Do you get spotting before AF / period? Come and talk to me here

@orangeloo South Wales, links to where I went below:

crgw.co.uk/
crgw.co.uk/free-telephone-consultations-during-covid-19-pandemic/

@Rae444 whereabouts in U.K. are you? That seems quite reasonable. Please keep us updated.

@Bubblybub it was literally a couple of days before lock down. Some clinics are offering virtual appointments, not sure of price but may be worth a look.

@orangeloo Yes, i had read several people say GPs don't take short LP or spotting seriously. I have been referred for a NHS appt with a specialist but that was going to take over a year so investigated private options. The first appt was £150 and meds £20, IF it works it is 10000000% worth that. Time is flying by so didn't really want to wait until I was 32/33 to be seen by the NHS

@Morgane777 that seems very odd they have never tested your progesterone after ovulation as that is when it matters. Definitely push for this whenever 'normal' service post pandemic chaos resumes. X

Thanks @Rae444 it's good to know that at least privately they will take it seriously. Fx for you!

@orangeloo thanks for the tip about Proovtest!
I've never had my progesterone tested after ovulation, only before! And with everything closed with Covid-19 it could be a wonderful time to try them.
I think I ovulated yesterday. So if I get a BFN again, I will definitely try to get some of this test!
@Rae444 thanks for the info! I hope you'll get your BFP soon! Keep us posted!

@orangeloo that’s great that you got hold of some of them. Let me know how u get on. I wish I new, I went to America in February! Does it come up as a certain colour or lines If your producing enough? I’m on CD 4 aswell, but I’ve already lost hope, actually can’t be bothered anymore 😂 I’ve ordered some high strength b complex which is meant to help with spotting. So they arrive tommorow. Will take them aswell as my prenatal.

@rae444 did you go private while the corona stuff is happening or was it before then? I had my NHS fertility app cancelled for what was meant to be today. Gutted! But if private people are still open I may do that next month as I know it’ll be ages before I can get another appointment. I wish you could just buy progesterone tablets/pessaries over the counter!

Hi, just putting my 2 cents in.

I spot up to 7 day before my period. I went for a private appt and have been prescribed progesterone pessaries for day 20 to 27. Only used for one month so fat, no bfp but it stopped the spotting so I am hopeful.

@Morgane777 @Bubblybub I have managed to get hold of some proov tests. I don't know if you've heard of them but they are from America and they don't post here. I only managed to get them as my DP was working in oz last month so I had them sent to his hotel. Anyway they are progesterone test strips. You test your urine days 7-10DPO and it will tell u if you are sustaining enough progesterone to conceive. Instead of just the blood test 7DPO that we are offered. I'm going to do mine this month. If you know anyone in a country they ship to might be worth a try and they can send the. On to you. I'll let you know how I get on anyhow I'm only CD4 so not using them for a few weeks. Proovtest.com x

I agree and I don't understand why if they are the only explanations all related to ovulation/ ovulation quality and the resulting progesterone and you've had your progesterone tested at the right time and it's fine. What's the reason then? I've only read 1 thing and I can't remember where that was that says for some women it's just a normal part of cycle. But it would appear not when everything else seems fine and we have all been trying a while with no BFP's and that's the common denominator!?

@Bubblybub @orangeloo I have read every research paper I could about mid-cycle spotting. There is not a lot of research available on this issue and most of the papers are studies done with small samples. Well, I just think researchers haven't been so interested in this issue.
My personal conclusions are:

1. there are two kinds of mid-cycle bleeding, ovulatory and anovulatory. You need to know if you're ovulating or not to find out where is your problem.
2. for the ovulatory kind, they don't know a lot about the reasons, but it can be hormonal or the quality of ovulation. When your ovulation is not very good, your progesterone levels won't be high and that's when is difficult to get pregnant. But at the moment of ovulation, we can also bleed a bit without it being a problem, because is caused my hormonal changes in our body. Anyway, every time I ask the doctors, they don't seem to worry about this and I don't understand why! It seems an issue for me, especially if it is caused by anovoulatory cycles or by a bad quality ovulation.

@Bubblybub that's what I said about the lining and gp's and gynae just rubbished the idea really. I am now on cycle 16 ttc and spot from 6/7 dpo it's more than frustrating. I actually think am I wasting my time and effort ttc until this is got to the bottom of. When I'm referred to fertility clinic. I mean I won't stop trying but I'm just not expecting it to happen without intervention of some kind. Even if it's just medication.

@Morgane777 sorry forgot to tag you x

Thankyou! I just don’t understand if I’m spotting from 4DPO surely my lining is coming away before it even has a chance to implant. This is what is bugging me, yet they always fob off spotting. Very frustrating!! X

Welcome @Bubblybub !
Hope we'll get some good news here! Being in this thread and reading situations as mine has helped me get through this TTC journey!
My appointments were also cancelled due to COVID-19! :(
Don't give up hope! I've never had a BFP yet, but it will surely come one day! Even without fertility problems, every couple has from 20% to 30% chance every month, so we need some luck! ;)

I’m so glad I just found this thread. I’ve been TTC for 15 months now. I spot every month from around 4DPO. I use to spot from 4DPO to my period. But now I’m spotting 4-7dpo with cramps. (Mild) then I have 5 days clear. Then AF arrives. Not sure why it’s changed over the past two months. But still very odd. Was meant to have my fertility appointment next week but due to corona, they’ve cancelled :( bloods were done at 6 months of TTC. They said they were fine. Giving up hope!

@Morgane777 interesting. Thank you for sharing. Hope it goes well for you fx and yes pls let me know x

@orangeloo I had two medications: Letrozole from days 3 to 5 of my cycle, and Ovitrelle after a scan that verified the size of my follicles so they could make me ovulate 24h to 48h later.
Letrozole is used to control estrogen levels (it is used to treat breast cancer, but also for fertility). Normally, when your estrogen levels are so high, your progesterone will be low.
But I also think Ovitrelle "supports" the luteal phase.
This cycle, because of Covid-19, I won't have access to Ovitrelle, but I can use Letrozole. I'll see how it goes and share the information with you.

@Morgane777 when you say you didn't have the spotting due to the medication, are you referring to the letrozole or are you on something else too?

@RealSmart1459 congrats of your pregnancy. Sorry on your losses. Everything crossed for you.

@Morgane777 sorry your IUI's didn't work. Hopefully when we are through the worst of this you can resume treatment soon.

I also just don't believe it's okay. One because I'm not pregnant 15 cycles in. And two no one can really tell u much about it, why is it okay? It's so frustrating

@RealSmart1459 Congratulations! I'm so happy for you and I really hope this pregnancy will go well for you! Keep us posted.
I also think this mid cycle constant spotting is not normal, but I don't know why doctors don't seem to care. I think they aren't a lot of empirical studies done on this, so they don't really know the causes. Hope we will get to have healthy pregnancies!

Hey all - update from me, after two early miscarriages in a row I’ve now made it to 9 weeks. Im still nervous and frankly don’t plan on telling work until 16 week scan - no need if I’m working from home. As mentioned what seemed to help for me was quitting my horse pill (pre natal) and moving to the b complex and folic acid and an iron supplement. The spotting I did get the past cycle was likely implantation bleeding as it was happening much later in my cycle. This last cycle I also quit caffeine (which I’m sensitive to anyways). This is obviously no guarantee on the spotting but I’m convinced it helped so I’m really glad this board had all those suggestions. I’m not out of the weeds yet but wanted to give hope to those who were like me, frustrated with health care providers brushing off the mid cycle bleed while TTC. You are right to be frustrated. There is no chance in my view that it’s “normal” every cycle and there has to be a way to minimize or eliminate it.

@orangeloo I'm working from home as well.
Didn't have any spotting the last two cycles thanks to the medication. Had two IUI inseminations but no BFP :(
Now, they are putting everything on hold because of COVD-19!!
I asked one of the doctors that did my ovulation ultrasound last time about the mid-cycle spotting, and she said it was ok and shouldn't affect fertility.
Then I had an appointment with my endocrinologist and I told her my spotting had disapeared with the medication and she said it was surely because of my progesterone levels.
So I don't know what to think. Doctors don't seem to agree. But I believe the latter.

Hi @Morgane777

I'm okay, working from home trying to keep my anxiety down, limiting socials media and the amount of news I digest.

Nothing new for me, still spotting really cut down on booze will see if that makes a difference but it's a weird time to think of ttc anyway. Was due a HYFOSY early next month to test my tubes but can't see that going ahead now. How are you?

Hello ladies,
How's everyone?
Any good news here?