Is this AF or no?? *UPDATE - AF is here!*

[sweetpea]

Okay, so I am in the process of starting my pre-sway plan, I guess you could say. I will be starting Vitex on CD1 (whenever AF decides to show!) but I'm having a bit of a problem. For the last several months, I've had lots of spotting DAYS before AF, as well as days after. The spotting sometimes is constant, sometimes it comes and goes, sometimes is sort of heavy spotting, sometimes it's very light. I can never actually be sure what day is CD1, because my flow has been kind of fading in and fading out. It's driving me crazy!

So, here is what has been going on this cycle. I started spotting on CD23 (I think - again, I'm not really sure when CD1 was). I had 1 day of quite noticeable, bright red spotting (but definitely NOT a flow), then yesterday it seemed kind of brownish and then completely disappeared, and now it's back again - noticeable/kind of heavy spotting, bright red. Yesterday and today I've had menstrual cramps. I still don't yet have an actual flow, it's very much like heavy spotting, but it's now the second day of cramps and I feel super bloated. Is this CD1?

I really want to just start taking the Vitex, because it really helps to normalize my cycles, and I want to get started on my Vitex regimen for TTC pink in a few months. I already know, from past cycle histories, that my first cycle on Vitex is going to be really strange anyway, and then it starts to regulate my cycles nicely. I guess my question is - can I just start the Vitex now, or should I wait until I'm absolutely sure AF has come (which has been really hard to determine which day that is).

UGH! This is so annoying! I've never had a problem with figuring out this stuff before, and I've been charting for at least 5+ years! But with this strange fade-in-fade-out of AF, and no super heavy flow in between (it's never been really heavy for me), it's making me crazy trying to figure out when CD1 is!

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant...any suggestions on what I should do about the Vitex?

[girlmom]

did you take a pregnancy test? r u 100% sure you are not pregnant? cause i had alot of bright red bleeding and spotting with this pregnancy. so far he's fine and kicking away in there. the vitex will help regulate your cycle so i would start it as soon as i saw spotting as i was sure i wasn't pregnant. i did take vitex and vit b6 and it regulated everything down to the day. plus i got girls everytime i took it! good luck

[sweetpea]

Thanks for your reply, girlmom! I am almost certain I'm not pg, but I'll have DH pick up a test on his way home anyway, just to be sure. If it's neg, I'll start the Vitex then, whether it's CD1 today or not. I'm sick of this annoying spotting!

[sweetpea]

Just wanted to post and say that I took a dollar store HPT this evening, and it was a BFN, white as snow! So I'm going to start the Vitex and hope my cycles get better soon!

[myGirl]

Good luck sweetpea!

I just started taking Vitex too (I'm on CD9) and I'm really curious what it will do!

[girlmom]

good luck ladies, i hope it works as well for you as it did for me!

[sweetpea]

Thanks, everyone!

[atomic sagebrush]

CD 1 is first day of real FLOW that lasts all day but I have def. had months where AF seemed like she couldn't make up her mind about whether she was really here or not.

You can absolutely start vitex right away if you're 100% sure you're not pg. Take a test to be sure, you can have a totally normal menstrual cycle and in fact be pg the entire time (this actually happened to me!!)

[atomic sagebrush]

did you take a pregnancy test? r u 100% sure you are not pregnant? cause i had alot of bright red bleeding and spotting with this pregnancy. so far he's fine and kicking away in there. the vitex will help regulate your cycle so i would start it as soon as i saw spotting as i was sure i wasn't pregnant. i did take vitex and vit b6 and it regulated everything down to the day. plus i got girls everytime i took it! good luck

OMGgirlmom - I just saw your siggie!! Not sure how I missed that but huge congrats!!!

[sweetpea]

CD 1 is first day of real FLOW that lasts all day but I have def. had months where AF seemed like she couldn't make up her mind about whether she was really here or not.

You can absolutely start vitex right away if you're 100% sure you're not pg. Take a test to be sure, you can have a totally normal menstrual cycle and in fact be pg the entire time (this actually happened to me!!)

I've never had a problem in the past realizing which day was CD1, but then again, it was always clear which day was the first day of a real FLOW. Your description where AF can't make up her mind about whether or not she's really here - yep, that's me the last few months, LOL! It just sort of fades in and fades out, no real "flow" to speak of - just lighter and then heavier and then lighter spotting. Very confusing!

Anyway - I took a pg test yesterday (BFN!) and then stupidly realized that hubby and I didn't even HAVE sex last cycle (he was working overnight shifts!) - LOL! - so there's no way I could have even been pg! But it's nice to have the neg test as a reassurance.

I ended up taking the Vitex yesterday (3x per day, as the bottle suggests), and AF is most DEFINITELY here today! Full, bright red flow, no mistaking it (sorry, TMI). I'm not sure if the Vitex could work that quickly or not to bring on AF, but I'm just happy she's here so I can get this show on the road!