Regular pre-af spotting anyone?

[GingerBrummie]

Hi there,
Im 38, DH is 47, TTC #1. On 27th month of trying!! Have first NHS IVF booked in Dec, but of course I would love it to happen naturally.
Ever since coming off the pill I start spotting around 5 days before my period every month guaranteed. Ive had literally every test there is, progesterone is excellent, no fibroids, polyps etc, all bloods are good. I think the spotting must be hormonal somehow as its cyclical & therefore if it was a physical thing like a fibroid it would be all month round.
Im on prenatals plus taking B-complex, Ive done 6months of acupuncture plus tried chinese herbs & nothing makes any difference to the spotting. Ive seen 2 very good RE privately & they confirmed this spotting wouldnt stop my conceiving but they still dont know exactly why I spot. Ive read loads of stories where woman had the same problem & still conceived so Im not massively concerned BUT I guess I just wanted to hear from anyone else that gets this spotting or had it in the past & managed to conceive.
Thanks for reading

Yes I had this. Mine was for about a week before af was due. Had loads of tests too and it didn’t flag anything. I tried vitamin b and acupuncture too. The only thing that made it stop was progesterone pessaries so I do think it was progesterone related. My gynae also said it shouldn't be a barrier to conception. However after 3yrs we didn’t conceive naturally and so went for ivf and now have DS.

Sorry it’s not that helpful or a miracle story. I did also read loads of story’s about ladies with the same issue who conceived with no problem. We had a thread going on it that you might also want to read:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/2998852-Long-time-luteal-spotter-anyone-else

I have this issue! Sometimes for up to 7 days beforehand. I literally know I’m not pregnant sometimes only a few days after ovulation. What’s a 2 week wait?? We haven’t managed to conceive either, this is my 25th cycle. Starting IVF next year but unfortunately found out my AMH is low. Trying to hope they’re not connected ☹️

Thanks @Betsyboo87 and @Pumpkinspice77 for replying.
Im sorry who also have the spotting issue. I should have said Ive also recently (last 3 cycles) started take progesterone pessaries after ovulation but it literally made no difference to my spotting. So sadly I cannot seem to find any easy fix.
@Betsyboo87 Im glad IVF worked for you, I start it end of Dec. Thanks for that thread, I will take a read now.
@Pumpkinspice77 do you have any children already? have you considered Clomid or letrozole, it can be used in unexplained infertility to help boost ovulation. Im on 3rd month of Letrozole (femera) & have a trigger shot (cos Im literally trying anything now) plus the pessaries. Im 10dpo & started my usual cramping & spotting yesterday. On the plus side, I get follicle tracking with the letrozole & Im always producing good mature follicles so it definitely works plus I always have a good lining & DH sperm is good. Im thinking it must just be our combined ages but spotting doesn't help Im sure....

Hi- can't offer any great stories of success as I haven't started my IVF yet (starting this month) but since coming off the pill last year i have started spotting a few days before my period and i have a luteal phase of only 11 days. My progesterone tests were fine. I started seeing a fertility naturopath a couple of months ago and she has put me on Vitex (otherwise known as Agnus Castus/Chaste tree). It is meant to help stabilise hormones. I only started taking it this cycle and I'm only on day 22 so not sure if it has worked yet but could be worth looking into? It does seem like many woman seem to conceive ok with luteal phase spotting so hopefully not a big issue. Good luck xx

Hi @Jane1284 thanks for your advice. I looked into Vitex but was too worried it may alter my cycles, it seems to have mixed reviews. Ive only got 1 cycle left before IVF so will try Letrozole again for last time. I think my problem is the unknown... i hate not having a conclusive reason for the spotting, but everyone seems to say the same thing... doctors arent concerned so long as luteal phase is good (mine is always 14 days). Best of luck with your IVF this month

@GingerBrummie that's great you have a decent luteal phase. I wouldn't worry too much about spotting in this case (easier said than done).
Thank you. I hope you have success with Letrozole and don't have to do IVF! x

Thanks @Jane1284 X

For me it was a symptom of what turned out to be severe endometriosis. You can have it without typical pain, heavy periods etc. It stopped once I had surgery to correct it but sadly IVF hasn’t worked so far.

Sorry to hear that @jcurve, I hope you get some good results with IVF soon.
They checked me for endo & said I dont have it. I guess I may never know the answer!

The exact same thing happened to me and my outcome was the same as @jcurve. I had a laparoscopy and they removed mild endometriosis. This drastically reduced the spotting to 1/2 to 1 day only. Unfortunately, it didn't solve my infertility though. They can only diagnose endometriosis via laparoscopy. I'm not saying you definitely have endometriosis but it's something to mention to your consultant. Good luck. X

Same, my endo was not visible on MRI or ultrasound and missed by two top London fertility consultants. It was only discovered during laparoscopy.

Thanks @jcurve and @SpyroC. Question on your spotting, when did you start in your cycle? Was it always the same time every month?

My cycles were pretty regular but the spotting would very vary from 2-5 days. I suspected I had endometriosis due to other symptoms. I actually thought it might be to do with low progesterone as my results for this were on the low side of normal on day 21 however, it can't have been in my case as the laparoscopy solved it.

Thanks for responding @SpyroC
In my case its so coincidental that it started when I came off the pill & never happened when I was on the pill or before I went on it so I still think my hormones must be a little out of whack. Nonetheless I will still ask my RE if she can put a camera up there just to be certain!

@GingerBrummie same for me. No problems whatsoever on the pill, it masks so many issues. Unfortunately, a hysterscopy wouldn't see endo. The only thing that does is laparoscopy which is a camera through a surgical incision in your abdomen. I only had it as treating endometriosis with the surgery solves infertility for many women but not all (including me).