Understanding Midcycle Bleeding & Pain After Ectopic Pregnancy

Question
Hi...I wrote to you a few weeks ago about some midcycle bleeding and pain. Here is my original posting...
Hi...I'm 42 years old and have 2 children. I lost one pregnancy due to ectopic and my tube was removed because of it. My last cycle started on March 8. On March 27, I began light bleeding with ALOT of leftsided pain...very similar to my ectopic. I didn't panic because during that ectopic experience, the ER doctor actually diagnosed me with a corpus luteum cyst instead of ectopic. After about 36 hours all pain was gone, but I still had light bleeding for about 2 days. I've been trying to read all I can on cysts because my symptoms match exactly to that of corpus luteum cyst. And yes...I would LOVE to have one more child before menopause finds me. My husband and I had sexual intercourse about 24 hours prior to the pain starting and also a few days before that. At what point did I actually ovulate (if that was indeed a cyst I was experiencing). We've had unprotected sex for 6 years with no luck conceiving. I'm just trying to figure out my cycle and the timing of ovulation with the pain I was having. The one time I charted my cycle, I ended up with an ectopic pregnancy so I really have no desire to chart again. Thanks for any info you can give me."...

Well...It's now CD 39 and no menstrual cycle and 2 negative HPT's. My body "feels" pregnant with tender (not overly sore) breasts and lots of lower abdominal aches and pains (nothing horrible). My question is this...what WAS that bleeding/cramping episode I had back on March 27? Could my cycle have been annovulatory? Could I have had that much pain/discomfort if my period started on CD 19? My cycle is usually 29 days. There have been times I've started as early as 24 days and gone as long as 42 days. But that bleeding episode just has me so confused. I know I need to find a doctor, but it will probably take over a month to get in for an appointment. I really appreciate your time and knowledge.

Answer
There are too many variables in your story for me to give you any definitive answers to your questions. Your day of ovulation depends on the number of days in your cycle. If you have a normal 28 day cycle, ovulation usually occurs on cycle day #14. However, if you have a 35 day cycle, ovulation occurs on cycle day #21, and if you have a 45 day cycle, it can occur as late as cycle day # 31. Therefore, I can't tell when or if you ovulated. If your last period started on March 8, you may have ovulated on May 21 amd the spotting you had on March 27 (cycle day #20) could have been ovulatory bleeding or implantation bleeding. Its too difficult to say. If home pregnancy tests have been negative, I would suggest two blood tests for pregnancy (Beta HCG) 48 hours apart. If you are definitely not pregnant, there is also the possibility of Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding, which is common in the years between 40-50. Plese discuss it with your doctor and avoid speculation.Its not cut and dried.