Spotting before period

[Mommybear05]

Hi everyone I wondered if we have any spotters here? Anyone who constantly spots during the week before their period?

Background information about me... I have a son who will be 2 in December. Since he was born dh and I used no protection and wanted a small age gap between our kids. I bf him for 17 months. 13 of those months I had no periods. Period returned in the January when he was 13 months. Got pregnant that cycle. Miscarried in March (it was a blighted ovum) and since then my periods have ranged from 26- 31 days, with them generally being on the shorter side of 26/27 days. I’ve been using clear blue opks and I know I’m ovulating regularly on cd 13/14 every month. My luteal phase is a steady 12-13 days. But I’m having spotting each month anywhere between cd22-25. This is always 4-7 days before my period is due. The spotting is usually 8-10 dpo. In the early days I always thought it was implantation bleeding but this never seems to be the case, although I did have a chemical pregnancy this month.
I read that spotting in the luteal phase can be a sign of low progesterone. I had my cd21 blood tests and they came back normal.
I went to the gp a lot of times and after much drama and stress and chasing and nagging I have finally got a gynaecologist referral, but it was a battle despite my many google searches telling me spotting 4 or more days before your period is out of the ordinary. I was told there’s a 40 week (yes 4.0.) waiting list today to see the gynaecologist. I’ll try and call the department and see what they can do considering that I’ve been asking my gp for a long time for this referral. We will consider paying to go private in the new year if we still have no signs of help and can raise some funds.
So is there anyone out there with similar experiences? Anyone who spots after ovulation and before their period? Thank you.

[ashlee89]

The same happens to me 😭. Since my missed miscarriage I have spotting anywhere from 5 days before my period is due. Which worries me about my lutuel phase? Do we count this from spotting or from first day of proper period. It's so hard to differentiate the two sometimes.

[Mommybear05]

Hey my spotting is 3-8 days before period. I count the luteal phase from ovulation to full flow. But aware that the spotting could indicate a problem with hormones. Have you had a progesterone test? Sorry to hear of your mmc. Do you have children? Have you been ttc for long?

[ashlee89]

I have a 21day hormone test tomorrow so hopefully that will give me an indication as to where my hormones are at?!
No children we are trying for our first! I'm in the 2ww at the moment so 🤞🏻🤞🏻

[Mommybear05]

Good luck with the test. And I’m hoping the 2ww goes well for you. When my test came back fine it just made me wonder what causes the spotting. Low progesterone would have given me and answer and I could have had some treatment but now I’m none the wiser 🤷‍♀️

[ashlee89]

Is it every month this happens for you?
I'm worried about implantation if the bleeding/spotting is occurring sometimes just 5dpo?

[Mommybear05]

Yes every month. I was on the pill for many years and when I came off I luckily got pregnant with my son the first cycle. Then when he was born I didn’t have periods for 13 months due to breastfeeding so I’m unsure of what my ‘normal’ should be. But since I miscarried in march, my periods have been fairly regular if sometimes a little on the short side. But the spotting always occurs 8-10 days post ovulation and around 3-7 days before the period is due.
I too am concerned about implantation. From what I can gather a luteal phase of around 10 days or less is a little on the short side. My luteal phase as a whole is 12-13 days but the spotting comes before this so I’m thinking it could be a luteal phase defect. This month I got a faint bfp on cd 30 only to have my period the next day so I believe a chemical pregnancy. This month I still spotted cd 23, a week before my period started. Perhaps implantation but perhaps not, maybe just the lining breaking down early proving that the pregnancy couldn’t be supported. One more loss and I’m in the recurrent mc category so I am starting to believe this to be a problem I need help with, although getting that help seems hard.

I was very surprised to find my progesterone came back as normal. I’m fairly certain it’s hormone related as the spotting only occurs in the luteal phase and around the same time each month, but I would like a gynaecologist to still scan me to check for growths like fibroids and polyps just to rule it out. I’m up to date with my smear too. Are you? It’s best to rule out the nasties but I’m sure such things aren’t the cause if like me it’s happening the same time each month for you.

I would get your bloods done tomorrow and go from there. See what your results say. Have you been ttc for long? I’m 30 and at my age they like you to try for a year before they investigate. They count from my mc in March. So I’ve been dismissed by my doctors for months now. But this week I am self isolating due to contact with covid so I had plenty of time to call and properly chase this up and insist on a referral. I explained that it’s not just the ttc but the spotting that is causing concern and anxiety. I explained I want to rule out certain medical conditions for the sake of my own health. Then I finally got my referral to gynaecologist. Because if you only mention it in terms of ttc purposes they will likely tell you to wait.
If I were trying with no spotting and no luck I would have far fewer anxieties and more patience on this issue. I’ve googled obsessively for a while and most searches when you type the symptoms lean towards implantation but I hear that is rarer than you think and I’m fairly sure I’m not implanting every single month! Many threads from years gone by show conversations between people who recommend trying vitamins b6 and b12 to help support the luteal phase and also vitex (Angus cactus) which is a herb said to help regulate menstrual cycles. I tried Angus cactus but stopped because I seemed to have the same symptoms anyway. I was thinking about trying the vitamin b complex to see if that works.
It’s frustrating isn’t it?

[BobbingAlong91]

Hi @Mommybear05! I also have spotting for a week-ish before AF every month and normal bloods/smear. Mine is due to a cervical erosion/ectropion, which are known to cause bleeding in the second half of your cycle. This is the second time I have had it - first time was treated with silver nitrate and it stopped for 3 years. Fingers crossed it’s a simple fix for you too 🤞🏼

[Mommybear05]

@BobbingAlong91 thank you for your response. I’ve not heard of that one so just had a quick google. Can I ask how it
Was diagnosed? I read that it is sometimes seen during a smear test. My nurse didn’t mention anything. And also can it cause problems conceiving?
Thank you. I too hope to find an answer and seek some treatment.

[AnoDeLosMuertos]

It can also be caused by a dip in testosterone before your period

[SnuggyBuggy]

I went through a phase of this before conceiving. Not sure what caused it or if my hormones were abnormal but I lost some weight and it seemed to improve.

[marsvar28]

@Mommybear05 i also spot for about a week up until af is due. I was on the pill & depo injection which is where my spotting always came from. Im off everything a year now. We have been ttc since january & every month i have spotting i think its implantation(which it never is). I am due af somewhere between 1st & 3rd nov. Last saturday i had a one random outburst of watery blood, 2tissue wipes snd it was gone. I spotted really light brown (lighter than my usual spotting) from sunday until yesterday. I've had nothing today. Im more convinced it could be implantation this month due to the blood on saturday as that has never happened me before. But it probably isnt 😞 My cycles go anywhere from 28-36 days. I didnt do any tracking this month, so im unsure when ovulation was, according to ovia app - O day was 17th oct. The spotting for a week before AF really gets me down each month. My GP said it can just be a normal thing for me. So no tests will be done not even bloods until sometime next year.. once we have been trying for a year at least 😰 xx

[Mommybear05]

@AnoDeLosMuertos thank you for your reply. I definitely think further investigation into hormones is needed.

[Mommybear05]

@SnuggyBuggy nice to hear that you could still conceive while your body was doing this. I’ve put on a little lockdown weight this year that I haven’t shifted, mainly through just being in a bit of a rut and feeling fed up. But I’m not overweight, more of a size 12. But I think that if I did exercise more it would help and also make me feel better in myself

[Mommybear05]

@marsvar28 thanks for your comment and I’ve got my fingers crossed for you this month, hoping it’s implantation. As I say I did have a chemical pregnancy this month which shows any month we could fall. Also @SnuggyBuggy who fell pregnant despite the spotting so we should try not to get too down about this. But yes being told it could be normal for you isn’t really what you like to hear, especially of you have been trying for a while. The spotting gets me down too. I’ve gone from getting excited googling implantation bleeding each month to getting more and more frustrated.
I’m on cd 8 today and reckon I will ovulate the middle of next week. I too didn’t track this month but I’ve learnt my lesson from the cp in that I will track every month. I want lots of info to take to my gynaecologist appointment, whenever that will be 🤷‍♀️

[BobbingAlong91]

@Mommybear05 sure! The first time it was diagnosed at a colposcopy - I was under 25 and had no idea what was wrong, so it took a while longer/referrals. This time, I had a smear just to rule out anything more sinister and straight up asked my doctor if he could see anything and he said yep! I think that if I hadn’t have asked, he wouldn’t have mentioned it, which is a bit annoying.

We are TTC number one at the mo, so unsure of how the erosions are affecting that (I’m still waiting for the treatment this time). Interestingly though, my mum had them too and she said the thing that actually cured them was falling pregnant. She had no issues conceiving ☺️

[ashlee89]

@Mommybear05 sorry to hear about your chemical and recurrent miscarriages.
They're awful and I really hope things work out for you soon.
I am 31 and the spotting has only occurred since my miscarriage in July.
So it's only been the last 3 cycles but hope it isn't making a trend.
I currently take Elevit, Vitamin B6 and Agnus Cactus. I'm between 5-7dpo now and no spotting just yet.
Also have my blood test in about 2 hours so I guess at this point it's just a waiting game.

[2020mission]

I have spotting for anywhere from 2-5 days every month before AF. I've never been on hormonal contraceptives and only noticed this when I started TTC in January. I had a chemical in January on my first month TTC so I do wonder if this has led to changes that makes this happen.

I also spend every month googling and hoping it's implantation but deep down know it's just a sign that I've failed to conceive again ☹️ and then it's days of waiting for AF to finally appear.

I haven't had tests but had a smear about a year ago and it was clear.

I had a second chemical again in August and that month I had no spotting in the run up to when AF is due which confirmed for me that spotting isn't a good sign each cycle.

I'm planning to speak to a doctor in January once I've reached a year trying. Having the chemicals has actually made me more anxious and feel worse about TTC than I would have been if I had no spotting but no BFPs.

I feel for you all going through the same!

[selina37]

@BobbingAlong91 hello! Hope you don't mind me gatecrashing.
I also have cervical erosion. I spot before my period too.
When you were diagnosed, was it mentioned that the bleeding from the erosion is specifically in the luteal phase? I've often wondered this; that it is due to the LP hormones that allow it to bleed.

Glad to here it doesn't prevent conception. It's so disheartening seeing blood every month. Xx

[Mommybear05]

@ashlee89 hi how did your blood test go? Did you have any spotting yet over the last few days??

[Mommybear05]

@2020mission were pretty much the same boat... sorry to hear about your chemicals. For me the same I spot and I know it’s not good and I always secretly wish it’s implantation. And I’m also waiting until it’s a year. I have to wait til March though as that’s when I miscarried otherwise I too could be seen in January. I worry with covid what the treatment will be like. I feel very upset that I’m having to wait a full year even though I’ve had a mc, a cp and months and months of spotting between periods in luteal phase. Something is clearly not right. But I have to wait a year. And like I say with covid even when the year is up I worry about how long it will take.
I’ve been referred to gynaecologist but I worry they will fob me off and tel me it’s normal like my go did. And I wonder when I will get an appointment ☹️

[BobbingAlong91]

Hey @selina37! The first time it happened, no one mentioned the luteal phase relationship, but both my doctor and gyne mentioned it this time. I believe it is something to do with hormones, as you say. Progesterone dropping I think?

So sorry to read of the CPs and MCs. I have everything crossed for positive outcomes for everyone. This bleeding nonsense can be so disheartening, but sending lots of baby dust

[ReiRiko]

It used to happen to me. It used to drive me insane. At one point I had 2 periods a month. I saw the gynaecologist so many times and did tests and they didn't know what was wrong. They just told me I had very low progesterone and I wasn't ovulating naturally. I believe it has to do with the combination of stress and diet. I noticed that with a diet low on processed sugar and carbs fixed the problem straight away for me. I also took myo-inositol supplements which helps with insulin resistance and PCOS. With the change in diet I managed to also ovulation naturally. I hope this helps you out my lovely!

[MythicalBiologicalFennel]

I get this too - in my case it's due to a cervical erosion which started towards then end of my first pregnancy. It's never stopped me conceiving, I conceived first try twice since the spotting started. I've had it for almost 10 years now, had it cauterised but it made no difference.

Good luck with TTC OP.

[ashlee89]

@Mommybear05

The results came back really well. Progesterone level was 38.

And I just got my BFP.

Very early days but 🤞🏻🤞🏻.

So in my case it goes to show that spotting doesn't mean you won't fall pregnant.

[Mommybear05]

@ashlee89 Wow congratulations so pleased for you! Wishing you a very happy and healthy pregnancy! Yes just goes to show we can still fall when spotting so this has certainly lifted my spirits too! They didn’t tell me my actual progesterone level, they just said that it was ok.
I’ve just ordered b vitamins from Holland and Barrett, b6 and b12. I hear these help with the luteal phase. Has anyone tried them before?