Please help! Doctors being useless

[ronson435]

Hi,

So we are TTC for the last 6 and half months, for the last 5 months I have had continuous spotting/bleeding once I have ovulated, so I ovulate on day 16 I know this due to using ovulation tests, by day 19 I'm spotting then I bleed until my period turns up. Does anyone have any ideas? Doctors have basically said they won't do anything, any suggestions where I can actually get a some help to get this looked into it?

I know in our area gynae are only looking at referrals under the 2 week wait for cancer due to the pandemic & our sexual health centres aren’t even seeing people. However, I would have expected the suggestion to book in with the practice nurse for a swab, just to rulue out any infection as a cause.
I’m assuming, as it’s happening after ovulation, then it’s happening after sex. Could you phone and book a telephone consultation with the practice nurse and request swabs, just to put your mind at rest?

However,
Ovulation bleeding is vaginal bleeding during or immediately before or after ovulation, which occurs roughly in the middle of a menstrual cycle. Changes in estrogen levels are often the cause of this type of bleeding, and light spotting around ovulation does not usually signal a serious problem

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/what-causes-a-woman-to-bleed-after-sex/

I'm a spotter. I spot from about 7dpo to period. When not trying to get pregnant I like it as it's a nice early warning. I have also been known to spot around ovulation as I have a sensitive cervix and those combined can mean spotting on and off for my LP.

We had fertility issues and I saw many many doctors. Every single one agreed that spitting in itself is no barrier to conception.

Unless you're over 35 or you already have a diagnosed condition they won't start fertility testing until you've been trying for a year. That is because 80% of couples will get pregnant within a year. It's only a minority of us who take longer.

All my tests came back with unexplained infertility and my spotting was no barrier to getting pregnant. As it happened I managed to get pregnant naturally just before we started IVF.

I know it's hard, but try not to worry yet or self medicate with progesterone.

There is a good book called the Period Repair Manual which has some more information you might find useful

Thanks for your replies, it's just a nightmare, like today I'm on day 26 and I'm bleeding fairly heavy this morning and its got lighter throughout the day, I have never had this before so just a little worried, like I would like swabs and maybe a blood test etc.

Apologise I just posted under a new username, I'm the OP

So i don't spot after sex, it's just literally after ovulation like it's hormonal related.

Doctors are being "useless". They're working through a global pandemic.

@yellowsunset I would just like them to help me, I just want a plan of what can be done to investigate. Bleeding for 3 weeks of a month is horrendous.

You are aware people are dying, aren't you?

I'm not a doctor but I bet I am accurate that you don't produce enough progesterone. I would imagine you probably do not ovulate as often as you think you do and rather than a period, you are experiencing 'breakthrough bleeding'. Both of these things are unpleasant but they aren't about to kill you.

If you are desperate to get this sorted instantly I suggest you pay privately to meet with a gynaecologist. A friend of mine was seen within 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, so much non urgent treatment has been stopped during the coronavirus pandemic. Your condition sounds horrible to deal with, and it is affecting your TTC, but it's not something that can necessarily be dealt with right now.

If your wanted to, you could discuss going on the pill (or other method) to see if it can stop the bleeding, although this would obviously mean you need to pause TTC.

Thanks @October2020 and @InsideOutChickenParm I'm well aware people are dying, I just wanted suggestions for ideas as to what's happening, which I thank for both being helpful.

Oh come on, that's not fair @October2020, she's bleeding and it's a new symptom and she can't seem to get any help. A little rant on MN whilst looking for similar stories or some helpful ideas is allowed, surely?

I'm sorry if I was harsh but I honestly think you need to see this a little more clearly. Even without coronavirus, you would wait a year before an infertility referral - then a 6 month wait for an appointment - it took me nearly 2 years to even see a gynaecologist, let alone then get the treestment I needed (and ultimately I paid privately because there was a 9 month waiting list for surgery on the NHS!).

WITH coronavirus, anything non urgent has stopped. Spotting after ovulation (which is not guaranteed to be happening even with a positive test) is not a sign of cancer in the way that bleeding after sex would be. If you want help with infertility then you need to wait another 6 months before getting an NHS referral.

In the meantime, try to find things that help you chill out. I don't mean that in a 'relax and it will happen' way - pregnancy really doesn't work like that! - but in a, if you get this stressed about this then the process of infertility is going to kill you way. Hopefully you will conceive just fine but if you don't, you're in for a hell of a ride. And nobody is going to fix any concerns you have instantly.

Thanks @October2020 thanks for your reply, I know we are in the middle of the pandemic and do understand that things won't be the same for a while. I am just finding it hard with the constant bleeding.

Just to add, I'm using a clear blue advanced monitor which tracks oestrogen and LH and it's come up on a peak for the last 3 months on day 16, which is why I think I'm ovulating.

I appreciate you think that. However, positives on those tests do not prove ovulation (trust me). They just prove that your hormones rise in preparation for ovulation. I have PCOS and mine go positive but I only ovulate about 30% of the time.

What did help me prove ovulation was using an ovusense monitor. It is a temperature tracker that you wear in your vagina overnight and it tells you if you have ovulated. Not cheap but in the grand scheme of infertility it was a drop in the ocean and saved my sanity knowing what my body was actually doing.

Thank you so much @October2020 I will look into that!

Late to this but I had spotting and they referred me for an ultrasound to rule anything out. I'm not ttc (too old) and they thought it was hormonal. I would insist on a referral. Not fair you should have to pay. That's what we pay tax, ni etc for