Extended feeding,spotting

[Dizzylizzybee]

NC for this. Looking for experiences and some reassurance.

DS is 20 months. Been (mostly) exclusively expressing since birth as just couldn't crack BF. AF returned around 2 months PP and has been fairly regular since. Every 28 days and slightly lighter than before pregnancy but nothing hugely different. About 8 months ago I experienced some mid cycle spotting. I saw the Dr who (because of my sever anxiety about early menopause!) did blood tests. She said all was well, all levels normal for my age (34) and to stop stressing. She put the spotting down to the extended feeding and said totally normal. She was certain nothing to do with meno.

Since then I've been spotting on and off mid cycle, usually around day 14 but then today is day 19 and happened again. Not a lot, (sorry TMI) but when wiping. Not enough for san pro. No pain and no warning. AF still regular. Just the constant spotting for a day or two at a time.

We're TTC again and I'm so so anxious about early menopause. Not common in my family but I have a real fear of having left TTC too late and worry this is a sign that I'm never going to have more children. I worry about everything but this is the main one.

Anyone had any experiences of this?.I'm actually trying to slowly cut down now on the expressing with a view to stopping completely because of it. Can this be what's making my body go a bit haywire? I've no other symptoms of meno and otherwise fit and healthy.

Have you had a smear?? And why on earth are you still expressing - I mean, huge kudos to you but cows milk is fine now (I breastfed two toddlers but like hell would I have pumped beyond a year, that is hard core!!)

Had a smear about a year ago, all was well. Good question about the expressing, I guess it's just routine now but definitely keen to stop! Mostly to eliminate if that's what is causing the spotting but also because I want an extra 20 mins sleep in the morning! Should add I only express twice a day now, it has been gradually reducing over the months. At one point it was between 8 and 12 times a day. Would such few sessions now still cause haywire hormones?

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm at my wits end with worry and don't want to pester the doctor again when I feel otherwise well. I'm stressing that this is going to stop us ttc

I haven't experienced this - although as an aside I did get pregnant when extended bf without ever getting my period back at all, so please don't lose hope.

If I were you, I would now stop expressing, give up bf and see if that allows your hormones to settle down. If the spotting continues after that, I would go back to the doctor.

So no smear since the spotting started? I'd be inclined to have a repeat to rule anything else out

Thanks @whitebreadjamsandwich I'll suggest that. This all started months after a clear smear last year after I gave birth. I think I'm becoming a bit irrational in my thinking now, I've focused so much on early meno and how that'll stop us having another baby that I haven't even considered all the other possibilities.

Sounds like you're hardly expressing for it to impact your cycle enough to conceive. The spotting can be normal when expressing, however DO NOT ever think you're wasting the doctors time for wanting more checks. Your health concerns matter. You can also go to the sexual health clinic if you'd prefer - they will do an MOT on you for your concerns.

The benefits of breastmilk and what it contains is tenfold better than cows milk. Well done for exclusively expressing. Carry on as long as you want. If you want to wean, @thebreastfeedingmentor has great resources.

I became pregnant while breastfeeding and ended up tandem feeding. My period returned at 20months and I too had some spotting. That was 12 years ago. I'm currently breastfeeding my 6m old. Hope this helps.

Cycles sometimes change after a pregnancy.

Some women spot during ovulation. Not sure why.

Well done for expressing for so long! Has your GP tested your LH and FSH levels? I’d also recommend testing your AMH privately, which can be done at home for around £100.

Hi @GodspeedJune yes she tested Lh and other hormone levels and said they were all perfect. She said I absolutely wasn't peri and it was down to the feeding/pp hormones but I'm exceptionally anxious about it still. What is AMH?

AMH is a test to check your egg reserve. It’s only offered on the NHS on the infertility pathway, and it’s likely they wouldn’t be very helpful when you already have a child. If it comes back low, that doesn’t automatically mean you can’t have children, but it would give you more information about your long term fertility.

I have occasional spotting (also extended bf) and never thought anything of it, it’s quite normal isn’t it? Also 34 and thinking about a second! Well done for expressing for so long, it’s bloody hard work. You say there’s no family history of early menopause; is there a reason you’re especially worried about it? It sounds like anxiety’s doing some work here so I just wanted to send some support. Request more tests if they’ll put your mind at ease – you’re never bothering your doctor, you’re entitled to that care and investigation if you think something is wrong.

@AtLeastThreeDrinks thanks so much, your comment made me breathe a sigh if relief! I guess I wasn't sure if it is normal and what's why I'm worrying. Is it quite common? The GP wasn't in the elast bit worried and as I said, put it down to BF but it seems to be becoming more frequent and not just once mid cycle. How often do you experience it? It usually happens around ov time (so day 14ish) but has been stopping then coming back every few days. Its always very light, usually only notice it on wiping and no pain/any other symptoms. May even only have one time a day then it stops, it's very unpredictable. You're right though when you say anxiety is playing it's part too! I need to stay away from Google.

Sorry for the typos, trying to write while a toddler is grabbing for the phone!

Definitely stay away from google! I’ve always had spotting even pre baby and while on hormonal contraception, and anecdotally I know friends have too. Nurses at my smears and drs have never been concerned, I’ve been told it’s common so I haven’t thought anything of it. It’s not frequent for me (maybe every couple of months) and quite random in terms of when in my cycle. Ovulation spotting is definitely a thing and nothing to lose sleep over! Is your cycle fairly regular now? I had random bleeding all over the place before my periods properly returned, which I think was around 17 months post-birth. They’ve only settled down in the past couple of month (son is 2 now).

Had spotting around ovulation every month for years. Stopped a couple of years ago but probably approaching menopause now in my case ( will be 46 in October).

I’m 22 months into breastfeeding with my second child and I get exactly the same! After several months of mid cycle spotting I started doing ovulation tests and have come to the conclusion I am spotting around ovulation.

with my first this didn’t happen, so I was really confused! I too had Lots of checks but told all is normal and that bf can just mean things are a bit all over the place. I found this answer a bit annoying and dismissive because in my head it was out of the norm for me and therefore something to be concerned about - I’ve accepted it now

it did however take me completely stopping breastfeeding to conceive again. I know this isn’t the case for lots of people but we were TTC for 20 months and then ass soon as I stopped BF (which I was only doing once a day) I was pregnant straight away

@AtLeastThreeDrinks I think sometimes it is ovulation spotting as it ties in with other symptoms but it happens after ovulation too, on and off until my next period starts again. It's kind of like a bloody discharge when wiping and there's usually never anything in my underwear. Definitely not enough to need a pad or anything like that and no pain. Cycle is otherwise fairly regular and it's clear when my period starts,that's much heavier than what I'm experiencing throughout the month. I'm encouraged by the fact yours have taken two years to settle, thanks for the support!

Hi @TrashQueens thanks for sharing! Your message made me feel loads better actually because I'm absolutely terrified this is something that will stop us conceiving again. I've decided I'm going to stop the expressing so I can rule that out as being the cause. Tonight is night one of reduced pumping. Feels very weird!
When you say you get it at ovulation time is it mid cycle then stops completely til the next month? I get it around day 14ish but it stops and starts again every couple of days right up until my next period starts. Is this what you experience? I agree that the drs catch all response is quite annoying and in my case sends me to Dr Google which causes even more angst...

@Dizzylizzybee ok getting into TMI territory but

I get it around ovulation time (which is like day 17/18/19 for me because my cycles are more like 32-35 days. It’s mostly just brown spotting when I wipe for a few days

then it turns to pink on and off for the next week

and then I get pink spotting again in the few days before I get my period, which sometimes stops and then my period comes maybe on time, often late 😅 so it’s a bit all over the place!

and I only BF at bedtime/once or twice in the night to quickly settle the baby, I don’t express.

it definitely really surprised me because most people I know got their period back pretty regularly/back to normal quite quickly after having their babies.

and if it makes you feel any better - our first child took nearly three years to conceive.

we never took precautions while I was breastfeeding, and nothing was happening again. as soon as I stopped breastfeeding… pregnant! It was a big shock because it was the first month we really said “yeah we are definitely ttc again”

could just be a coincidence but I think it helped

As in I think breastfeeding was really good for me and maybe helped regulate stuff a bit more, and then it was like my body was ready to go when I stopped!

I had mid cycle spotting after my first baby was born, the GP initially blamed it on the contraceptive pill. I went for a smear after my second baby and it was discovered that I have a cervical erosion, it seemed to bleed -just light spotting - when I was ovulating. I had no issues with conceiving again. I hope this helps to put your mind at rest.

Thanks so much everyone, it has really been a huge help to read all your experiences of this and to know that it doesn't necessarily mean meno.

I skipped bedtime pumping last night for the first time in a bid to try and stop expressing. No blood overnight or this morning. The bleeding this afternoon seems slightly heavier but still a bloody discharge, just bright red instead of the usual pink or brown colour. Also got some very low level pain in my lower stomach,not unlike period pain. Definitely isn't a period though as this is only day 20. I think I'll call the Dr again tomorrow to ask for some more investigations. In the meantime I'm going to quite BF and see how that changes things. Thanks everyone, this chat has been a real help this weekend when my head's in overdrive.

Just wondering what happened in the end because I'm experiencing the same thing I could have written your post. I'm 5 months pp

How are you feeling OP? I'm also experiencing very similar symptoms to yours. BF a couple of times a day but very small amounts my 17mo.