Help!

[Focusfocus]

Hello dear MNetters

I'd really appreciate your help with this one.

I am on CD 20 today. I ovulated early (left side) on CD13. It's our first cycle trying and we DTD (sex plus AI) on CD 9, 11, 12 and 13.

I'd been getting pin pricks in my lower left abdomen off and on last week but since last night I have the most dull and churning AF cramps. If I can explain the sensation I would do this in two ways -

1. First it literally feels like a mass of blood I.e. AF is going to descend into my knickers an hour ago. But nothing is actually coming out.

1. If the bottom of my uterus was made of cling film, the feeling is like someone has gently placed a bag of stones on it.

It's a pulling downwards pure AF sensation. No other way to describe it. Churning, just like when you automatically reach for the tampons in your bag to head to the office loo.

AF is t due till 6 days later and in my 30 years of living I have never once had AF come early. I have always had an exactly 14 day luteal phase.

Can someone please share thoughts on wtf this is? The pin pricks I had yesterday were weird, there were nearly thirty of them, but this is like my period has begun,except that it hasn't. Am 8 DPO.

Worried :(

I posted on that other thread about cramping that you responded to. Here is my response again:

I'm pretty sure I ov'd Jan 12. On Jan 18 I had some serious period-like cramping. Since then I've had milder cramping off and on.

I did a bit of googling (hopeful and all that!) and found:

"Implantation cramps are light pulling or pricking pains, localized in the lower abdomen and occurring usually about a week before the expected date of the period onset. These spasms are associated with some melting of the uterine mucous membrane in the place of implantation. Because of this process the fertilized egg safely attaches to the uterine wall. Implantation cramps appear just once or occasionally, but more often they cease completely in a couple of days."

and

"Some women also experience abdominal cramping in the first few weeks of pregnancy, similar to menstrual cramps. Only a small percentage of women experience implantation bleeding or cramping, however, so you can miss these symptoms and still be pregnant."

So it's possibly a good sign!