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

[Whysoserious]

Morning ladies!

I have bleated on about spotting before AF a lot now on these conception boards and have realised that it does seem to happen to a log of people, can be for many different reasons and also people can be fobbed off by the doctors as "nothing to worry about".

My periods were normal until last August when I started getting brown spotting 4 days before AF came in full force.

I have googled and googled and there are lots of threads of women TTC with this mysterious affliction, but they only last about 20 posts so you can never find out what the outcome was. What were they treated for? Did they manage to conceive? And the one that I'm always desperate to know the minute I start spotting every month; did they get the spotting the month they conceived?

So I want this thread I be a place for TTC mumsnetters who spot before AF to come and share their experiences and stories and support. The information out there is so conflicted so it would be so good to keep this one going until we get some answers and some BFPs!!

@orangeloo it’s deffo thinner then my usual spotting. Not sure about you but brown spotting is usual quite thick. This seems to be quite watery. It’s amazing what a low dose aspirin can do. Not sure what I prefer. Thin red or thick brown. The choices are endless. What a treat we have every month

@Bubblybub 😂 yes brown def seems thicker. I know it's so pants! We just want a baby FFS ppl get them by accident 🙄

Hi just to update on those progesterone tests I mentioned a while back. I managed to get some 'proov' tests sent to my OH when he was working abroad before lockdown. They are American and can't ship to U.K. they test progesterone. You test 7,8,9 & 10 dpo to give you a better picture of healthy ovulation/ progesterone levels. Mine was negative for adequate progesterone levels from 8DPO which coincided with my spotting that started 8DPO. Which is what I've long suspected and even suggested to gp and gynae and they rubbished my theory. As my blood progesterone tests 7days after Ov have always been fine. However I now have the proof that after 7 DPO it falls too much too quickly. I'm going to seek a private consultation and want to try progesterone supplements first if they don't work then I guess it will be some ovulation strengthening drug. Sorry for the long post and this won't be of interest to all of you but anyone who spots regularly before 10DPo may be of interest. If you know anyone in a country they do deliver to they could then send the. Onto you. X

Hi all,
@orangeloo recommended I join this thread as I'm an ad hoc spotter, some cycles fine some not.
I'm a walking pill popper and talked to my consultant about spotting and unfortunately she was very dismissive of it and said as long as I don't have other PCOS or Edno symptoms there's nothing to worry about despite us TTC for 20 cycles and only 1 chemical during that time.

You ladies are a wealth of information on spotting and quite a lot to digest and read up about

@Bubblybub that (isoflavone) seems like a good choice for women that are not taking any medicine or do not have any hormonal issues!

So I had my appointment with the doctor today. As @orangeloo said, my cycle starts the day I have a full flow, so I took Letrozole wrong this cycle! He says it is OK, but maybe less effective if I took it some days before expected.

He also asked how long before AF I had spotting. I said I had it for 4 days. And he told me 4 days was OK. So I don't know if more than 4 days is not considered normal.

So that's for the news.

We still have to wait to come back to normality before doing anything else to help me get pregnant. While waiting, I will continue with Letrozole and DTD the natural way!

@orangeloo so you have proof! That's quite interesting! Sometimes we need to take matters in our hands. Medicine is not an exact science, and doctors often go with the "try and see". You now have important information for your doctor. Hope you can make an appointment soon!

Welcome @Kiza, you'll find a lot of support here!

@orangeloo that’s really interesting. I need to get hold of some!! I don’t no anyone out there though which is annoying. Why don’t the UK do something like it. Ridiculous. Not sure what happened to mine then as I spotted from 1dpo this month haha!! Only a 8 day luteal phase though if I come on when expected on Friday.

Welcome @Kiza,

@Morgane777 yes we definitely need to be own own fertility advocate. No doctor knows everything and we know our bodies. I've never been satisfied with gp and gynae saying my spotting is fine and won't stop me getting pregnant. Well something is!?

@Bubblybub they are trying to get clearance to sell to U.K. Hopefully they will get it soon. Proovtest.com but your being referred when this is over so I wouldn't worry. I'm sure a fertility specialist will recognise that an 8 day luteal phase is not ideal and try help you with that straight away.

I always spot before my period, sometimes it's for a few days before, sometimes longer. And sometimes I spot mid cycle too, although that's not as much of a problem as it was a couple of years ago. I don't ovulate every month though so I'm not sure if there is a correlation.

@PancakesAndSyrup do you track your cycles? Would be interesting to see if you can see some kind of pattern. Rap with ovulation/ not ovulating.

Hello, I commented on this thread back in October, as a fellow spotter.

When I joined I was spotting for up to five days before AF was due and having mild cramps too. In October, the spotting started a lot earlier than this - which obviously worried me. However AF didn’t arrive that month and I got a BFP! Unfortunately, I miscarried at 8 weeks and when cycles were back to ‘normal’ the spotting persisted, but periods more irregular.
Beginning of March had a bout of bleeding after sex, which I saw the doctor about immediately (was too soon to be my period but around about time of ovulation) - doc took a few swabs and all was fine. AF never arrived again and got a BFP on 20th March. Now 10 weeks 3 days pregnant and hoping for a more positive outcome this time.

Sorry for the essay, I suppose what I’m trying to say is, for me really early spotting is a positive sign - must be something to do with implantation. And the spotting I experienced before my period was no reflection on my fertility. For those who may have concerns spotting isn’t always a bad thing. Some of us just bleed more than others.

@Pipbin this is great to hear. Sorry for your loss on your first. Did they ever say you had low progesterone or anything ? Best of luck with your current pregnancy x

@bubblybub.
I think you might have @ the wrong person there. I’ve not posted on this thread in 8 years and I’m certainly not pregnant!

Thank you @bubblybub - In my experience they have never been too bothered about all of the spotting, even though I have raised it several times. I did wonder about progesterone, as I read that can be a contributing factor to successful pregnancies. But the docs have never mentioned it, no. I suppose it’s something they would look into re: multiple m/c? Sorry, I’m not sure if that helpful at all

@PipTed thanks for sharing your positive story! This gives hope! Hope your pregnancy goes well!

@Pipbin deffo typed the wrong name sorry! @PipTed I’m so glad you came and shared that with us as it gives us all hope! Xx

Hello! I’m danni , 31, married 3 1/2 years. Diagnosed with Endometriosis 18 months ago and desperately TTC ever since but with Zero luck

But this month my cycle day 1 was 10/4/20. Ovulated 21/4/20. Brown stringy CM on 3/5/30 (12 DPO) and period due yesterday 4/5/20 but no sign of period? When should I test!? Could I be expecting my BFP finally??????? . Please share any similar experiences or just thoughts !!!!! Going mad here!!!!!

@Educationstudiesstudent1234 your 14 DPO test away! FX

[sad]@orangeloo..... it’s negative . No period yet I don’t understand. I’m not sure if I can deal with yet another month of disappointment. I know some ladies have been TTC a lot longer than 18 months. But with my friends poppin them out left right and centre, the last year n half has felt a life time already. Struggling mentally with it all

@Educationstudiesstudent1234 well you are still In with a chance. Textbook answer would be if no af still in 48 hours test again. But that's easier said than done. Did you use FMU? If this month isn't it for you. It's completely understandable to feel sad and frustrated. Your at the worst point of the cycle too remember just be kind to yourself and do what you need to to pick yourself up and then try again. There's a thread for women who have been trying more than a year TTC first baby 1 year + thread 2 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/3696095-ttc-first-baby-1-year-thread-2 it can help to share if you feel like it. X

@orangeloo thankyou for the thread, will join as nice to speak to anyone in a similar boat.

Hello. Serial spotter here. Had a very robust cycle up until a few years ago (June 2016) when, out of the blue, I had 9 days of spotting prior to my period. Things have never returned to normal since.

I’m just curious to know if anyone else with persistent spotting has breast implants? I had mine put in just before my spotting issue started.

@titicaca86 hey! Yes I have them myself - but hasn’t got anything to do with spotting I’m afraid. I think spotting is deffo hormonal based in most people!

@titicaca86 I don't think your breast implants would be the culprit. I'm no doctor but for most it's hormonal of a fibroid etc. I'm like you spot from around 6DPO since March 2017 and spotted ever since. I sometimes wonder if it was triggered by stress or just by being not as healthy. Although I've tried since to be healthier and not always stressed. I think mine is low progesterone. Have you had any investigations?

@orangeloo do you mind sharing which progesterone cream you are using? Just wondering how to research which one to use?