Fed up with my pre-AF spotting

[cat8986]

As the title says really!

I’m absolutely fed up with my pre-AF spotting now. I’ve spotted before my period since I came off the pill in September 2019 anywhere from 2 days up to 7 days before!

Since TTC it’s been starting 7 days before AF every time. I started out hopeful, ‘could this be implantation bleed?’ etc, but this month it started again bang on 8dpo, with 7 days still to go.

TMI alert! It starts out a hint of brown, then pinky CM, before whoosh! Bright red blood before tailing off. But today, I’ve had ‘bursts’ of bright red blood through the day. No cramps or anything, and it tails off into brown spotting for a few hours or so before it happens again.

This isn’t my period, I’ve never had a short 24 day cycle before. I’m a steady 28/29 day cycle girl.

I came out the bathroom earlier as my DH walked back in from going to the shop. He’d bought my favourite wine to cheer me up and I burst into tears! That’s where my mood level currently is!

I don’t feel I read that much about other women spotting before their period and how bad it gets.

Does anyone experience this?
Did you still conceive?

My DH wants to me to go the GP but I feel they’ll just say ‘it happens’ and ‘come back when you’ve been TTC for a year’.

It would be comforting to know there are other women in the same boat.

Thank you for reading x

I'll keep this short but - I went to the GP with this in 2019. They still have to look into it, even if not ttc. They did blood tests and scans but found nothing.

Now we've been ttc for forever, I went to gp end of last year for a fertility referral. I've now finally been to the hospital and the nurse there said she thought it was progesterone related. I queried this as my day 21 tests (had 2) were both fine, 45 and 48. She trialled me on cyclogest last month for the LP. Guess what? Zero bleeding.
And i like you have bled every single month since coming off the pill in 2018. Sometimes for the last 3 days (if very lucky), sometimes 5, 7, or even every day from ovulation to my period! Its rubbish! And it can be anything from brown to like like a mini period. So don't leave it would be my advice. Even if they'll only do so much initially.

I've had this for the last five or six years. I asked my GP who tested my day 2 and 21 progesterone levels and said they were fine then told me it happens. Surely spotting/ light bleeding from day 8 or for about a week before a normal period starts can't be normal?!
After 18 months of trying, we eventually conceived my son. After two years of trying for a second, we were referred to fertility consultants. I've seen four different ones and have spoken to them about spotting each time and none seemed interested or to consider that it may be related to our fertility problems (we both had every test known to medical science and eventually ended up with an unhelpful diagnosis of secondary infertility).
I don't really know what to do at this point.

I came to say what the PP just said- spotting for days before your period could indicate low progesterone which can make it difficult to conceive. I also have a short LP and I’m thinking I might have low progesterone. Going to keep TTC for another couple of months before I go to the GP. Don’t let your GP fob you off when you go. Keep pushing or go to a private clinic if you have to

@paintfairy thank you for sharing your story. It sounds so similar to mine and I fully take on board your advice to go to the GP.
I have actually submitted an online form tonight to the GP reception requesting to start investigations. My DH can’t bear how upset I get when I spot, even before we were TTC, so I knew I had to get things moving.

Great news that your treatment has worked. Was it just this last month you’ve had that treatment? I hadn’t heard of cyclogest in all the reading I’ve done, is that a tablet, or something you have to take? And is it directly related to aid progesterone as the nurse suspected, or help in another way?

The relief of not spotting must be incredible!

@Glitterandunicorns 5 or 6 years is such a long time. Being told by the GP ‘it happens’ is exactly my fear, as like you, how can it be normal!? Even Dr Google says it’s not normal and he’s right about everything right!?
Massive congratulations on your DS though.
Did you spot the cycle you conceived him? If so, was it any different?
I really hope for you that you go on to conceive another DC. I can’t imagine how frustrating all those dr appointments must have been and it’s worrying to hear they dismissed your spotting too

@Koolandorthegang thank you for your advice. I’ve read a lot about low progesterone and suspected it could be that. I’ve tried taking vitamin B6 during LP as I read that helps, but not for me.

Good luck on your TTC journey x

@cat8986 cyclogest is progesterone in pessary form. I used one a night (she said if it didn't work, we can try it twice a day) every night after ovulation. She was only trying it with a view to future treatment (likely IUI) but wanted to see if it did the trick. And it did. Yes I used it on my last cycle. I did a test to make sure I wasn't pregnant and then stopped using it after 13 nights. AF was a day late (did expect it to delay it) but I had zero spotting and no warning AF was coming. It just arrived in full from nowhere! I've never had that.
I doubt the gp would give it as standard, I'm really not sure? But they certainly should look into making sure there's no problem. I did get referred to gynaecology initially (because we weren't ttc back then) but they couldn't find anything and gave up.
How long have you been ttc and how old are you?

Out of interest- what pill was you on? I was on the progesterone only pill and I can't help but wonder if this causes issues!

@cat8986 Thank you! Tbh I can't remember if I had spotting, but I must have done as when we went for our scans, we were a month further along than I thought! I only took a test as I realised that I had been weeing a LOT.

We have had two MCs and an unsuccessful IVF round too. As part of the IVF treatment, I was given cyclogest and didn't have spotting in my period following it, but given how many hormones and other meds I'd been given, I'm not sure how helpful it is to compare.

Best of luck, OP.

@paintfairy
Thank you for providing the details. It’s good to know what potentially could be ahead for me, but of course I’m sure it’ll take a few tests and investigations to get to that stage.

I did have investigations into mid cycle spotting (nowhere near the heaviness it is now) and pain during 2019 and it turns out I had a small ovarian cyst which no one seemed to be bothered about. I wasn’t TTC so they wouldn’t go any further with investigations and treatment. I put myself on the progesterone only pill, supported by the gynae, to regulate and help with the spotting as I had been on that for many years previously and it really suited me in my 20s. No periods, no symptoms, just a care free and happy life! But when I took them this time (32 at the time) i couldn’t get on well with it at all. I had no regularity with spotting, and felt rough half the month. So I came off it and thats when the spotting before periods really started.

There really might be a link if the same happened with you? Do you think BC can have permanent after affects?

I’ve been TTC for 6 months and had been off BC for a full year before hand. I’m 34, and 35 in a few months. I’m hoping with my age they’ll take a bit more notice...

@Glitterandunicorns
Wow, a month further along! That must’ve been a surprise!

So sorry to hear of your MCs x

@cat8986 I just wondered if taking the progesterone pill sends things out of whack and stops your body making its own? No idea though.
Once 35 you only have to have been ttc 6 months to get help anyway. But they certainly should be scanning and checking there are no problems.

@paintfairy sounds plausible. I think doctors are so used to prescribing hormones to solve problems that in some cases it messes up our own hormones and are bodies can’t work without the fake ones!
That’s good to know. Knowing how many delays I’d be facing over the coming months, it makes sense to start the ball rolling now

Just to update, I have a telephone consultation with the GP next Tuesday, so hoping that will be the first step to investigations.

I’ve had such heavy brown bleeding this afternoon too, feeling really ‘full’ in my uterus, like I’m in the middle of a really heavy period. Barely anything on a pad, just in the toilet and when I wipe.

Making notes for the GP!

@cat8986 good, I hope you manage to get it sorted. I did track all my cycles so I was able to give exact dates as to when it happened and how long for etc.

I’ve been trying to conceive for 8 months, and have had this 7 days of bleeding before my period (from about 8DPO) twice in the last 8 months. Both times were after really traumatic life events. I have read that cortisol from stress can ‘steal’ progesterone. I’ve had two day 21 tests, one just under 30 and one just over. On a normal month I have a 28/29 day cycle, with spotting for maybe a day or two before. This month I just keep spotting (since 8DPO). Now on 13DPO. I was also on the progesterone only pill for ages. When I didn’t take the pill when I was 30 for a couple of years I didn’t have this, but at 37 I do. I’m going to go back to the doctor.