Advice needed! Possibly pregnant or possible PMS/post pill hormones, or possibly just going insane!

[Delilah221]

Hi All,

Apologies in advance for the huge essay below, I just really need to get some advice and write this all down before me head explodes! (I have added some of this info in response to other threads, but wanted to add it all to a new one so I have all info in one place)

I’m going to try to keep things short as possible, but it may get slightly rant-y!

So a bit of background:

• I’ve been on hormonal contraception for 10yrs. First the depo injection and then the mini pill. I had no breaks at all in between, and no period. Only the odd brown spotting if I missed a pill every so often. And as I started contraception young, I have no recollection of any cycle/pms/cramping symptoms pre-pill which doesn’t help!

• I was then recently given carazette on my repeat prescription instead of the usual carelle and after taking that for around 4 weeks it did not agree with me at all so decided to stop all together to give my body a chance to get back to some normality.

• I took my last pill on the 8th of December. Then the following happened.
• 2 weeks after stopping, I had what I assumed my withdrawal. I woke up to a small amount of brown discharge (sorry TMI) and then used a tampon assuming I’d have more but had nothing at all after that one lot.
• The following week (then 3.5 weeks post last pill) I had spotting for 2 days, a light bleed for 1 day, followed by 2 more days of spotting. (All brown dishcharge)
• I decided to track all this in the app ‘clue’ more so to jot down all symptoms/dates of bleeds etc. And it predicted I would ovulate a week after the spotting/light bleed as it classed this as my period.
• Out of interest, I did an ovulation test the day before my predicted ovulation day and was incredibly shocked to see it was positive. So we DTD that evening and the next. And thought nothing more of it.
• Fast forward to 10DPO and my boobs are really sore, my nipples are incredibly sensitive and I’m feeling shattered. Put this all down to pms. Again, this all was really new to me.
• That evening in bed, my OH mentioned that my nipples looked really different. Bigger, darker and ive now got all these bumps around my aereola and my boobs are still really sore. So OH googled it and I was really surprise it’s an early sign of pregnancy. I thought surely not, it’s too early and haven’t even had a proper period. So I went to sleep.
• Next morning (11DPO) I did a test first thing and I got a faint positive, I was so so shocked I ran to show OH and he agreed there was 2 lines. So we went to the shop, got more tests and did another one an hour later. This came back negative straight away.
• I was very confused and was manic Googling and had various answers such as testing too early, chemical pregnancy, and Evap lines on test. (I ruled out the evap line as the line came up within 30 seconds and was clearly pink)
• Anyway, decided to wait and test again the next day (12DPO) and put 2 test in my pot of FMU and both came straight back with BFN! So so confused.

Now I’ve got the following symptoms and I actually developed all of these before even Googling them, I didn’t search “early pregnancy symptoms” then suddenly develop loads if that makes sense. And to be honest I put a lot of them down to pms! So wanted to get some other views! I have the following:

• My boobs have been getting more sore, very heavy and swollen and I have protruding little bumps all over my nipples!
• I’m shattered, irritable and have random heartburn.
• I have been feeling very nauseous the past couple of days and tonight, I decided to have a small glass of red, and I love a wine/beer but I took one sip of wine and instantly felt sick, to the pint of gagging! I told myself to stop being silly and took another sip and the same happened again! So told OH to finish it! (Very unlike me!!)
• I’m due AF tomorrow, according to my app, but again this is only my first month off the pill so still unsure if the app will be correct! Also had no significant cramps or anything to suggest AF is close. Other than the boobs!!

So thank you if you managed to get through that incredibly boring life story!! But I have the following questions/assumptions:
A) Has anyone else had anything like this before? Or had similar symptoms with BFN then get a BFP later?
B) could this just be PMS/post pill hormones causing havoc.
Or, C) Am I just overthinking it all and have just gone insane?! (Most likely!)

I’m currently writing this from bed, wide awake as I can’t sleep. Mainly because I’m worrying and also can’t sleep on my front like normal!! 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

Any response at all will be greatly appreciated, but also don’t blame you if you got a quarter of the way through the novel of my life story and gave up!!

Hello! Sorry this has all been such a mind f* for you.

What kind of test did you use when you got your BFP - is it possible it was a dye run?

The other thing I'd say is that ALL early pregnancy symptoms overlap with PMS symptoms so there's no point at all in googling yourself into insanity. They're all caused by progesterone, whether you're pregnant or not. And post pill hormonal craziness is to be expected - eg I got post pill acne, started losing hair, got really painful ovulation, messed up cycles etc.

Thirdly - if you find your period doesn't show up this week but you keep getting BFNs - don't panic either. If that's the case then odds are you didn't actually ovulate when you thought you did. Ovulation tests only tell you your body tried to (only temp tracking can help confirm if you did) and it's not unusual to have more than one LH peak so soon after the pill, or even anovulatory cycles.

Basically, be patient and try not to freak out :)

@Juno231 thank you for your response, I really appreciate it!

It was only an Asda’s one, but this is the only reason it’s been driving my crazy as it was deffo a faint positive! But followed by BFN it’s just confused me. And I don’t think it helped that when you look it up people are constantly saying how “oh I got a BFP then loads of BFN but was pregnant” etc so still had my hopes up a little bit.

The frustrating thing is, I didn’t even think twice about all the symptoms I had already told myself already it was PMS, but it’s only because of that stupid test that I’ve second guessed myself! I shouldn’t have taken in! 🤦🏻‍♀️

But thank you for your response, I needed to hear that and just snap out of the craziness!! Just a waiting game for AF now! 🙄

@Delilah221 I can't even imagine what it does to your head to get a BFP followed by BFNs. Where the other tests the same brand? Bear in mind different brands have different HCG thresholds so if it's early days you could be getting BFNs on certain types still.

Your best bet is a FRER - if that's a BFN then you can be pretty certain you're out.

@Juno231 - honestly if I hadn’t have got that I wouldn’t even have second guessed it. Because I’ve only recently come off the pill. But I was clutching at straws because every single site said “you can’t get a false positive” and I still had a tiny bit of hope. 😔

I used 2 different brands, the one I got a BFP on was an asda then I used a coop one and a sainsburys one! 🙄 I put two tests in the same FMU sample on sunday. Both BFN.

And also, if I’d have got a BFN and then looked half an hour later and it was positive I wouldn’t have believed the result as it’s past the time. But it came up straight away! That’s what’s made me second guess.

It also doesn’t help that I literally have no cycle what so ever so even though my app has predicted my AF today, I could be waiting another week, or month I don’t know. Frustrating stuff!

I just wish my boobs would stop hurting lol. I’m gunna try and hold out until Friday to do another test because I only go shopping on Fridays for a weekly shop so I’ll have to hold out until then!

@Delilah221 I think if you have had 2 negative tests the liklihood is no. I recently came off my pill in dec I had a withdrawal then just decided to crack on.. i then felt sick, was sick, spots, white bumps on nipples, tugging pain in belly, smell aversion, then exactly 28 days after withdrawal bleed 8 got AF. I was shocked as I thought i may have been pregnant because of all of the symptoms. I think post pill does create some sort of weird symptoms i think its the hormones/ chemicals flushing out. Its very early days try not to worry just yet hope you get a BFP soon xx

@TTCPLEASE - that’s what I’m thinking 🙄 need to be realistic! Not going to test anymore.

My app has now changed to “AF due tomorrow” so I think it’ll keep saying that until I put any info in when I do finally get an AF.

I think I agree, it must just be all the crazy hormones from the pill! Holding out for AF. Oddly though I’ve had all the same symptoms as you other than any cramps 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you! Hope you get your BFP soon 🥰

@Delilah221 unless something drastically changes id wait it you get AF and then start from then its too "up in the air" when you only just stop the pill/ depo. Think of the past month as a clear out then this month as TTC good luck 🤞🤞🤞

@TTCPLEASE yea good idea. It’s just my boobs that really really hurt! I’m just trying to wait it out now! Fingers crossed it gets back to some cycle in the next month or so. Thank you, and you! 🤞🏻🤞🏻

@Delilah221 I'm going through the exact same thing and feel your pain! AF is apparently due on Monday for me and I'm trying to not get my hopes up but it feels like forever away waiting for it to arrive!