If you know you've ovulated and your period is late...

[tryingnot2beanxiousbear]

Maybe a strange question! I had an ovulation bleed (I think) on CD13. I am now CD33 and no sign of AF, but have done 3 hpt's (inc 1 today), all negative. I really want to be pregnant but have just come off the pill last month and really don't know if I could be - I'm sort of scared to hope!

Friends I've spoken to have both said if you ovulate you will definitely have a period within 12-14 days, so by their logic I am definitely in with a good chance, I just have to keep testing until it comes out as positive.

Am I insane to hope that this is all a good sign, or can you ovulate and not have a period? Could I be wrong and what I thought was an ovulation bleed was nothing significant?? I have also had a sort of crampy feeling in my lower abdomen and have gone up a bra size in the last week.

Worried I am imagining the whole thing!!

[NoMoreMarbles]

hi,

you can have up to 16 days post ov before a period on a normal cycle and yours ATM will most likely be less than normal as you have only recently stopped taking the pill. have you monitored your cycle? how do you know exactly what day you have ovulated? theres a very wide range of 'normal' cycles and it might take a few months to get a handle on your own cycle pattern without the pill.

you could be very lucky and be pregnant but with 3 BFNs it might be worth waiting a few more days before testing to give hormones a chance to build up etc

good luck

[tryingnot2beanxiousbear]

Feel like I have brought all this anxiety on myself by being so eager to get started with TTC - I had originally planned to wait a month to see what my cycle did but got overexcited when I thought I had ovulated and decided to jump straight in!!

The reason I think I ovulated is because I had some spotting on CD13 - obviously I haven't had anything like this while I've been on the pill (7-8 years - basically for most of my 20s) so my first thought was 'what on earth is this?!?!' - but then I remembered it happened every once in a while 10+ years ago and my mum said at the time 'oh you must have ovulated - that's very normal'.

Could the spotting have been something different? If I didn't ovulate then it would just be a case of late AF which wouldn't be a surprise due to coming off the pill so recently. Have read a bit about 'breakthrough bleeding' but that seems to only be when you start the pill, not when you stop it.

Wishing I had paid more attention in biology lessons as a teenager - who knew that day would come!!

[ontesterhooks]

Hi similar here have had 2 af's since stopping pill 1 both around 23 days so i figured due af on saturday. no sign - managed to wait until this morning to do test (still no af) but bfn !!! not sure now when to test again ?

[tryingnot2beanxiousbear]

The instructions on the pt sticks I have say if you get a negative result to wait 48 hours and try again. I tested on Saturday, Monday and this morning - all negative. Starting to think it probably is a negative and I will just wait now to see if AF arrives. May be a long cycle as it's my first 'natural' cycle after coming off the pill. I'm wondering if it might be best to pause TTC until I've definitely had a period as all the agonising over what is going on has been a bit too stressful!!

[tryingnot2beanxiousbear]

Hope it's not TMI, but it was normal discharge flecked with some fresh red blood. It wasn't like a period, as I noticed it one morning then used a pantliner and it didn't develop into anything heavier.

I finished my last pack of pills, had my normal (when on the pill) 4-5 day bleed 4 days later, and then noticed the spotting on CD13. Now I'm CD36 and no sign of AF and no BFP.

Other symptoms have been going up a bra size and boobs feeling v sensitive, and a sort of crampy poking feeling in my womb area. I've also feeling more tired than normal and much more hormonal than I did whilst on the pill - weepy, extreme feelings of sadness for no apparent reason - e.g. a couple of weeks ago I came home from work almost in tears because I felt that my boss had 'seemed sad' that day! (on reflection, with help from DH, realised he wasn't at all sad, but I felt very upset at the time on his behalf!)

However, apart from the bra size increase, feel like I could have imagined all of the above!

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi tryingnot,

re this comment:-
"Friends I've spoken to have both said if you ovulate you will definitely have a period within 12-14 days"

Unfortunately this is not correct; ovulation is not an exact science and a person can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any given cycle. It is quite possible to have periods without ovulating.

Pill leaves your system very quickly after taking the last tablet. I would keep an eye on your cycles and if they continue to lengthen would seek some medical advice.

Any mid cycle bleeding should be reported to the GP particularly if it does happen again.

I think your body is trying to gear up to have a period bleed.

[starsandstripes]

Not to put a downer on things but I had spotting (only blood when I wiped) midcycle CD 16, 17, 18 which is very unusual for me and i'm now 27 days ''P.O'' and have had blood tests last week as kept getting negative HPT. looks like I failed to ovulate and the spotting was the start of a new cycle. My cycles are normally 27-29 days long. So when next cycle starts i'm having CD21 bloods taken to check if I am ovulating. Not saying this is what happening to you but could be a possibility especially if your period becomes really very late and still negative HPT.

[tryingnot2beanxiousbear]

Thanks for the messages everyone - think I will watch and wait and see what happens. I have heard that it can take 3 months or longer for cycles to become 'normal' after coming off the pill, so it's too soon to be overtly concerned. Hopefully all will become clear soon!