OTD - positive but bleeding :( reassurance much needed

[Casperjourney]

Hi all,

I don’t want to sound ungrateful as I tested positive today 14dp5dt, however my bleeding doesn’t allow me to feel any happiness or relief about it at all. I am worried it might be short lived and come to an end soon. On top of it I’m worried about ectopic pregnancy too :(.

I had a double fresh transfer and been spotting (brownish discharge) since 7-8dp. This weekend I had a brief bleeding instance first thing in the morning with red blood accompanied by quite severe cramps. Now I am back to the brownish spotting and some milder cramps.

I did an HCG and progesterone privately yesterday. HCG came back at 527 iu/l. My progesterone is 64 nmol/l. My clinic doesn’t discuss results, so I’m not sure if they are good or not. Scan will be only in 5 weeks.

I am not sure how I should feel about all of these. Would appreciate any of your perspectives and experiences.

Thank you xx

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Casperjoutney. Well it’s good to hear you have a positive test. Bleeding of any king can happen early on. It could be from an irritated cervix from pessary use, so try putting them in your back passage for a few days, to give the front a rest. It could be the start of an infection, so drink plenty of water to ensure nice clear, light coloured urine. If the quantity goes down, smells or darkens, speak to your GP and drink more. It can also just be one of those things! Remember there are two little ones in there, so hopefully they will both continue, fingers crossed. Diane

[Casperjourney in reply to DianeArnold]

Thanks a lot Diane for your response. I am already using the pessaries in my back passage, rather than front. Do you think they might be less effective like that? I will try to stay hopeful.

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK in reply to Casperjourney]

Hi. No. The back passage is lined with mucus membrane, the same as your vagina, with same absorption time, so no worries. Diane

[csec]

Hi Casperjourney , first of all congratulations on your BFP. From my experience brownish discharge can be just a very irritated crevix. I had it throughout the first trimester due to pessaries (only stopped after I stopped taking them). I also had a bit of a bleed at around 6 weeks due to a hematoma. When it comes to HCG the trend (increasing) is more important than the actual value. If you can repeat your HCG every 48 h it would give you more clarity and hopefully more good news. Sending you baby dust and a big hug!

[Casperjourney in reply to csec]

Hi scec, thank you for your kind words and sharing your experience. May I ask you, how did you use your pessaries, front or back? I am using in the back passage, so wondering if in that case they still might be irritating my cervix. I will try to repeat my HCG, although I’m not sure I look forward to seeing the results. This journey never gets any easier. Thanks once again for your advice x

[csec in reply to Casperjourney]

Hey, just popping back here to say that your HCG trend is great, more than great, since it tripled in 48h. In answer to your question, I took my pessaries on the front. But even if you take them through the back passage, the amount of hormones changing, if you are taking aspirin or heparin, these will make your blood more fluid and the more embryo starts to develop and create connection with your womb, small capillaries blood vessels can burst and thus you see some brown blood discharge. Also most of the time, brown colour is good, since it is old blood. Hang in there, you got this. Big hugs and baby dust! x

[Casperjourney in reply to csec]

Thank you csec, I really appreciate all advice and support, and hope for some positive outcome here. It hard to stop symptom spotting though, today I woke up feeling less nauseous and was thinking it’s probably all over :(. I wish I could find a way just to relax, but it must be a defensive mechanism to avoid a huge disappointment if it doesn’t happen

[CyclingAddict]

Congrats on your positive result! I'm 14 weeks pregnant and had spotting throughout my TWW, again in the 6th week and then actual red blood in my 8th week (I needed to wear quite thick pads to absorb it and I had brown spotting that lasted for days after that bleeding), which I was convinced was a miscarriage. It turned out to be a blood sac that had ruptured (apparently it's very common after a FET and can happen at any time, but usually in the first weeks of pregnancy). The midwife told me not to worry as there's so many reasons for spotting and bleeding to occur and a scan confirmed that my baby was still there. I know it's easier said than done, but please try and remain hopeful and continue with your meds X

[Casperjourney in reply to CyclingAddict]

Thank you cyclingaddict, I’m trying to stay positive but it is not easy as you can imagine. May I ask you, did you have any pain with any of your bleedings? I do have cramping of various intensity. This weekend when I had red bleeding, I had quite intense/sharp pain cramping. Also, did you continue as normal when you had your bleeds or had some sort of bed rest?

I wish they could do a scan and see either way, but I guess it’s too early still. I would try to repeat my HCG levels tomorrow, although at the same time I’m scared to find out. I guess all I have is hope as not much can be changed.

Thank you xx

[CyclingAddict in reply to Casperjourney]

To be honest my cramping has only just stopped this past week (and I think that's because I've just come off all my meds). So, yes, I had cramping throughout. Some of it was very sharp pain, which was often worse on a night. Other times if felt like period cramps. I also had sharp shooting pains in my nether regions, which usually I only get just before my period. Even now if I sneeze of move my torso weirdly, I'll get a cramp. I asked my consultant about it and she said it's normal when you're pregnant as everything is stretching and changing.

Any sort of red bleeding is considered a threatened miscarriage. Most threatened miscarriages do still result in a live birth. My consultant upped my meds - so I had one extra pessary a day and one extra lubion injection. Which is supposed to help calm the uterus so it doesn't contract. I was also put on them for longer. So I was due to stop weeks ago but, because of the bleeding, I stopped taking them in week 13. He also told me to rest as much I can and definitely no sex until I'm near the third trimester. It's worth getting in touch with your consultant as he/she might want to up/change your meds to give it that extra support X

[Cuppppatea in reply to CyclingAddict]

Sorry to jump on - I have just has a positive test (about 3 week pregnant) and have been cramping and feeling bloated. My belly has felt really really sore at some points today. Feels like period pain alot of the time. Is this normal then? x

[CyclingAddict in reply to Cuppppatea]

Everyone is different, but that was the case for me! I kept saying to my DH if I didn't know I was pregnant, I'd be reaching for the hot water bottle or getting a hot bath. It was very much like period cramps and, then later (around week 9) I started getting cramps which felt like stretching. Some of the cramps I have had have been are more severe and longer lasting than period cramps. My consultant reassured me that cramps are very normal in early pregnancy as there's so much going on. One piece of advice I've kept in mind is, when you're feeling crampy or tired, it's your body's way of telling you to slow down. Hope this helps x

[Casperjourney in reply to CyclingAddict]

Thanks once again cyclingaddict, I really hope your pregnancy continue smoothly and you can enjoy it more without all the worries.

Thank you for clarifying Re your meds and your consultant’s advice. Do you still go to work mad / or exercise? Sorry maybe silly questions but I really don’t want my activities being the reason for a miscarriage.

How much meds are you currently on? I am on 2 cyclogest and one lubion injection. I didn’t realize they stop contractions, that’s good to know.

I guess for me still early days but once I have the second HCG and if it’s increasing I will try to speak with the consultant.

[CyclingAddict in reply to Casperjourney]

So I haven't done any exercise except walking (I was a runner and cyclist before, so I've really had to cut back). My job is hybrid, which makes things easier when it comes to resting. I don't know what your work is like, but it might be worth mentioning it to your boss, particularly if you've got a job where you're on your feet a lot or having to lift anything.

So until last week I was taking 3 cyclogest pessaries (inserted vaginally), 2 lubion injections, and 4 estrogen tablets a day. It was a lot!

[Casperjourney in reply to CyclingAddict]

Oh wow, it is a lot of cyclogests and injections. I am wondering if I should ask to up my doses. Do you know by any chance what the levels should be at this stage? Mine is 64 nmol/l.

It is nice you have some flexibility with your work. My work is sedentary, however I am starting a new job next week and that worries me slightly as usually it comes with some stress as well. I didn’t expect to get any embryos this cycle as it hasn’t happened any other cycles, let alone get pregnant.

[CyclingAddict in reply to Casperjourney]

My lubion injections were 25mg each. I was doing one injection a day until the bleeding, then it was immediately upped to 2 by my consultant. His rationale was we needed to support the pregnancy as much as possible and it wouldn't do any harm to the baby as it's all natural hormones (obviously just in higher doses!).

Snap with the new job. I started my new job 4 days after transfer - so I wouldn't worry too much about the stress. If it's anything like mine the first few weeks are all about learning and getting to know people, so try to relax X

[Fruitandflowers]

Bleeding and spotting is scary but is very common and often nothing to worry about. The initial HCG looks good but it's not so much about the number as the rough doubling so can you get it repeated? That will give you an idea and hopefully reassurance about what's going on. Are you on progesterone and what sort? Bleeding can be from low progesterone and 64 is OK but probably on the lower side if you've had your BFP. Not necessarily an issue but I had bleeding/spotting and extra progesterone stopped it - ended up staying on it for most of the pregnancy. My consultant said you can't have too much progesterone and it's usually quite an easy fix and just something to try/put your mind at ease.

[Casperjourney in reply to Fruitandflowers]

Hi MrsOrangejuice, thank you for your response and advice. I will try to get my second Hcg done tomorrow. I am on two cyclogest and one lubion injection. Do you think I can add one more cyclogest ? (I have some leftovers from previous cycles).

[Fruitandflowers in reply to Casperjourney]

The hcg should hopefully tell you everything's OK. I was on 3 utrogestan (so 600mg progesterone) and one lubion a day, then they upped it to two lubion a day post transfer- even thsn it took quite a while for my levels to increase and the doctors weren't remotely worried. So if you're on two cylogest that's probably 800mg and with lubion it's likely absolutely fine, just maybe see if you can get progesterone repeated when you do the repeat hcg, then ask your clinic and see if they think you could/should add more - from my experience they're normally fine for you to add more, even if it's just for your reassurance.

[Casperjourney in reply to Fruitandflowers]

Hi, thank you for your advice. I did my repeat Hcg today and it went up from 500 to 1500, but I’m still spotting so cannot relax and feeling anxious.

I asked them to do the progesterone again, but they refused and said they won’t increase my progesterone either. I’m thinking if I should just add one more pessary? As I have been reading they usually don’t hurt

[Fruitandflowers in reply to Casperjourney]

That's wonderful news on the hcg! Was it your clinic that said they won't repeat progesterone? If so am not surprised as many clinics don't or won't pay much attention to it. But there were new NICE guidelines that came out 2/3 years ago that said women with certain risk factors and threatened or past miscarriages should be given progesterone support so your GP should be able to order the test or at least assess whether to prescribe more. If not or if you're just wanting to take matters in to your own hands, you can get progesterone tested privately (in person is pretty quick but can be expensive, or online labs which are generally cheaper but slower as have to posted to/fro so you lose a few days). And you could just add extra for your peace of mind - I have done that and it's what I did when I started spotting first time and before I could get an answer from the clinic. But obviously having a doctor involved is best and it may be you don't need it.

[Casperjourney in reply to Fruitandflowers]

Thanks for your advice. I tried to speak with my clinic again about progesterone and they said they won’t test it or increase. I would like to just add it myself, but not sure how to get the prescription.

I tested it on Sunday, it came back at 64, I will try to test again before end of the week.

Thank you x

[Twiglet2]

congrats on your BFP I know how scary the bleeding can be and I have had it mean something g is wrong. I also had the worst bleeding on my successful pregnancy with my little boy! If it gets heavier make sure you make use of your EPU if your clinic won’t scan you. Once your HCG reaches over 10k or you get to 6 weeks you should be able to get a scan there or privately as well. Of course if you get any signs of eptopic before then call your clinic or EPU straight away. My bleeding was caused by a subchorionic hematoma so it was nothing to do with pessaries I continued using them vaginally. Are you going to get a repeat of your HCG done privately? Xx

[Casperjourney in reply to Twiglet2]

Hi Twiglet, thank you for your message! I am continuing my pessaries too, and thinking maybe I should add one more a day (my clinic won’t do it for me and saying my progesterone is ok..).

I did the repeat HCG and it came back almost tripled from 500 to 1500 in 48 hrs which is a good pattern on its own, but I do feel very anxious as I’m still spotting and can’t really take my mind off it. I envy girls who can just enjoy their pregnancies.

[Twiglet2 in reply to Casperjourney]

If I’m honest with you I had some spare and added in an extra pessary per day (no idea if it made a difference!) as mine said the same (without testing). It’s so stressful I know 😢 but there is defo hope and those HCG results are defo showing great progress!! 💜🤞🏽🤞🏽 xx

[Casperjourney in reply to Twiglet2]

Hi Twiglet, thanks for your support, I would have added one extra but actually don’t have that many extras available. I wonder if GP might prescribe some more, my clinic really not open to discuss increasing it, which is a shame.

[Wishinandahopin]

Firstly congratulations! I bled too - turned out to be a hematoma - had some pretty heavy bleeds also around 5 and 6 weeks.

Everything was fine and baby is now 8 weeks old. But it was bloody scary at the time. Turns out bleeding is much more common in IVF pregnancies- around 50%!

My clinic upped my cyclogest to 3 a day in addition to my Lubion - so perhaps add in a third cyclogest?

Will keep everything crossed for you! X

[Casperjourney in reply to Wishinandahopin]

Thank you, appreciate your advice and keeping your fingers crossed for me:). I’m very happy your baby is healthy.

I wonder if I should just add a Cyclogest myself, as my clinic said my Progesterone is fine and I should just stay on this amount of Cyclogest, so they won’t up it for me.

I did my repeat HCG and it almost tripled in 48 hrs which is a good pattern, but I am still spotting pretty much non stop it doesn’t allow me to relax and embrace this small milestone. I wish I could do something about it.

[Myshh]

Hi I was spotting from 3 weeks up to 9 weeks. Had two scans 6 week and 9 week. Baby was doing absolutely ok. Recently I was bleeding ( not spotting) red blood one day 12 week had scan yesterday a baby is doing fine. There is no hematoma or any cause of bleeding in my case they check ovaries uterus all it's fine. It's seems like there is more blood circulation in my cervix thanks to cyclogest that's what causing bleeding.( I always put pessaries back way so the bleeding it's not caused by irritations). They say it does happen a lots in IVF pregnancies.

[Casperjourney in reply to Myshh]

Hi Myshh, thank you for your message, it really gives me hope. I am still spotting so not so sure what’s happening and today my symptom of nausea seems to be fading, so as you can imagine receiving your message came at a good time.

Congrats on your pregnancy, and I really hope it continues well for you.

May I ask you, if you felt much cramping or any cramping at all. I am constantly feeling some cramps. Sometimes they are very subtle, sometimes a bit more intense but always there.

What is your dose of cyclogest and do you take anything else for progesterone? I also use them back way, so not sure if they can cause bleeding. I am on 2 cyclogests and 1 lubion injection a day.

[Myshh in reply to Casperjourney]

I remember first 6 weeks it was like period cramping I thought couple of times that my period came with spotting as well. Than I started to feel my uterus was getting harder when I cough and sneeze and after 6 weeks it was more sharper cramp here or there to the point I had to stop take breath and it went away and that was happening approx till 9 weeks and than the cramping and spotting stopped. I just had that one bright red bleed two days ago. What it comes to symptoms they started 5 weeks on with nausea, evening shivering ( woman usually feel hot not me obviously) but even shiwering is perfectly normal when there is rapid raise of hormones. Nausea and dizziness were worse 7, 8,9 week and than it's started to fade away. But I remember the days when all my symptoms disappeared completely and they came back after 2 days that happened couple of times too. Goodness me what a rollercoaster.

I am on 400 cyclogest morning and evening.

Fingers crossed everything will go the righ way for you. If you are up for it keep me updated I really would like to know how are things progressing. It's nice to chat with girls who are going trough same thing.