Hey everyone!

[iseeicy]

Hi, my name is Gigi. I’m here to chat with other mommies and those planning to be soon to be moms.

I’m currently on the TWW. I’ve had a lot of symptoms, but I’ve watched a lot of videos on YouTube and read plenty of articles stating that period symptoms are similar to PMS symptoms. Except I know my body well and really think I’m in my early pregnancy stage. I get nauseous when I PMS, but it’s usually a few days prior to my period. I won’t be getting my period for another few weeks ago and been super nauseous for almost a week to the point where I’ve been wanting to vomit really bad. Having really bad sensitivity to smell to the point where even disinfectant that my coworker used made me want to almost run to the bathroom.

I also have cramps that come and go, but it’s every day. I feel super tired. And extremely moody. Sore throat, feel like I have a fever, etc. I’ve also had a lot of watery discharge and some mucus discharge. And been having to pee a lot.

I know how I am when I PMS and I strongly believe this is not me PMS.

Any advice? Pls feel free to comment.

I have to wait 13 days to take a pregnancy test, but my period (if not pregnant) should be here in 9 days.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Hi and welcome!

The thing is, that while sometimes we can absolutely be having obvious pregnancy symptoms and have it be truly pregnancy, it is also often the case where people have what SEEMS to be pregnancy and then it isn't. It's right sometimes, but wrong often enough that we've all learned over time early symptoms aren't able to be relied on. Not that it's wrong, but just that it's not reliable. I hope you're right and this is BFP for you!

[iseeicy]

Hi and welcome!

The thing is, that while sometimes we can absolutely be having obvious pregnancy symptoms and have it be truly pregnancy, it is also often the case where people have what SEEMS to be pregnancy and then it isn't. It's right sometimes, but wrong often enough that we've all learned over time early symptoms aren't able to be relied on. Not that it's wrong, but just that it's not reliable. I hope you're right and this is BFP for you!

I definitely know not to rely too much on symptoms. I’ve had pregnancy scares a few times in the past. But these are crazy so I’m scared a little. Thank you.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Yes I'm not trying to convince you that you're not experiencing pregnancy symptoms, because sometimes you can just 100% tell before a missed period (I could with my 3rd, no doubt about it). I'm just explaining why it is we can't rely on symptoms, because they're wrong often enough to be unreliable.

Why are you scared? Maybe we can help reassure you.

[iseeicy]

Yes I'm not trying to convince you that you're not experiencing pregnancy symptoms, because sometimes you can just 100% tell before a missed period (I could with my 3rd, no doubt about it). I'm just explaining why it is we can't rely on symptoms, because they're wrong often enough to be unreliable.

Why are you scared? Maybe we can help reassure you.

Very true. I’m just afraid because I don’t know exactly what’s going on with my body rn. Like I can tell when my period is about to come, but there’s a lot of different things going on that have me now not knowing if it’ll come or not. Just feel like I’m not as in tune with my body like I used to be. And then I want answers, like am I pregnant or not, but that’s a waiting game.


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[iseeicy]

Yes I'm not trying to convince you that you're not experiencing pregnancy symptoms, because sometimes you can just 100% tell before a missed period (I could with my 3rd, no doubt about it). I'm just explaining why it is we can't rely on symptoms, because they're wrong often enough to be unreliable.

Why are you scared? Maybe we can help reassure you.

Where did you feel twinges during your pregnancies?


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[atomic sagebrush]

Very true. I’m just afraid because I don’t know exactly what’s going on with my body rn. Like I can tell when my period is about to come, but there’s a lot of different things going on that have me now not knowing if it’ll come or not. Just feel like I’m not as in tune with my body like I used to be. And then I want answers, like am I pregnant or not, but that’s a waiting game.


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Ok. There's nothing to be afraid of. Try to keep in mind that until very recently we didn't even have the understanding of what was happening in our bodies, and couldn't know for sure that we were pregnant for even as long as a few months. But our bodies "know" what they're doing and can make all this happen without us knowing what is going on, it's all automatic and requires no effort or action on our part. Do you have any updates today?

[atomic sagebrush]

Where did you feel twinges during your pregnancies?


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With one of my pregnancies I had a lot of twinges and even cramping, altho I didn't realize I was actually pregnant till later on. I did have twinges in my lower abdomen with many of my pregnancies, all over the place, no specific spot, and they moved around.

With my 3rd pregnancy I had a really bad migraine that lasted for a week and my breasts were very sore, that's why I knew with him. Twinges didn't start till after missed period that time.

[iseeicy]

Ok. There's nothing to be afraid of. Try to keep in mind that until very recently we didn't even have the understanding of what was happening in our bodies, and couldn't know for sure that we were pregnant for even as long as a few months. But our bodies "know" what they're doing and can make all this happen without us knowing what is going on, it's all automatic and requires no effort or action on our part. Do you have any updates today?

Thank you!!! And not really it’s still the same, still nauseas. Wake up with nausea, and get it the most after I eat. So I have to eat in small amounts throughout the day and can’t eat certain foods.


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[iseeicy]

With one of my pregnancies I had a lot of twinges and even cramping, altho I didn't realize I was actually pregnant till later on. I did have twinges in my lower abdomen with many of my pregnancies, all over the place, no specific spot, and they moved around.

With my 3rd pregnancy I had a really bad migraine that lasted for a week and my breasts were very sore, that's why I knew with him. Twinges didn't start till after missed period that time.

Did you ever feel like you had symptoms before a missed period, or did you find out after you missed your period?

See I feel twinges everywhere sometimes and some times it’s on my left or right. I feel it in my lower back too.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, I did feel that I had symptoms before a missed period. With my 3rd son, I had the migraine and the breast pain, and then with my 4th I had a lot of cramping like I described above, before I would have expected to miss a period, but I didn't realize I was pregnant till later on because I was nursing and I wasn't ovulating with him. In retrospect I had breast pain with #2 and #5 and a long-time headache with #1 before I missed a period, but I didn't realize I was preggo till after the missed period.

The issue is that it's all so VAGUE and I have had a lot of symptoms where I thought "gosh that's just like being pregnant" in months I wasn't and couldn't possibly have BEEN pregnant. I have absolutely had REALLY severe and noticeable cramping that was ovulation-related, not pregnancy (and even if that's not in line with when you normally ovulate, this is possible because O can be delayed). I have had nausea in the 2WW a few times as well, when I wasn't and couldn't have been pregnant. My point is that a) these symptoms, or very similar ones, can happen in off months when you're not pregnant and b) some things are so very vague, like headaches or nausea and even cramping, that you just can't know on that basis till you miss your period. The only thing for me that's been VERY clear is that breast pain, which was quite distinctive. But even that I really only noticed a couple times in retrospect after I was already getting BFP.

all that having been said, if you're sure you ovulated, and you're noticing super intense cramps, I would take that as a promising sign and I hope it is what you think it is.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you!!! And not really it’s still the same, still nauseas. Wake up with nausea, and get it the most after I eat. So I have to eat in small amounts throughout the day and can’t eat certain foods.


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Well, nausea is one of the least reliable things I've seen as I've seen many many people having nausea and thinking they were pregnant when they weren't, and I have also had unexplained nausea sometimes after ovulation but before my period arrives, in months that I couldn't have been pregnant. Anything is possible but we're more often seeing pregnancy related nausea usually arriving after a missed period and not before.

[iseeicy]

Yes, I did feel that I had symptoms before a missed period. With my 3rd son, I had the migraine and the breast pain, and then with my 4th I had a lot of cramping like I described above, before I would have expected to miss a period, but I didn't realize I was pregnant till later on because I was nursing and I wasn't ovulating with him. In retrospect I had breast pain with #2 and #5 and a long-time headache with #1 before I missed a period, but I didn't realize I was preggo till after the missed period.

The issue is that it's all so VAGUE and I have had a lot of symptoms where I thought "gosh that's just like being pregnant" in months I wasn't and couldn't possibly have BEEN pregnant. I have absolutely had REALLY severe and noticeable cramping that was ovulation-related, not pregnancy (and even if that's not in line with when you normally ovulate, this is possible because O can be delayed). I have had nausea in the 2WW a few times as well, when I wasn't and couldn't have been pregnant. My point is that a) these symptoms, or very similar ones, can happen in off months when you're not pregnant and b) some things are so very vague, like headaches or nausea and even cramping, that you just can't know on that basis till you miss your period. The only thing for me that's been VERY clear is that breast pain, which was quite distinctive. But even that I really only noticed a couple times in retrospect after I was already getting BFP.

all that having been said, if you're sure you ovulated, and you're noticing super intense cramps, I would take that as a promising sign and I hope it is what you think it is.

Yeah, I’m not sure. I had sex around the time of my ovulation. The Flo app says it was my first or second day. But I also see mucus after I wipe from my behind and some in my vaginal area. I’ve been seeing that for a couple of days now and thought it’d go away on its own and it hasn’t so I made an appointment for urgent care tomorrow morning. Because I’m also losing weight from not eating as much as I want to due to getting nauseas after. Also the inside of my stomach burns. And I get a lot of twinging in like my butt, breast, and abdomen area. Maybe gastric acid.


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[atomic sagebrush]

The Flo app is not very reliable, so I'd not count on that to be too sure about when O happened.

Vaginal discharge can be present in early pregnancy so if you're seeing weird amounts that may be a sign of pregnancy.

Be sure to keep us posted, and eat whatever you feel you can keep down for now.

[iseeicy]

The Flo app is not very reliable, so I'd not count on that to be too sure about when O happened.

Vaginal discharge can be present in early pregnancy so if you're seeing weird amounts that may be a sign of pregnancy.

Be sure to keep us posted, and eat whatever you feel you can keep down for now.

So I wanted to give you an update. I was told by OBGYN that I didn’t have to wait for my period cycle to come to take the test so I took it and it came out negative. And that if I would’ve became August 1st or 2nd that the test would’ve been positive August 14th. I felt so uneducated. But then I spoke to my doctor about what it could be, and he told me IBS. I took something and I feel so much better. Now I’m waiting for my cycle to come.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks for updating us! I would have also been able to explain that, but I didn't know the actual dates and didn't understand when you expected your period to come.

Since you're feeling better about taking medication I will assume that was actually the problem, but I do want you to be aware sometimes doctors give "diagnoses" for things, without actually knowing what is happening. This is particularly true for women; many of us go into the doctor's office and are slapped with one of these "please go away now" diagnoses without any testing done and this can of course be a very serious issue that is being masked by a quick diagnosis. IBS is one of the things they tell women that is in this category.

So since your period did not come, that means that you ovulated later than you think, or haven't ovulated yet. A lot of women feel cramping around ovulation, and you can develop this if you've never had it before. It's also not uncommon for IBS to flare around ovulation and around your period, so it's possible for there to be more than one problem going on.

And since you possibly have not ovulated yet, or have ovulated late, you could still be pregnant or get pregnant. If you don't want to be pregnant this month you need to use protection from now on, and if you do want to get pregnant you should keep having sex till you know if you're pregnant or not - meaning your period comes.

[iseeicy]

Thanks for updating us! I would have also been able to explain that, but I didn't know the actual dates and didn't understand when you expected your period to come.

Since you're feeling better about taking medication I will assume that was actually the problem, but I do want you to be aware sometimes doctors give "diagnoses" for things, without actually knowing what is happening. This is particularly true for women; many of us go into the doctor's office and are slapped with one of these "please go away now" diagnoses without any testing done and this can of course be a very serious issue that is being masked by a quick diagnosis. IBS is one of the things they tell women that is in this category.

So since your period did not come, that means that you ovulated later than you think, or haven't ovulated yet. A lot of women feel cramping around ovulation, and you can develop this if you've never had it before. It's also not uncommon for IBS to flare around ovulation and around your period, so it's possible for there to be more than one problem going on.

And since you possibly have not ovulated yet, or have ovulated late, you could still be pregnant or get pregnant. If you don't want to be pregnant this month you need to use protection from now on, and if you do want to get pregnant you should keep having sex till you know if you're pregnant or not - meaning your period comes.

Thank you so much for all this information. It definitely felt like she was just trying to be so quick with my diagnosis. I even had to tell her that I kept asking questions because I was confused — she had made me feel like I was bothering her with the questions I was asking wanting to be sure I understood what’s going on with my body.

I’m glad I feel better, but I have yet to wait for my period though.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Yep, that's the same sort of thing we run into time after time - the docs tell us something that feels confusing to us because it doesn't really mesh with our perceptions of what happened or is happening with our body, and they just want us to be satisfied with their umbrella diagnosis and go away. It's really quite unfair and very unprofessional.

Just out of curiosity, what was the medication that made you feel better?

Did she give you any explanation of why your period had not arrived? When was it due exactly?

[iseeicy]

Yep, that's the same sort of thing we run into time after time - the docs tell us something that feels confusing to us because it doesn't really mesh with our perceptions of what happened or is happening with our body, and they just want us to be satisfied with their umbrella diagnosis and go away. It's really quite unfair and very unprofessional.

Just out of curiosity, what was the medication that made you feel better?

Did she give you any explanation of why your period had not arrived? When was it due exactly?

And that’s not right. Because I really was concerned. But it forced me to be more in tune with my body and be more cautious of what I’m putting in it because I really don’t want to go through anything like that again. I just took a Alka-Seltzer tablet I brought.

Probably due to stress, weight loss, or hormone imbalance. It was due Friday. I’m going to see if it comes this week.

If it doesn’t come at all should I go get checked?


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[iseeicy]

Yep, that's the same sort of thing we run into time after time - the docs tell us something that feels confusing to us because it doesn't really mesh with our perceptions of what happened or is happening with our body, and they just want us to be satisfied with their umbrella diagnosis and go away. It's really quite unfair and very unprofessional.

Just out of curiosity, what was the medication that made you feel better?

Did she give you any explanation of why your period had not arrived? When was it due exactly?

I have ZERO PMS symptoms, so I’m just like “mhmmm”. Lol. Because I usually get them a couple days prior to and that’s how I know to get ready for it.


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[atomic sagebrush]

Oh, I see, I was assuming this was something the doctor had given you.

An Alka Seltzer shouldn't fix IBS, as it's in your intestines, not your stomach. Alka Seltzer is basically an antacid with aspirin in it. So if that made you feel a little better, it was probably due to it having a little aspirin in it which can relieve pain, and if you were having a stomach upset at the same time - stress can cause indigestion in the stomach - it might have helped with that. But that doesn't mean you have IBS at all. In fact, it probably means you DON'T as painkillers don't relieve IBS pain. (sometimes people will have other pain-related issues such as menstrual issues or fibromyalgia and ~think~ they are getting IBS relief from painkillers, but this is not believed to be the case, and the relief is coming from other pain, not IBS)

My suspicion is that you had a delayed ovulation, and had severe ovulation cramps this month. I can't prove that without more information of course, but it is not uncommon for people to be very surprised by bad ovulation cramps if they've never had them before. Some people get them from time to time but not every month, so if you're not used to them it can be very alarming. Some of us have such bad ovulation cramps that it's truly worse than our periods (I have been incapacitated by bad ovulation cramps sometimes - like having to stay home and use a heating pad and taking painkillers. I get them most months, but some months I don't have them at all, and other times they're quite strong.)It is also possible that you could have ovulated later than you thought, and conceived, and just had it not registering on a pregnancy test yet but could possibly be having cramping still. This is less likely because normally once you have symptoms you will get a positive pregnancy test.

It's very unlikely they'll do anything if you go back to get checked. In most cases people are simply told to wait and eventually their period will come. It's not unusual to have long cycles some or even most of the time and doctors are very blase about that. It doesn't hurt you or anything, just an annoyance. If it goes on a long time, then yes, I'd probably go in and they can give you medicine to start your cycle again, but in most cases they won't do that till it's been more than 3 months without a period.

[Walkerbabies]

Hi just wanted to drop by and make a comment. I'm glad to see you have given your update and I'm sorry it meant you were not pregnant. The early symptoms you gave were very telling and some of them alarming like the watery discharge. Good luck on your next tries and maybe try to think of the baby dance and something enjoyable and not a chore it can sometimes become when we're trying to conceive.