Spotting in luteal phase

[Emi88]

Hi all,

I spot consistently in the week leading up to my period. I just got my progesterone blood tests back which show that I am not low in progesterone. I have had clear smears and an internal scan which also came back clear (no polyps, endometriosis, HSG fine etc).

Just wondering if anyone else has had unexplained spotting the week before their period and if there are any recommended treatments? (My doctor does not recommend progesterone as that is not the root cause).

Also wondering if it is possible to conceive with a short luteal phase, if there are no other identified problems.

Thank you.

Hi, I have had spotting from around CD 24/25 for at least a year. Some times it lasts until AF comes around CD29 other times it goes away after 48 hours.

Smear clear, I didn't get as far as having the progesterone tests as I have had a positive test but I was booked in for them the next month. I don't think I have a short luteal phase as doc told me to count CD 1 as first day of full flow. I think the cervical ectophy I got during first pregnancy and that I still have is the cause of my bleeding but if you had that they probably would have seen it when they did your smear.

Oddly I didn't have the spotting the month a got pregnant x

Hey! I had this every month and it was due to a cervical erosion/ectropian. I had mine treated with silver nitrate but there are other options too! Good news is, if it is the erosion/ectropian, it didn’t get in the way of TTC and I’m currently 37 weeks pregnant after 8 months of trying.

Thanks both for the reply!

Really positive to hear it didn’t interfere with your TTC (congrats! 😀)

Can I just check how you were both diagnosed with cervical ectrophy? Like @Tryingtoconceivenumber2 suggests, is this something that likely would have been picked up in my scan or is there a different process of diagnosing?

Also, does cervical ectrophy only cause spotting in the lead up to your period or is it throughout your cycle? And has the spotting continued throughout pregnancy?

Will definitely speak to my GP about this, thank you!

I've always spotted before my period. When not TTC it's really useful as an early warning.

Anyway, I had a very long TTC journey and every doctor I saw stated that the spotting was no barrier to conception. I do have an ectropion that was only diagnosed recently. I think that has caused it all this time. It bled in pregnancy too a bit.

The spotting doesn't count as period so your luteral phase isn't effected.

I did finally get pregnant naturally and with my second it didn't take anywhere near as long to get pregnant.

@Emi88 so I don't think I had it until pregnant with DC1 it can be caused by hormonal changes. They have to see your cervix I don't think it would show on a scan.

Mine was diagnosed when at 20 weeks pregnant I woke up to a lot of blood. Naturally I thought I was misscarrying and went to hospital.

They did an internal exam and spotted it then. By that point I was still bleeding badly so they packed my insides and left me for an hour or so. This did the trick. They told me I could bleed again but I didn't for the rest of the pregnancy.

Generally mine doesn't bother me. It occasionally bleeds when I have sex in a certain position and on last smear it was still there. I only ever had spotting in 4 to 5 days before period sometimes would only be for 24 hours. Hoping it won't bleed in this pregnancy but we shall see x

@Emi88 it was a long process for me to be diagnosed, as the doctors were ruling out more serious issues first. I’ve actually had an ectropian twice - first time fixed for 3+ years with silver nitrate and the second time either the silver nitrate or pregnancy sorted it - and even when I knew what it was the second time, it still took over a year for the doctor to diagnose it (thanks to covid and a useless doctor - definitely a lesson in advocating for yourself!!).

The way they diagnose is through an internal exam - they can usually see the problematic cells, I think especially if they look during the luteal phase as they bleed when you poke them. The bleeding was only during the luteal phase for me, I believe due to the changes in hormone levels ☺️ Definitely get your doctor to have a look, as it’s a really simple fix if an ectropian is the issue.

I always spot from early 9dpo. I’m now 19 weeks pregnant. I had progesterone tests too which showed no progesterone issue.