Brown spotting all month long and no ovulation now? Anyone relate?

[LolaInLove]

Anyone had very light brown spotting all month long (like every day outside of period, which were lighter than usual and only 3 days vs the usual 5)....I've had a few days of extreme, and I mean needing to take a prescription painkiller extreme, cramping here and there? I went to the doc last month on CD11 and she said my uterine lining looked perfect and she could see an egg cyst maturing just like it should be and about to pop out in a day or two.

Here I sit on CD13 this month with no cm at all, the usual brown spotting, a slight cramp in my uterus (not ovaries) like AF is about to come. Not a hint of a line on the opks. Normally I would have a super dark test line and be about to ovulate tomorrow.

Just looking for anyone who has had this and what your diagnosis was? I am going to go back to the doc in a week if I think I still haven't ovulated. Something has changed in the past 2 months (and no, not pregnant!) and now I have this wacked out cycle. It is freaking me out since I need to have good eggs for another year while we save up for our IVF cycle in Prague!!!!!

[Hobbermittens]

I have no idea, but I really hope they figure it out. It seems weird that your Dr didn't see anything last time, but maybe what she saw wasn't an egg---aybe it was a regular cyst? I think that can cause spotting.

[LolaInLove]

I asked her if it was anything abnormal, and she said nope, it was the egg cyst, the one I want there. Your ovaries form cysts around the eggs which bulge out....the "popping" of the cyst when the egg bursts out is what hurts and also what can cause the tiny bit of ovulation blood that some women have.

I am thinking I may have an imbalance of hormones somehow.....

[atomic sagebrush]

Too much or too little estrogen can cause that to happen. Are you taking any herbs/vitamins to increase fertility??

[TTC5]

Definately see your dr hun xxx

[Cinss]

Maybe because you only had a period for 3 days rather than your usual 5, the left over blood is just slowly making its way out, seeing as it is brown it is old blood. That would also make sense of the AF like cramps.

[LolaInLove]

Too much or too little estrogen can cause that to happen. Are you taking any herbs/vitamins to increase fertility?? That is what I am suspecting. I feel like I have too little right now. Do you think I should see if I can fill my old Estrace prescription and take that early next cycle? What if I take progesterone in this cycle's 2ww- will that make my body create more estrogen next month? Do you think stress can deplete estrogen? (Sorry for the ****** of Q's, Atomic!)

[LolaInLove]

Too much or too little estrogen can cause that to happen. Are you taking any herbs/vitamins to increase fertility??

All I'm taking now is a prenatal with DHA, fish oil, bee pollen/rj, and an antioxidant multi that has a bunch of stuff in it, but I just started taking the bp/rj and antioxidant about a week ago, so I dont' think they are the culprit. I do have an unopened bottle of Vitex, do you think I should take that?

[LolaInLove]

Maybe because you only had a period for 3 days rather than your usual 5, the left over blood is just slowly making its way out, seeing as it is brown it is old blood. That would also make sense of the AF like cramps.

Well, the cramps are few and far between, but it's abnormal for me to have a 3 day period too.....I have been suspecting my hormones are wacky, and now that Atomic mentions the estrogen, I think that is the problem. Since I don't think I'm ovulating either!

[LolaInLove]

Atomic, what about soy iso, is that something you think is worth a try for me?

[atomic sagebrush]

That is what I am suspecting. I feel like I have too little right now. Do you think I should see if I can fill my old Estrace prescription and take that early next cycle? What if I take progesterone in this cycle's 2ww- will that make my body create more estrogen next month? Do you think stress can deplete estrogen? (Sorry for the ****** of Q's, Atomic!)

No, not at all! I'm happy to help if I can.

I'm not sure if taking prog will help, but I DO think the estrace will help IF it's low estrogen. If it's HIGH estrogen, you'll only aggravate the situation (more bleeding, probably, but at least you'll have a clue what the issue is.) I hate to have you take it without your doctor's advice, tho. Bleeding all cycle long is obviously not normal and we need to get to the bottom of why it's happening. It could be that it's not even coming from your uterus and you have a cyst or cervical erosion (which can also be caused by low estrogen) that is causing the spotting.

[atomic sagebrush]

All I'm taking now is a prenatal with DHA, fish oil, bee pollen/rj, and an antioxidant multi that has a bunch of stuff in it, but I just started taking the bp/rj and antioxidant about a week ago, so I dont' think they are the culprit. I do have an unopened bottle of Vitex, do you think I should take that?

Hmmm...how much DHA/fish oil? They're blood thinners and may contribute to spotting.

I would prob. stay away from the vitex unless you get a clean bill of health from the doctor first. If you're low in estrogen, the vitex may make that worse. IF you're spotting because you're high in estrogen, then I'd take the vitex.

[atomic sagebrush]

Well, the cramps are few and far between, but it's abnormal for me to have a 3 day period too.....I have been suspecting my hormones are wacky, and now that Atomic mentions the estrogen, I think that is the problem. Since I don't think I'm ovulating either!

Shorter than normal period would be in line with lower estrogen.

[atomic sagebrush]

Atomic, what about soy iso, is that something you think is worth a try for me?

I'm wary about the soy iso because the phytoestrogens can sometimes confuse your body into thinking you have enough estrogen, and so your body actually makes LESS than normal (which obviously if you're low in estrogen, is a step in the wrong direction.) Plus, the phytoestrogen competes with what little estrogen there is for the estrogen receptors, and yet it doesn't work as well as real estrogen does, because they're not bioidentical.

[LolaInLove]

Hmmm...how much DHA/fish oil? They're blood thinners and may contribute to spotting.

I would prob. stay away from the vitex unless you get a clean bill of health from the doctor first. If you're low in estrogen, the vitex may make that worse. IF you're spotting because you're high in estrogen, then I'd take the vitex.

It's the same 1000mg fish oil I've taken for a few years now. The prenatal is Nature's Own with 200mg DHA added. I've been taking that for maybe a couple of months, which now that I think about it, maybe be concurrent with the weird spotting thing. Is it possible that too much can cause low estrogen? I really think that is my problem, because I have been stressed a bit lately with life stuff and when looking over a list of low e symptoms, I seem to have a number. I've been dryer than the Sahara also (but using preseed). I did actually just get a +opk, so I think I will ovulate late tonight or early tomorrow morning, but that is CD16 and later for me than usual.

I think I'm going to see what happens this cycle and the next one also....I have my annual with my favorite doc on July 12 so she will totally chat about it with me and give me whatever she thinks I need. Suspecting that the stress might be just messing with me. Do you think I should lay off the fish oil for a month and see what happens?

[LolaInLove]

And by the way, Atomic, THANK YOU!!!!

[LolaInLove]

I'm wary about the soy iso because the phytoestrogens can sometimes confuse your body into thinking you have enough estrogen, and so your body actually makes LESS than normal (which obviously if you're low in estrogen, is a step in the wrong direction.) Plus, the phytoestrogen competes with what little estrogen there is for the estrogen receptors, and yet it doesn't work as well as real estrogen does, because they're not bioidentical.

This is my worry too....I reread your essay about soy yesterday. Think I'll skip it for now! If my doc thinks I might need Clomid, maybe I could try the soy instead (and I'll ask her about that too, she is really cool and open to stuff like that....fwiw she is all about me going to Czech for IVF and said she will support however with monitoring, etc....wish every doctor in the world was as great as she is.)

[atomic sagebrush]

It's the same 1000mg fish oil I've taken for a few years now. The prenatal is Nature's Own with 200mg DHA added. I've been taking that for maybe a couple of months, which now that I think about it, maybe be concurrent with the weird spotting thing. Is it possible that too much can cause low estrogen? I really think that is my problem, because I have been stressed a bit lately with life stuff and when looking over a list of low e symptoms, I seem to have a number. I've been dryer than the Sahara also (but using preseed). I did actually just get a +opk, so I think I will ovulate late tonight or early tomorrow morning, but that is CD16 and later for me than usual.

I think I'm going to see what happens this cycle and the next one also....I have my annual with my favorite doc on July 12 so she will totally chat about it with me and give me whatever she thinks I need. Suspecting that the stress might be just messing with me. Do you think I should lay off the fish oil for a month and see what happens?

Well, my guess would be not that they cause low estrogen, but if you HAD low estrogen and your lining was inclined to slough, the increase in blood thinners (DHA, like fish oil, is a blood thinner) can contribute to that because your blood isn't capable of clotting quite as well. I think if you were at a tipping point, the blood thinners could def. push you over the edge into spotting.

If you've been on fish oil for a year, I think you're fine to continue that (and you should never quit any blood thinners cold turkey anyway). The DHA, I have mixed feelings about - strictly speaking if you're taking fish oil, you don't need DHA. Can you try a prenatal without DHA and see if the spotting clears up?

My concern with postponing till July 12 is that if it is NOT your lining, if the bleeding is coming from a polyp, cervical erosion, or fibroid (associated bleeding from these could also be triggered/aggravated by a sudden increase in blood thinners), then that's a long time to go without getting those things treated. Cancer is something else to consider (not trying to freak you out at all!!!) Please let me stress that it's very unlikely, but it IS possible and might manifest itself as spotting, and 2 months is a long time to wait, KWIM??? All too often, we wait to go in to see the doctor, then THEY want you to wait and see if it clears up, then you have to wait for testing...2 months can easily turn into 6 that way. I just want you to err on the side of caution.

[LolaInLove]

OH yikes, good point about needing to make sure it's nothing bad....I'll get in there next week! When my doc did an u/s of my uterus about a month ago to see what was causing the severe pain/cramps, she said she saw nothing but a good lining and an egg cyst about to pop, but nothing else.....perhaps I'll have her just check again. And yes, I can totally get a new prenatal. Thanks for your advice, as always!

[atomic sagebrush]

My concern is that if the lining is good, then you probably don't have low estrogen, and then where's the bleeding coming from??

Did she do an internal exam? A cyst on the cervix or cervical erosion wouldn't necessarily show up on even transvag ultrasound unless they were looking specifically for that.