Spotting??

[Puppmom]

Here''s my issue - DH and I have been TTC since June. I''m not terribly worried that I haven''t gotten a BFP yet BUT I have noticed that I spot for 4-7 days before my period EVERY month.

I had my annual visit about a month ago and mentioned it to my GYN. She said she''s not surprised because the capillaries in my cervix are very prominent (what the heck??) and she could see how they could bleed easily. She doesn''t think the premenstrual spotting is coming from my uterus. She said not to worry about it. My pap came back normal.

I honestly don''t know if I''ve always had this or I just notice now that I''m TTC. The spotting is light - usually brown - and I only notice when I wipe. I''m charting my BBT and it stays up until AF comes.

Anyone else experience this? If so, did you have trouble conceiving?

Any advice would be appreciated! If there''s any other info I can provide - feel free to ask.

 

[Clio]

Yes, I often have spotting right before my period starts. It made no difference with conception; we had 3 children pretty easily. I also had implantation bleeding/spotting with two of my pregnancies. Like the monthly spotting, it''s nothing to worry about.

As long as your doctor isn''t concerned, I''d say you''ll be fine.

 

[MonkeyPie]

More likely than not, your cervix is an easy bleeder - meaning that when you have sex in the days before AF arrives (when you are most fertile), the bumping against your cervix causes burst vessels and bleeding. It isn''t terribly uncommon - unless you have pain with it, I wouldn''t worry!

 

[Lanie]

Puppmom -- I have this same issue. It''s EVERY period for me as well. It makes it hard to determine when my period actually starts. I''ve read that when you see blood is when you should note it as CD1. But (I don''t want to get too terribly TMI here) sometimes it''s more than just brown discharge for me...it''s thicker. My gyno said I could note that as CD1 and I have, then it gets red a few days after that. So maybe I''ve been wrong this whole time and my period is later than I thought...who knows.

Having said that, I read if you take Vitamin B6 it helps with spotting. I take B6 supplements along with prenatals.
I did that myself last cycle and it didn''t make a difference with spotting for me but it made my luteal phase a lot longer. But again, that''s all arbitrary since a) I''m not exactly sure when I''m ovulating and b) don''t know when my period is actually starting.
Don''t know about spotting before periods and conceiving though. Hopefully someone will chime in with a little more info on that! I wouldn''t worry if she isn''t worrying. I''m sure you expressed to her that you guys are TTC, and if it were an issue that would impede fertility, she would/should have told you.

 

[drk]

Well, I was a habitual spotter when not on fertility meds. I''d often have spotting pre-O, and would spot anywhere from 3dpo to 7dpo onwards, with a 13d LP. I''d have anything from brown spotting (wore a pantiliner constantly), to dark red spotting with the added pleasure of drips in the toilet when I''d go to the bathroom. Turns out I''ve always had hormonal imbalances from PCO, with low luteal estradiol and progesterone. I did get pg once with just femara and progesterone support in the LP, spotting like made the entire time. With more aggressive ovarian stimulation and progesterone support, didn''t have spotting.

I was a participant on a babycentre thread on spotting a few years back. All the other women (except the one whose DH had severe male factor infertility as well) got pregnant despite their spotting. Yours really doesn''t sound all that bad. My doc did a luteal hormonal profile on me when I was really concerned about it and hadn''t gotten pregnant after 1 year of well-timed intercourse. I had bloodwork (for estradiol and progesterone) every 2 days from 3dpo till 11dpo. My levels were crap, but yours probably won''t be.

Lanie - All my teaching has said to count CD1 as the first day of full red flow. TMI ahead: Given the heavy start to my cycles, it was darn obvious when things changed from heavy dark red spotting to the thicker, slightly achy, way way heavier flow of AF truly arriving.

 

[Puppmom]

Thanks everyone!

Clio - I''m glad to know you are a regular spotter and spotted when you got your BFP. That''ll give me some hope that I''m not "out" each month when I spot.

MonkeyPie - no BDing around these parts as DH has had the flu so this here cervix is bleeding all on her own!

Lanie - I''ve been taking B6 with no results but recently read I should take it along with B12 for absorption. I''ll try that next cycle. Prenatals haven''t sit well with me. They give me a belly ache

DrK - I''m glad to hear all those women got BFPs despite their spotting. Like you, I definitely know when AF actually starts...it''s WAY different than my spotting. I''m assuming my levels are okay during my LP because my temps stay high...although I know that temps are always reliable either.

I guess I''ll just sweat this out and maybe revisit with my GYN if I don''t get pregnant within 6-9 months. In the meantime, I have to figure out how not to OBSESS during TWW!