What is going on with my cycle?!?!?! TMI Alert!! Hoping Atomic can help!!!

[Super Mom of 6 Girls]

Nevermind

[atomic sagebrush]

the fish oil is a blood thinner (as is EPO) and so it can make it easier for you to bleed - this can lead to spotting before AF, and bleeding after DTD, esp. at ovulation when your cervix is soft.

[Zivic-Bubac]

EPO messed up my cycle and did nothing for EWCM so I dropped it.

[LacePrincess]

I had a quick glance at your charts to see if it's possible you didn't O when you think you did, but that's a very clear ov chart. However I do see in a lot of your previous cycles you have quite a bit of spotting leading up to AF - regularly 3-4 days which is an awful lot. You really shouldn't regularly spot more than a day before AF if you don't have a super long luteal phase. That spotting could mean your lining is prematurely breaking down and it really compromises your luteal phase.

It seems to have been a pattern for you so you might want to ask your dr to run a progesterone test at 7dpo. You could very well be dealing with progesterone deficiency and a lot of this odd spotting/breakthrough bleeding could be explained by that.

[Super Mom of 6 Girls]

I had a quick glance at your charts to see if it's possible you didn't O when you think you did, but that's a very clear ov chart. However I do see in a lot of your previous cycles you have quite a bit of spotting leading up to AF - regularly 3-4 days which is an awful lot. You really shouldn't regularly spot more than a day before AF if you don't have a super long luteal phase. That spotting could mean your lining is prematurely breaking down and it really compromises your luteal phase.

It seems to have been a pattern for you so you might want to ask your dr to run a progesterone test at 7dpo. You could very well be dealing with progesterone deficiency and a lot of this odd spotting/breakthrough bleeding could be explained by that.

Ok that freaks me out a little. I have never had fertility issues before. The three day spotting before AF just started in september, before that it was really just one day though there was one cycle where it was two. All of this started after I added those supplements.

Ok a little vitamin geekery here......

My prenatal contains:
vit a 4000 iu
vit c 120mg
vit d 400 iu
vit e 30 iu
vit b-1 1.7mg
Niacin 20 mg
Vit b-6 2.6mg
folic acid 800mcg
vit b-12 8mcg
calcium 200mg
iron 28mg
zinc 25mg

AND the B-100 includes:
100mg of b-1, b-2, b-3, b-6, b-12, biotin, and pantothenic acid
and I just realized this also has 400mcg of folic acid

I just keep thinking it is the supplements that are causing this because it seems my cycles have changed since starting them.

Would a Dr even order any tests seeing that I haven't been ttc very long? And who would I even go to? My previous OB had to stop delivering babies because she refused to join the giant baby practice known as the baby factory. So she is strictly gyn now. Would I go to her or would I go to the obgyns I will need to go to if I do get pregnant??

Sorry for all the questions but this stuff makes me nervous!

[LacePrincess]

I'm not an expert in nutrition or vits by any means, but prenatals should not affect your cycle in ANY way. Herbs and supps might but a B-complex is pretty standard vit and many women take it to help fertility. I've never heard/read about it being linked to spotting/LPD.

Blood thinners would be suspect though, at least making your cervix much more delicate. However slight spotting like a brownish tinged CM is more what a bruised cervix would cause, dark red sounds like fresh blood.

Is the spotting just something you've had since your last baby? Remember, pregnancy and bf'ing resets your hormones every time and your cycle now from what you knew can be VERY different. Also as we get older hormones change and things can get whacky too. For me my cycles with all of my kids have been very different from each other. I used to spot for days before and after AF, and since DS3 was born I don't spot at ALL. Go figure.

I really wouldn't freak out though, progesterone deficiencies are some of the simplest things to fix but you do need to find out for sure because they can definitely keep you from conceiving or cause early m/c and you don't want that!

[Super Mom of 6 Girls]

I think I always had the spotting one day before AF and one day after.

That first spotting this morning scared me, now it is just a pinkisk brownish mucus like spotting. Should I wait through this cycle or maybe schedule an appointment to see if I can get the progesterone levels checked??

[LacePrincess]

Oh and your regular GP can order tests. Some are more obstinate than others, but all that spotting should be checked out no matter how long you've been TTC for. A 21 day prog test is easy and simple, and it's not like you're asking for fert meds so soon. Just make sure you go at 7dpo and NOT at 21 days unless you ov on CD14.

I still don't think your spotting has anything to do at all with your vitamins. But someone can certainly correct me if they've experienced differently!

[Super Mom of 6 Girls]

Oh and your regular GP can order tests. Some are more obstinate than others, but all that spotting should be checked out no matter how long you've been TTC for. A 21 day prog test is easy and simple, and it's not like you're asking for fert meds so soon. Just make sure you go at 7dpo and NOT at 21 days unless you ov on CD14.

I still don't think your spotting has anything to do at all with your vitamins. But someone can certainly correct me if they've experienced differently!

7DPO is monday for me, maybe I should call and schedule an appointment for then? Never thought about going to my family doctor for it, it would be WAY easier to get an appointment with her. I was reading about the vitamins I am taking and all I can find is that they are all good for fertility.

[LacePrincess]

I think I always had the spotting one day before AF and one day after.

That first spotting this morning scared me, now it is just a pinkisk brownish mucus like spotting. Should I wait through this cycle or maybe schedule an appointment to see if I can get the progesterone levels checked??

The one day of spotting on either side of AF is normal. It's the extended 3-4 days BEFORE AF I'd be concerned about, mostly because you're losing those extra days of healthy LP regularly. So your chart might say you have a 14 day LP (as an example) because CD1 is first day of full red flow and not spotting, but really the extra spotting days aren't 'good' LP days if that makes sense? So you're effectively getting a shorter LP.

Try not to freak, and it's always better knowing than not know if you do have any issues rather than wasting time TTC or worse losing pregnancies because of something so easily fixable.