To go to see my GP about this, becuase it is getting difficult to cope with, but what will she suggest?

[mrsnesbit]

Disasterous fertility history, disasterous pregnancy history, now aged 41 accepted that it will never ever happen for us now.

But every month, without fail, i get strong pregnancy symptoms when my af is due.

Sore and tingly boobs, nausea, exhaustion, sometimes bang on 28 day cycle, this month, like many months, i am now 4 days late with strong symptoms.

It must be hormone related.

Its like torture, month in month out, its killing me every month.

Daft but i cant bring myslef to go on the pill or anyhting like that, while i have accepted it, a small part of me hopes.

Will GP suggest contraception do you think?

Well I for one have always had a 32 day cycle and it caused me to think I was pregnant many times until I worked that out.

You may simply be the sort of person who has a cycle that hovers between 28 and 32 days.

Therefore I doubt the GP would be looking to do anything about it unless you want them to.

Sorry to hear about your fertility problems but perhaps if you tell yourself not to become hopeful until you've passed the 32 days, it might help?

Ah mrsnesbit that's cruel. Those symptoms might be related to progesterone levels. Since I have been on mirena (which uses fake progesterone) I have had similar symptoms when my cycle is about to start.

Not sure what your GP could do apart from the usual PMS remedies of which you are right the pill is one. My GP has recommended I try a vitamin B complex (though I have other signs my vitamin B is low).

Hope someone who knows more comes along.

Thanks, some months i am up to a week beyond 28 days. When younger, i was a 28 day girl, probably peri menopause.

Sigh

The Doctor can do a blood test to see if its peri menopause.

I had given up, bought a dog, planned lots of travel and moved on following devastating history of miscarriage and stillbirth.

Then got pregnant, never believed the whole time it would end well, but it did and I gave birth at 42.

Don't give up - at least have a blood test to see whats going on.

Good Luck.

If I remember rightly from my midwifery training (was a while ago and have been out a few years now!), the pregnancy-like symptoms you describe are down to the progesterone circling at that time of the month - every month, after ovulation, your body basically assumes it's pregnant, and the corpus luteum (the bit left behind when you ovulate) produces loads of this hormone in the hopes of maintaining a pregnancy... thus you can get pregnancy-like symptoms, such as breasts tingling etc. Obviously, these then cease when the egg is unfertilized and menstruation happens...

Hope that makes some sense - essentially you are genuinely experiencing pregnancy type symptoms, because of the progesterone. Maybe your body is just becoming more sensitve to this hormone as you get older? The combined pill would probably help reduce these, but I can totally understand why you don't want to take it. What about supplements like Black Cohosh (no expert on this) that can help regulate hormones?

LOL even my poor uterus is hopeful

I think i may nip and get a blood test, because if the results tell me that yes, i am peri menopause, i will accept 100% that its over, and will go on something to regulate my hormones.

AFs getting worse, gushing bleeding, painful etc. so need to get sorted!

Ah mrsn - I remember that from trying ttc. It's heartbreaking - I could always cope with everything but the hope.

I don't have a huge amount of advice, only some hugs and empathy.

Go and see your GP and be really honest about how it is affecting you.

Take care of yourself and good luck with whatever you do

I could have written your post OP.

I am 43 now, and my cycle is exactly like yours, only bang on every 26 days up until I was 41, then occasionally I get a really short cycle, and sometimes a 30+ month... which is when I go mad with pound shop pregancy tests...

I feel exactly as you do.. so you have my utmost sympathy.

Thanks squeeky, nice to know we are not alone eh. Possibly you & i keeping pound shop going with mass purchase of cheepo preg tests!
Are you trying & hoping?

Tiny bit of blood yesterday, nothing at all since, but my afs are like that some times. small bleed then nothing for 24 hours then full blown horror!
I am expecting af tomorrow the cowbag! That will be 5 days late.
Oddly (for me) i havent bothered to do another test, just think that there is no point, im frantically prodding boobs, but they are now much less sore.

Gahhh, sod it, sod it all, im going to have a yorkie bar & a coffee for breakfast.