Not your regular “irregular bleeding” (call for help)

[PosyPuddingandPie]

Hi folks. I’m looking for anyone who is suffering with the same symptoms as I am because I’m worried that my case is unique and I can’t be helped. My story (I’ll try to be brief)

I’m 34 and have been TTC for 3 years

My cycle is approximately 28 days long. Regular

I bleed from one day after I ovulate all the way up to my period. In other words, I bleed for just over two weeks every cycle (including my period) . This happens every month and has done so for the last 4 years since taking a drug to delay my period for my wedding.

The bleed is pastey and brown, occasionally dark red and always with some clots.

My blood tests (and the consultant is reluctant to tell me what I was tested for for some reason) apparently prove that I am perfectly healthy.

Have had external and internal pelvic ultrasound scans. All completely fine. The perfect picture of health.

If this sounds at all familiar to anyone, I would love to hear from you. I’ve done so much research I’m dizzy with it. I know the first day or two after I’ve ovulated could be ovulation bleeding but it shouldn’t last that long and it should be that colour. Have tried everything.

Thanks

[PosyPuddingandPie]

That was supposed to say it “shouldn’t be that colour” at the end there.

[Twiglet2]

Hey I’m sos sorry you don’t have any answers from your testing! Have they been monitoring your lining and hormones from ovulation to period as that’s probably key you may need some progesterone or estrogen around this time to stop the break through bleeding which is also needed to sustain a fertilised egg to implantation is my understanding, there’s also the option having treatment where they take over your cycle (IUI/IVF/times intercourse) and supplement them for you. Sorry can’t be much more help but I would probably find a specialist consultant as it can’t be that uncommon and must be a cause as I’ve personally known people in your situation! Xx

[PosyPuddingandPie in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you for your reply! I’ve been monitored all through my cycle and every test says I’m normal. I went to a private specialist who found endometriosis which he removed via laparoscopic surgery. The endometriosis was not in my falopian tubes as we expected it to be. 7 months on and I’m still spotting and it’s getting worse. I don’t trust the people who did my blood tests so I’ve recently sent off a blood sample to hertility but I’m not convinced that anything will come up because of all tests in the past apparently being normal. Im worried now that I won’t know who to believe.

Thank you again for your reply. Hopefully you’re right and something with come of this blood test. I believe it could be low progesterone but I really need to find someone who’s got or had the same symptoms. Im feeling so alone in this.

[Twiglet2 in reply to PosyPuddingandPie]

It may be that you just have to try the progesterone to see if it makes a difference tbh as the tests can vary one day it can be fine and next day it can dip so our clinic don’t even test progesterone really if you bleed early they give you it to try. It does sound like a medicated cycle of IUI or IVF would help as sometimes the tests say ‘unexplained’ for a wee while and it might just do the trick! Xx

[PosyPuddingandPie in reply to Twiglet2]

Thank you Twiglet! I’ve written that in my journal. I’m going to try hard to change things naturally if the results I get are definitive. If not, I’ll ask for a progesterone boost. Thanks for your kind advice x

[Millbanks]

Hello lovely,

I had a similar thing - except it was just brown spotting from about 3 / 4 days after ovulation.

It basically means that I have a very short luteal phase and therefore getting pregnant naturally is highly unlikely as the lining has started to shed before the egg has a change to implant. I spoke to a specialist about this and he advised that IVF was the way forwards - I pushed him to give me progesterone suppositories to try and see if that helped.

I started them the day after ovulation and it did stop the lining shedding early - but I still didn't get pregnant naturally (long story but turns out my tubes were blocked).... but it could help you.

I would talk to your GP and suggest extra progesterone support.

xx

[PosyPuddingandPie in reply to Millbanks]

Thank you. Does sound like progesterone is the way to go doesn’t it? I’m just confused because my luteal phase lasts as long as it’s meant to. But my periods are getting shorter and the spotting is getting heavier… I’m always jotting down symptoms and changes and discoveries etc. i will write a reminder for my next consultation. Thanks 😊

[Millbanks in reply to PosyPuddingandPie]

Just curious - how do you know the length of your luteal phase?

Did you do basal body temp charting? xx

[PosyPuddingandPie in reply to Millbanks]

temperature charting and test strips. I ovulate on day 14 or 15 and period starts on day 28/29. It’s been that regular since puberty

[Millbanks in reply to PosyPuddingandPie]

Ah ok - as my BBT would drop about 3 /4 days after ovulation so I know my luteal phase was really short.

Glad yours is spot on!! Hopefully you can try a bit of progesterone to stop the bleeding x

[Jess1981]

Hi. I had this mine was due to having endometriosis eventually diagnosed after TTC nearly 6 years and after my third surgery we had our eldest daughter Francesca who is now 4, after a late loss and 3 early miscarriages ( 1 was before Francesca) we had our youngest daughter Eliza coming up 20 months and I'm now 7 weeks pregnant. For us the only issue was my endometriosis. It can only be diagnosed via laparoscopic surgery but if if you suspect you may have endometriosis I would push for a laparoscopic surgery ( I wish someone had advised me to years before we got my diagnosis we lost soooo much time) I second keeping a diary of symptoms would be helpful to show your fertility specialist. Anyway all the best with it all Xx

[Purpledoggy]

This is literally me. I have had a few cycles when I bled all month but mostly it started a day or two after ovulation. For years it was brown/black but as time went on it would be red and profuse a week after ovulation, then go brown again before my actual period. The term ‘luteal phase defect’ is a bit poo pooed in most cases but that is literally what it is. In my case, my 21d progesterone was a titch low (27 nmol/L) but I think I am also simply insensitive to it. I desperately wanted to try progesterone pessaries on my natural cycle but the fertility consultant would not prescribe them and told me to do IVF. I needed a combination of high dose progesterone through injection and pessary, and specifically vaginal progesterone (Utrogestan), to control the bleeding during IVF, but I had a successful pregnancy (20m old boy) and 30w pregnant with no.2. It may not be what you want to hear but I hope it is in some way reassuring that hormonal treatment can likely overcome it. If you want to try boosting progesterone naturally, vitamin C 750mg a day or vitamin B6 50mg a day can help. Also look up Vitex agnus castus. These did not work for me but they do for some xx

[MrsOrangejuice]

I had something similar for years - regular cycles but had brown to red spotting and bleeding usually five days before my period but sometimes earlier, and it always got heavier. I had endometriosis when I was younger but had it treated and was told when I had a laparoscopy aged 30 that there was no sign of it. I had my day 21 progesterone tested multiple times and it came back normal-high, and yet I still had bleeding. The doctors wouldn't listen and said it couldn't be luteal phase defect as the progesterone was normal. However, since going through fertility treatment I know that I had a problem with progesterone - I think it's not actually the level, but my body's reaction to the sudden drop. And that makes it difficult for an embryo to take hold. I took utrogestan suppositories on my successful FET and that seemed to work, so maybe ask your GP to prescribe this for a few months and see if it helps the symptoms, or ask for a referral to an endocrine/fertility specialist - it's such a cheap and simple medicine so it shouldn't be so controversial to trial it, but I know the struggle!