caught it early at about 5 weeks b/c of spotting and pain on 1 side. That ended with 2 shots of methotrexate, so I still have both tubes intact. We had been trying for 3 months before that. We had to wait a couple months to start trying again as the methotrexate depletes all of the folic acid in your body, so we started trying again in September of last year. I am 34, so I feel like my time is running short and it appears that spotting is my worst enemy. How long are our cycles typically? I have stopped testing before AF. Do you test at all? I am with you on the sweet tooth! Trying to stick to this diet has been rough. Keeping my fingers crossed for you this cycle!

Gobolino - Thank you so much for your post! It gives me hope! Did you have spotting the month you got your BFP?

Jelly - Yes! My bbs have been getting really tender about a week or more before AF shows up since we started trying again in September which was out of the ordinary for me. Did this just start happening with ttc for you too? This month my bbs are not tender at all and I am less than a week away from AF. What is going on with me I wonder? As far as diet, in addition to being put on South Beach Phase 2 diet, my doctor advised absolutely no alcohol or soda and a little coffee with no sugar is ok (like 1 or 2 cups a day). Tea with no sugar is ok too. Other than this, I have not tried any other dietary changes. I have not tried Agnus Casti. What is it? I am hoping you get your BFP this cycle and do not have to do any of the tests, but if you have any questions about them I would be happy to help! I will definitely keep ya posted on my further testing.

What is the fertility friend you guys mentioned you were using? I have never used this. I have debated on starting to temp everyday. Do you do this? Has it been helpful?

I hope everyone is having a great Friday. The weekend is almost here!

 

[DrCo]

As you can guess from the headline this cycle doesn't sound promising for me at all cd25 (10 or 11dpo) and the dreaded spotting started early afternoon. Last month it was on CD24 late evening, so it is basically almost identical, difference is less than 24 hours. I am also addicted to testing so I have already tested yesterday with negative result and the same today. When I was pregnant I tested CD 26 and had bfp. This was the first day that I tested so I don't know if I would have gotten positive result earlier.

Baileylove - my cycle last month was 26 days with O on cd14/15, it ranges between 24 and 28, usually 26/27 days. I do understand that age is a factor in ttc, but I know people in their 20' who have fertility problems and for example my sis in law had 4 kids between the age of 31 and 39 and she had myom in her uterine wall and was told she won't have any kids after the first one. What matters with the age is your ovarian reserve and the number of kids you want to have. I am 28 but many of my friends have recently been getting pregnant and giving birth, it was very frustrating. Also my husband is 36 and most of his friends have families.
I didn't use the test much before I got pregnant because every time when it came to it I started spotting and I knew I was out. But because I spotted before my BFP I realised that there is always a chance of a positive test even with sporting, so now I am poas like crazy.
Fertility friend is quite cool, I have only started using it this month. You put your temperatures in the chart and it tells you when your ovulation was or at least an estimate. You can try it for free but I think that after about a month you may need to pay subscription for some special features.

Girls how do you cope in general with the disappointment that comes every month in form of bfp or period? I plan to do things that I wouldn't be able to do if I was pregnant so at least I've got something to look forward to. Four example I've just booked a few horse-riding lessons which I haven't done for ages because of TTC. Have you got any more tips?

 

[trela]

DrCO
The month i got my bfp i tested the day which spotting started and got a bfn so i booked a day trip to the biggest zoo here which is actually the biggest in europe its like you are in a savana...and you need hours to finish the tour...after that i went to 2different malls and to ikea!
so you can imagine how active i was in that day trip!!!due to the spotting and the bfn i thought af was on the way...
My doctor said the next week when i got my bfp that many women put their possible pregnancy to risk during these two weeks because sometimes they are sure they are out...it is a small percentage that the pregnancy might be terminated because of the mother's fault, but why take the risk?my spotting continued during the next month of my pregnancy but it never got heavier it was never explained but its possible it was affected by that day at the zoo,malls and ikea (i also carried weight) because the sac looked like it had a little spot where it had dettached from the uterine wall...after laying in bed it reattached!i am sorry for my english i hope i am making sense!

 

[trela]

So i suggest you take these those lessons but before ovulation!!! it also boost your positive mood!