Spotting week before AF every month - anyone else?

[MrsHY]

Hello ladies!

Nell: Glad to hear the second round (or first round, depending on which way you look at it was better. If it is a thin lining issue, is there anything they can give you to boost it? Have you still got your Clomid to cash in -that might do it, right? After all, it starves the body of estrogen and once the course is finished your body works double hard to catch up - producing more follicles and building up the lining? Am sure you've thought this all through though. Good luck for round three

Islandgirl - Good luck with your next round of investigations

Pookabear - Welcome! Interesting you say that you didn't get a bit of spotting when on Clomid - mine didn't improve at all! I have ruled out progesterone issues though - had mine tested a while ago and, even though the spotting had started with a bang, the levels were really high. I actually entertained the thought I might be pregnant for a little while

Yum - I hope you have a relaxing break away and that your Mum starts to feel better. Perhaps the R&R will do you good?

Lala79 - Truth is, I don't know! Have had so many 'what should I do' moments on this journey and still have no clear answers! What i would say is that the Vitex shouldn't theoretically interfere - e.g. if your progesterone is good then you know it's working/you would have had a high result on your own, if bad then you know it's not the best choice for you?

As for me - been having EWCM since Monday but totally thought it was a false alarm because this is a natural (Clomid free) cycle and I normally ovulate on my own around cd25. But low and behold, nearly positive OPK yesterday (cd16) and smiley face today - cd 17! That matches my Clomid cycles! DH and I are trying a different strategy this month - we're really going for it! DTD this morning (first EVER time we've had a morning shag, in the 8 years we've been together!), DTD tonight, then tomorrow morning, tomorrow night, Sunday morning, Sunday night! I'm already feeling a little sore this morning so the Preseed's coming out! Sorry - this is hugely TMI isn't it!!

Good luck all xx

 

[Chloe597]

Hi Ladies:

MrsHY- good news that your body seems to be regulating itself without the Clomid! My mom took Clomid for 3 cycles back in the day to regulate and then got pregnant once she was off the Clomid. Good luck to you!

Yum - that sounds like quite a procedure! Why won't your doc give you progesterone? Mine had no problem dishing it out without even knowing what my levels were! Its amazing how different doctors can be.

Not much to say on my end. My hormone tests all came back ok, no signs of PCOS. My progesterone was on the low end (5 in whatever US units are), but it wasn't out of the range. I took progesterone for 10 days right after i finished up my period, per doctors orders, so there was no way I could have gotten pregnant in september I am supposed to take it again for the last 10 days in october, but given my past ovulation history, i'm afraid that i will not have ovulated by october 21. I have started obsessively drinking soy milk because I am too chicken to take soy isoflavones, in hopes that it will bump up my ovulation a little! I bought a bag of OPK strips from amazon so now i have to figure out how to use them. they did not come with good instructions. My plan as of now is to take the progesterone once i know i've ovulated, even if it means i dont take the progesterone until November.

 

[IslandGrl]

Hi Ladies,

Welcome LaLa79 I'm not sure. I don't know how much natural supplements interfere with our bodies production of hormones. I'm guessing they probably do since people swear by them but then again others have said they didn't help. I'd probably not take anything to see what my body does on it's own. But that's just me. I haven't taken much to stop the spotting (tried B Complex for one week) so it wouldn't be hard.

Yum - Sorry about the scare with the skin tag. Hope you have a good trip back to Asia and your mom is feeling better.

MrsHY - Good news about the early ovulation on a natural cycle! A friend of mine got pregnant on her "break" from clomid. FX for you.

Chloe - Good news on the test results coming back fine. Why is your doctor telling you take it at the end of October and not going by your cycle? I woudn't take it until I have ovulated otherwise like you said you the progesterone will stop you from ovulating.

MrsPTTC - Enjoy your holiday and hope the sore throat is nothing but a cold. See below!

AFM - I had my follow up this week. All is well with blood tests and hsg. Turns out he did check my ovaries when I had the failed saline ultrasound. Couldn't remember due to the painful procedure. So instead of walking out with clomid I have a 10 day course of antibiotics. I knew I was sick going into the appt. I have a bad case of tonsilitis/strep throat. Once he saw how sick I was he said to come back next month to start clomid. To be honest I don't mind. I was so sick I could barely talk and I had a fever for 2 days. Maybe the world is trying to tell me something

 

[_Nell]

Yum - wow that must have been scary re the growth, thank heavens it was just a skin tag. Re me, yes I was given progesterone but only for 1 natural cycle post my hysteroscopy and for IVf cycles. It does stop the spotting but I don't think it solves the underlying problem of weak ovulation, just masks the symptoms.

MrsPttc - Have a lovely holiday

LaLa - Sorry I've never tried AC so can't advise, good luck with the tests though.

MrsHy - at your morning shags, DH and reintroduced that (not done in 7 years since we first met) for our TTC schedule too and the mid-afternoon one too (not on the same day though). Thrilled about your natural O is that it for you then with the clomid as it seems to have really done the trick for you with sorting your cycle out a bit - what did you do in total? Was it 1 at 50mg and 2 at 100mg?
Re me It's an unresponsive lining in IVF with 20+ follicles my estrogen levels are sky high, but my lining just doesn't get past 7mm. I daren't actually think what it is on a natural cycle, I had one scan fairly close to O and it was only 4mm. For my next IVF they will give me viagra to try improve the blood flow and aspirin to thin my blood a little to reach down the tiny capillaries better....at least that's the theory, medically it's the only other thing to try (although there are studies undergoing to try and resolve this problem that affects only a tiny % women in IVF)

Chloe - glad the hormone tests came back ok and I hope you get your O on track. I wouldn't be brave enough to try isoflavines either, i'd opt for medically tested stuff like clomid anyday personally.

Islandgirl - Glad the HSG went ok but i'm sorry to hear you are sick. for starting the clomid next cycle though.

AFM: I am in a blue place right now, trying to keep myself perky but failing miserably. I ordered Dr Beers 'is your body baby friendly' and tbh the flat answer is 'no'. It's made me sum up all the 'issues' i've discovered since starting TTC and tbh I now need to forget them again because logically my head tells me it's virtually impossible otherwise
So, I have...
fibroids
unresponsive lining
low AMH / egg reserve
high CD3 estrogen
spotting ( weak O?)
endo cysts
plus raynauds syndrome and DOR are closely linked to immujen problems where your body rejects embryos.....eek

I think i might have some cysts again post the IVF as i'm pretty full feeling in my ovaries, hopefully they'll pass in a cycle or two, either that or my endo cysts have grown as something feels different. Then the plan is to try our 3rd and last IVF or if Xmas gets in the way and the clinic won't fit us in to cycle then I'll give the clomid a bash for 3 cycles in the meantime. All the spcialists say it won't work for me, even the NHS woman told me to ditch it once they found i had endo cysts but hey, i'm at the point that anything is worth a shot

 

[IslandGrl]

Sorry to hear you are feeling down Nell TTC takes it's toll on us emotionally and physically. Even more so once you start fertility treatments. Sometimes I tell myself it's ok, whatever is meant to be is meant to be but other times I feel angry or sorry for myself and wonder why it's taking so long while others around me fall pregnant so easily. I think even with all the things you mention it's still possible to get pregnant. You are aware of your issues, your second IVF went much better and you even had a faint positive so you're definitely getting there. I know it's still frustrating but I'm sure you'll have a success story soon.

Here's hoping all of our TTC journey's end soon with bfp's

 

[LaLa79]

Thanks for all your thoughts ladies, not taking the agnus castus now but either didn't ovulate after all this cycle or possibly have delayed ovulation and going to ovulate right on top of CD21 now!

Does anyone have any positive experience with doctors? I feel that if I share any details of my charting they start to glaze over, get the distinct impression I'm not supposed to know anything, if I do I'm (politely) over enthusiastic with googling info on the internet and reading too much into everything. It means nothing to them that I've been charting for the last 2 years and know when something is unusual for my body. Its a very frustrating and lonely feeling.
On the plus side I spoke with a lovely lady from NHS Direct Wales who made me feel so much better A sympathetic and understanding voice is all you need sometimes to make you feel the end goal is achievable some day!

Island Girl- I know how you feel when everyone else seems to be getting pregnant, making it look so easy it seems so unfair. If I get one more 'friend' or family member ask 'when are you going to start a family- you're not getting any younger' I think I will actually tell them truth and make them feel bad.
Are you going to start Vitamin B Complex to help with the spotting?

Nell- Hope the cysts don't get in the way of your IVF attempt

Fingers crossed for some bfp's soon!!

 

[_Nell]

Sometimes I tell myself it's ok, whatever is meant to be is meant to be but other times I feel angry or sorry for myself and wonder why it's taking so long while others around me fall pregnant so easily

Thanks Island Girl and 'yes' to the above, I'm finding even when I'm at home relaxing I can't avoid it as it seems everyone on TV, adverts etc is falling pg at the drop of a hat!

LaLa - sorry you haven't O'd yet, if O is close to your day 21 it'll likely come back low and there'll suggest repeating it anyway - although tbh I never go on CD21 I just go 7 days from O.
Re charts, my GP got it all wrong and back to front tbh, he thinks everyone has a 14day LP and that you BD on the day the temp spikes. The NHS specialist wasn't really interested but I could tell she took it as a sign that we had been TTC seriously and I knew my cycles (v's some women who apparently turn up wondering why they're not pg when they only BD twice a month!)
I've seen two fertility specialists, one wasn't too interested as he felt my test results already indicated ivf which is fair enough, the other looked through them with me in some detail.
When I had cysts a couple of cycles ago both the nurse at my clinic and my acupuncturist looked through my chart with me to see if we could figure what was going on.
So, I think fertility folk 'believe' but GP's and more general gynaes probably not so much.

 

[IslandGrl]

Lala - I tried B Complex for a week and then gave it up. It gave me an upset tummy and I'm already taking a multi vitamin and omega 3 so I don't want to add another to the list. I've been pretty good at stressing myself out these last few months so I'm going to try and take a more relaxed approach and hopefully have a better attitude! I'll still be using opk's but no temping.

 

[MrsHY]

Hello all
Hugs to everyone. Nell - chin up chicken. I know exactly how you feel and get into these black moods of despair myself. I don't really have any other words of wisdom other than you at least know you're not going through it alone - as IslandGrl says - we're going through it with you!
Just spotted a LOVELY post in the BFP announcement section (I'm not clever enough to post the link), but it's from a regular spotter who would start to spot, without fail, every cycle from 4-7dpo until AF. Well, after 14 months, she has her BFP - and it was after her spotting had started as normal - then just stopped! It's really lifted my spirits and made me think that it IS possible and we WILL get there. Come on ladies, say it with me, BFP! BFP! x

 

[bec87]

Hi every one, im new to this forum so hope u dont mind me butting in on ur thread.

I've had this spotting for 4 months now, and been TTC#2 for 2months, just waiting for af to finish to try for 3rd month.

I'm going to the doctor for the 4th time tomorrow
1st time- was told its normal (i know it's not)
2nd time- had swabs to check for infections (all clear)
3rd time- put on low dose of antibiotics just incase of a small infection swabs didnt pick up (still no change)
phoned up and was refered for an ultrasound scan (no cysts or anything found)

Now I don't know what to do, I've read it could be progesterone imbalance so considered trying agnus catcus but heard good and bad things so unsure.

Is there anything you ladies can suggest I try?

I've got a clearblue digital ovulation kit to use this month to check I've got the right dates.

I just hate this feeling of being so hopeful all month only to get negatives at then end of it

 

[_Nell]

Hi Bec, sorry you find yourself spotting and joining this group - it trule sucks to spot! There's a few things you can try;

Is your smear up to date (tbh if it's over a year even i'd ask for another). At the same time your GP can see if there is any cervical erosion - this is harmless so would be a 'good' cause of your spotting

You could ask your GP for a progesterone blood test, this is called a 'day 21' test but is actually done 7 days after you ovulate so you'll need to temperature chart to confirm when you ovulate and count 7 days on, then go for the blood draw. If you are in the UK then GP's typically only do this test after TTC 12 months or 6 months if you are over 35.

Make sure you are taking a good quality pre natal / conception multi vitamin. In truth this should have all the B vitamins you need, many women report taking an extra B complex helps their spotting on forums, but tbh i don't think anyone in this thread has found it helped.

The main thing is to find out when you ovulate, if your spotting is only a few days before AF ie from 10dpo onwards then it will almost certainly not affect TTC in anyway and is considered normal.....some of us tsart from 4dpo though, so 10 days of spotting and i'm pretty sure that's not a good thing.
If you've recently come off the pill you might find the spotting eases as your body readjusts.

MrsHy - Any news on you this cycle, i'm really hopeful for you now your cycles regulated post the clomid. Great news about the fellow spotter falling pg

AAM - Well the last of my close friends told me she was pg the other day. All the others i've been genuinely happy for (5 friends currently pg and 4 with babies under a year) but this one was hard and i'm glad she told me via email (she lives overseas). A good nights sleep put it all in perspective again though and i continue to just hope it will be our turn soon.
Some good news too in that we *might* be getting NHS funding for IVF, although i won't believe it until i see it tbh!

 

[MrsPTTC]

Hi ladies I'm back!! And BnB is so different!! I hoped to see some good news being off for a week, I was praying for someone to get a BFP!

Welcome Lala79 & Bec87

Lala79 - My FS says the charting was a waste of time too, and everything I tell him I’ve read on the internet he says is rubbish and to stop googling lol. But I do like him now, I didn't when I first met him as I thought he was patronising and am prepared to listen, he says to BD every 2-3 days and that should be enough though I am skeptical!

MrsHY – amazing story!! Thanks for sharing!

Bec87 & Lala – I didn’t have a good experience on AC, it made my spotting worse but it did help me ovulate earlier – well ovulation is in doubt, but I at least got my +OPK’s earlier!

Sorry you ladies are feeling so down, and big to Nell.

AFM - I had a wonderful holiday but the weather was crap! 2 days of sun, 1 cloudy & 4 rainy! And I mean heavy rain, thunder and lightening! So I'm not as tanned as I'd hoped, but it was so relaxing, spent a lot of the time in the hotel bar ha ha. I forgot to take my moonstone bracelet with me, I was gutted as the LP was during my hols. Also,we went on a boat trip to turtle beach where the sea turtles lay their eggs (I thought this could be a bit of good luck for me) and it rained of course, and the turtles had started migrating back to Australia (long swim from Turkey!!) but I did see one pop out a few times in the sea from the boat....So spotting started super early this month, great when you're on hol in your swim wear , I think around 7DPO (roughly as not temping or POAS) and AF came yesterday (3 days early!!) the last day of my holiday and best weather of the whole week I knew when the spotting came I wasn't gonna get a BFP and have come up with a theory - the last time I spotted that early was when I had my blood tests & I didn't ovulate. My spotting's usually from 9-10 DPO but I'm thinking when I spot earlier than that it's maybe because I haven't ovulated I took my temp a couple of times before I went away just to see if they were typical post ov temps and they were, but who knows, the doc did say temp shifts can't guarantee ovulation! So now I'm looking forward to taking my Clomid this week!! Bring it on! x

Oh and my sore throat didn't go away and is now a horrible cough and I'm all wheezy (I have mild asthma) and chest feels nasty so I'm off to the docs later x

 

[MrsHY]

Hi everyone!
Welcome Bec! Yes - like the other ladies said - there are things you can do to find out more but brace yourself for the fact that the spotting may end up being entirely unexplained... like mine!
Nell - Sorry (I know that's not the right word - but you understand the sentiment) about the preggers friend - but it DEFINITELY WILL BE YOUR TURN, OR I'LL EAT MY HAT. Good news re potential IVF funding though!! I've been looking into IVF should my next 4 cycles fail (1 more natural and 3 with Clomid) and I think I'll go private for the first cycle, then hopefully get the second one on the NHS (when my '2 years of active trying' will kick-in). But who knows - the rules on funding seem to be changing all the time as the NHS is in such a bad way financially.

Mrs PTTC - glad to have you back although shame about the weather and the early AF! Bring on the Clomid!! I too think that cycles where my spotting starts at 3dpo are anovulatory - when I used to chart cycles like that were also pretty flat temp wise - there was a bit of a shift in the right direction but it was fairly pants.

As for me, well, I'm 6dpo today and for the past 2 days I've had beige creamy discharge (nice) and this morning I had watery discharge with a darker brown tinge. Nothing now when I wipe - but that's not unusual for me - the spotting is brownish and light then gets stringier and eventually turns into AF. Keeping that success story firmly in the back of my mind though - it ain't over til AF shows up with a vengeance.

That said, got that horrible black feeling of despair this morning when I saw the brownish stuff - another month quite literally down the toilet. Plus, if i don't get my BFP this month then I've got my HSG to look forward to next month... JOY!

Oh well, am going to enjoy my weekend, try to relax and think positive thoughts. It's got to happen soon... surely

x

 

[bec87]

Thanks everyone
I saw doctor this morning and as Iv had scan and cervix had been checked previously he seems to think its low progesterone, I'm booked for a blood test to check on day 24 (i have 31day cycle)
Also he says it could be im not ovulating which sounds scary!
Im 24 so wasn't expecting any probs, especially as my 2yr old was conceived easily.

Will the ovulation tests confirm Iv ovulated or just that the hormones that make it happen are there?
Should I take temp aswell?

Does anyone know what happens if progesterone is low?
Or if I'm not ovulating?
hope u all get some answers soon or BFPs x x

 

[Chloe597]

Welcome, Bec! I too have spotting, pretty much right after I O up until AF shows up. I took AC for 2 months, and found that it didnt help. I actually think it delayed my O by about a week. At least that is my theory. I went from a 36 day cycle to a 44 day cycle in month 2 of taking AC, so I have since stopped. I have been taking a B complex because I figure it can't hurt (i have a friend who cant absorb folic acid, so she has had 2 pregnancies which were both ended due to severe spina bifida, so now i'm sure to take lots of B vits). But the B's havent helped my spotting at all. I did go to the doc and get my ho,rmones checked. My progesterone was on the lower end, so my doc gave me 5mg progesterone supplements to take at the end of every cycle to help prevent spotting. only problem is i have to make sure i have O'd so that the progesterone doesnt prevent the O. She didnt say anything about the spotting preventing pregnancy, and said if anything, the progesterone should help me get pregnant. I will get Clomid in December if I am not pregnant naturally by then.

Sorry to hear about your vacation, MrsPTTC. Early AF is never any good. Feel better!

FX for you, MrsHY!

Nell, sorry to hear about all of your issues. I hope the Clomid works out this time and you prove the NHS person wrong!

I'm on CD 14 now, and I'm using OPK tests for the first time. Still no sign of any O yet tho. I just got Pre-Seed, as I have read that most lubes can kill the and I've heard quite a few success stories from people who use pre-seed. So I'm hoping a combination of the OPK, pre-seed, temp charting and progesterone, this month will be my month!

 

[bec87]

Hi chloe,

If my progesterone is low il find out if doc will give me supplements after O.
He said he would normally give them for the spotting but as I'm ttc he wouldnt, so taking them after O would be a good compromise I guess.

Feeling a bit down as my best friend got a BFP today and we were ttc buddies, I'm Soooo excited for her but sad I'm not aswell

is pre seed a sperm friendly lube?

trying opk for first time tomorrow then blood test on 1st nov, so fx!

xxx

 

[yum]

hello ladies,
couldn't check early..been busy with packin ! bnb changed & tuk me a while to find my way here..
thankyou all so much 4r the thoughts abt me & my mom..the only gud thing abt spotting is this thread she's all gud now !

nell- sorry abt u feelin low hope u get the funding & gl !

mrspttc- its gud to knw u had nice holiday xcept 4r the obvious witch ! i got 6.5 days spotting the month i came back 4rm my vacation too ! wierd ha ! hope clomid does the trick !

bec87- welcome & sorry abt ur spotting & hope all ur tests come back normal ! gl!

chloe- hope all the things this month help with bfp ! my gp wouldn't giv me any prog..just told to use npc !

mrshy- sorry abt early spotting..now that's the right attitude hope u get bfp naturally ! gl !

afm, started spotting like always with blood & got af on wed..had real big clots on cd3..i'm leaving tmrw so, not thinking abt anything..i'll think abt cervical erosion stuff wen i come back ! i can't access my sys so, will c u all in dec !
hoping 4r lotta bfp's wen i come back ! gl to all & fx !

takecare ladies ! byee

 

[MrsPTTC]

Thanks ladies Well I'm on day 3 of Clomid & I already have the mood swings - poor DH ha ha!

Wow Yum you're away for a whole month?! Have a wonderful time and see you in DECEMBER!! (Christmas, yikes!!) Glad to hear your mum is ok. Take care x

 

[MrsPTTC]

is pre seed a sperm friendly lube?

Yep Bec, pre-seed is sperm friendly, the same as Conceive plus. I used Pre-seed for 6 months then as I got no BFP changed to Conceive plus. I think when I'm finished my current tube of CP I might go back to Pre-seed as it's been 8 months on CP with nothing. Evening Primrose Oil, Robitussin Cough Syrup and Grapefruit Juice are all good for extra CM too. Oh and hugs for your BFF getting her before you, I'm the last one out of my close friends, it's very frustrating x

 

[MrsPTTC]

Hi everyone!
That said, got that horrible black feeling of despair this morning when I saw the brownish stuff - another month quite literally down the toilet. Plus, if i don't get my BFP this month then I've got my HSG to look forward to next month... JOY!

x

I'm sure your HSG will be fine hun, and it's just another step towards your BFP! Sorry about your spotting. I knew it was over for me last cycle when it started, I was gutted x