First day of AF: spotting or all hell breaks loose?

So what do we count as our first day of AF? I usually spot about a day or 2 and then all hell breaks loose. I used to count the first day of major flow as the first day of AF, but since a few months I first start spotting and then the real deal comes along. Today I'm supposed to be on day 21 of my cycle, but I'm spotting a bit. So this is actually day one of my next cycle? So I only had 20 days last cycle? Going to phone my gp tomorrow, as I need to find out why I get these ridiculous short cycles, it's driving me bonkers!

I spot too for days (sometimes a week) before AF comes. I count the first day of AF as the first day of flow. And I recently heard if it starts after 5/6pm then you should count the next day as CD1.

I spot too for a day or too before AF comes. This spotting started after DS2 was born. I have also counted cd1 when flow starts. But I've been wondering the same, is it really cd1 or is it cd1 when the spotting starts. I've heard that too that if AF starts around 6pm it's cd1 the next day.

Spotting is supposed to be part of the previous cycle and CD 1 is the first day of bright red flow.

That having been said, I think it is best to take a flexible approach on this - if you have a LOT of spotting, it's PROBABLY CD 1.

My rule of thumb is, if you feel like it's AF, it probably is. :)

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Originally Posted by mommymachine

I spot too for days (sometimes a week) before AF comes. I count the first day of AF as the first day of flow. And I recently heard if it starts after 5/6pm then you should count the next day as CD1.

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:agree: if you're a person who always has several days of spotting then AF starts properly, then you can see the pattern and know when CD 1 really is.

But a person who spots for a day before, that may just be the way it starts for you.

I wouldn't worry about the time of day, I think that's overthinking things (I know all the "experts" like to make things so complicated you need a guidebook just to decide if you're getting your period or not) and stick with "if you think it's AF, then it is."

Something interesting we are finding is that many pink swayers, who have always gotten AF in the morning (which is the most usual time of day it arrives) are starting to get AF in the night when swaying. WE don't know why. I will say that I always got AF in the afternoon when I was a teenager, then it switched to the morning and stayed there until I swayed with DD, then it switched to the evening and has stayed there ever since (after I had her, it came back starting in the evening too - and remember I am 105 years old and almost certainly in perimenopause). So I am wondering if there may be some connection between lower fertility and AF coming in the afternoon/evening.

I have always said it's personal preference. Everyone has there own way of doing it. Personally I've always counted the first I can't get by with a pantyliner as CD 1. I don't spot pre-AF often but when I do if it is light enough that I can either get away with nothing or a liner I count it as part of the previous cycle. If a pad or tampon (even a light flow tampon) I count it as CD 1.

As far as your cycle, you could be an early O'er which is perfectly fine or you could have a short LP, or a combo of both. Do you chart? If you do you may already know which camp you fit into. It's a good idea to call your doc though! If it's a short LP then could be a problem. I always recommend charting to everyone. It's amazing how much you can learn about your body by putting a few mins a day towards charting. The learning curve can be steep (it's actually quiet easy once you catch on to it though) but well worth it.

HTH.

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

:agree: if you're a person who always has several days of spotting then AF starts properly, then you can see the pattern and know when CD 1 really is.

But a person who spots for a day before, that may just be the way it starts for you.

I wouldn't worry about the time of day, I think that's overthinking things (I know all the "experts" like to make things so complicated you need a guidebook just to decide if you're getting your period or not) and stick with "if you think it's AF, then it is."

Something interesting we are finding is that many pink swayers, who have always gotten AF in the morning (which is the most usual time of day it arrives) are starting to get AF in the night when swaying. WE don't know why. I will say that I always got AF in the afternoon when I was a teenager, then it switched to the morning and stayed there until I swayed with DD, then it switched to the evening and has stayed there ever since (after I had her, it came back starting in the evening too - and remember I am 105 years old and almost certainly in perimenopause). So I am wondering if there may be some connection between lower fertility and AF coming in the afternoon/evening.

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I'm shocked that thats an actual thing. Since my PPAF came back 9 months ago, I have had 3 AFs start in the morning, the rest came after 5pm. I blame breastfeeding, since I can't blame age.

I love your wealth of knowledge !

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Originally Posted by twointow83

I have always said it's personal preference. Everyone has there own way of doing it. Personally I've always counted the first I can't get by with a pantyliner as CD 1. I don't spot pre-AF often but when I do if it is light enough that I can either get away with nothing or a liner I count it as part of the previous cycle. If a pad or tampon (even a light flow tampon) I count it as CD 1.

As far as your cycle, you could be an early O'er which is perfectly fine or you could have a short LP, or a combo of both. Do you chart? If you do you may already know which camp you fit into. It's a good idea to call your doc though! If it's a short LP then could be a problem. I always recommend charting to everyone. It's amazing how much you can learn about your body by putting a few mins a day towards charting. The learning curve can be steep (it's actually quiet easy once you catch on to it though) but well worth it.

HTH.

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:agree: and if you chart you will start to see the pattern and know where you're at. :) But, if you don't want to chart, I agree totally it's really a personal preference. Very little (except timing!!) REALLY requires an accurate accounting of CD 1. :)

Yes, I'm going to start temping in a few days! I've never kept a chart, I just always write down what I notice in cm and other things like pimples, sore breasts etc. But I'll be charting from now on and want to get opk's. I want to know if what I'm feeling is consistent with what's really going on.

My GP today was not impressed. 21 day cycles is fine. Ugh. No surprise that's how she responds though!! I'll be getting a new GP in a few weeks, try my luck there and see if I can get some testing done and hopefully get clomid and be monitered.

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Originally Posted by mommymachine

I'm shocked that thats an actual thing. Since my PPAF came back 9 months ago, I have had 3 AFs start in the morning, the rest came after 5pm. I blame breastfeeding, since I can't blame age.

I love your wealth of knowledge !

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I can't believe it either - I read one mention of it one time in this dusty old hippy book I got at Goodwill and then started to realize it was actually happening to people!! Going both ways, too. The blue swayers were having AF start in the morning when it never did before. :)

Swaying aside I really think that we are doing a lot of good factfinding on this site! :)

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Originally Posted by Dana-Alicia

Yes, I'm going to start temping in a few days! I've never kept a chart, I just always write down what I notice in cm and other things like pimples, sore breasts etc. But I'll be charting from now on and want to get opk's. I want to know if what I'm feeling is consistent with what's really going on.

My GP today was not impressed. 21 day cycles is fine. Ugh. No surprise that's how she responds though!! I'll be getting a new GP in a few weeks, try my luck there and see if I can get some testing done and hopefully get clomid and be monitered.

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Le sigh. Yes try your luck with another doctor because research indicates you want to have LESS menstrual cycles over the course of your life (may reduce odds of some kinds of cancer later in life) and no one should have to put up with 21 day cycles. It's "normal" in normal range but there is NO REASON in this day and age why anyone who doesn't want to have their period that often, should have to. Your situation is more complicated Dana becuase of the clotting issues, but still I just feel like this is something you're putting up with that you really shouldn't have to.

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Originally Posted by Dana-Alicia

Yes, I'm going to start temping in a few days! I've never kept a chart, I just always write down what I notice in cm and other things like pimples, sore breasts etc. But I'll be charting from now on and want to get opk's. I want to know if what I'm feeling is consistent with what's really going on.

My GP today was not impressed. 21 day cycles is fine. Ugh. No surprise that's how she responds though!! I'll be getting a new GP in a few weeks, try my luck there and see if I can get some testing done and hopefully get clomid and be monitered.

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There is a site online fertlityfriend.com that I like to use because I can access it from anywhere(pc, phone, tablet, etc) and if you want more than the basic chart you can pay for VIP where you get perks like it analyzing your chart, which could be quite helpful while you learn to analyze it yourself. There is also a 10 min charting couse to help you learn the basics. :)

And yes, a second opinion might be warranted. If you have a complete chart by then print it out and bring it with. Also, just throwing this out there because when I first startes charting ovulatory cycles I thought my LP was short (11-12 days... thought it was supposed to be 14). A short LP is one that is less than 10 days. You may have already known that but just thought I'd throw it in, in case you didn't :)

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Interesting info. Just started CD1 this evening and this is the second cycle of doing so that I know of for sure. Makes me giddy knowing that my body is responding to all of my hard work. Ha!

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

Le sigh. Yes try your luck with another doctor because research indicates you want to have LESS menstrual cycles over the course of your life (may reduce odds of some kinds of cancer later in life) and no one should have to put up with 21 day cycles. It's "normal" in normal range but there is NO REASON in this day and age why anyone who doesn't want to have their period that often, should have to. Your situation is more complicated Dana becuase of the clotting issues, but still I just feel like this is something you're putting up with that you really shouldn't have to.

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So very true! I know some people may be jealous, as they think more periods means more chances a year of getting pregnant. But I have serious PMS issues and I'm just fed up with it. I will be charting and will bring it to my first app with my new GP. Thanks twointwo, that is very helpful info! I think my lp is alright, I just get super early O's I think (oh the amount of things I think a day, I may be so wrong on this!). But only temping will give some more info on that. Now all I need to do is find that bloody tempthingy and not forget to temp each morning.

Wow....I've always had AF start in the am,it's never started later than noon. I thought it was just me! What I have noticed is that I used to have O pain start in the afternoon for most of my life, but since I started swaying it starts very late at night, between 10pm and 2am.

Ok I came to read through this thread in hopes to shed some light on my own situation. So I had spotting last night (and I am Ususlly a morning AF'r). It was very light but red. ( like a wipe, and then a small dime like amount on a pad before bed. Spotting or Cd1?
The only reason I want to know is I am going to go through with the cd 3 blood work and need to know what day that would be.
Dana im sorry you're going through this - as if you need cray cycles on top of everything you've been through.


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Next day would be CD 1 for you. That is just spotting

Ok thank you for confirming!


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Agree with atomic, CD1 is first day of full on flow. Spotting doesn't count regardless of colour.

This is really good to know. Sometimes I spo for about 3 days, it does increas untill on day 4 the full flow comes. So only day 4 would be CD1? I need to know exactly as I'm still considering clomid which needs to be taken on cd3.

Correct Dana.

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Originally Posted by Dana-Alicia

This is really good to know. Sometimes I spo for about 3 days, it does increas untill on day 4 the full flow comes. So only day 4 would be CD1? I need to know exactly as I'm still considering clomid which needs to be taken on cd3.

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Here is where things start to get "hairy" though Dana. AT some point, it ceases to become spotting and ends up being a lite day. Most of us can look back at our charts and see what the deal is - if we have 3 days of spotting that become heavier, we can sometimes look at our charts and see "oh, my LP is 14 days long but I do have one very heavy day of spotting that is on the 15th day" well, then that should probably be counted as CD 1 really. Or, some of us have 14 day LP and always have a day of heavy spotting at the beginning (this is often my pattern) and then that day of spotting is just how AF typically starts, yk??

Your dilemma is that your cycles are kooky and we aren't totally sure how long your FP/LP are, so it's harder to know.

The good news is that it doesn't totally matter since Clomid can be started anywhere from Cd 2-5 and still work