QuestionI am 30 years old, and my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for the past 3 months. I've always had irregular periods, and began taking birth control pills at 18 to normalize them. I went off of the pills 2 years ago, but just recently started trying for a baby. I've been keeping track of my menstrual cycles for 6 months, and they have been irregular, as they always have. The past 8 cycles have been 26, 23, 28, 28, 25, 24, 28, 28 days respectively. Now I said my cycles have always been irregular, but that is timing wise. I never know when they will start, but once they do start it's the same pattern. I might spot for one half a day at most, I never have spotted at all between or during cycles. I might spot a half day, then I'll flood the first two or three days and by day four or five it'll be fairly light and gone by day six. Even though the starting times are irregular, that pattern is alwasy the same.
However, that has changed since I have been trying to get pregnant. The past three months (we've only been trying that long) about 4 or 5 days before my period I start a very light brown spotting that is consisent until I start my period.
My concern is about the spotting, and why it might be happening NOW that I am trying to get pregnant. It's never done that except these months of trying.
What could be causing it? Could that timing be implantation bleeding and then the fertilized egg doesn't implant and therefore passes on in my cycle? Or do you have suggestions on how to proceed or what I should do?
My main concern is that I know it's not normal cycle bleeding because it has never happened in my cycles, and only started when I started trying for a baby.
I plan to see my doctor if this continues for 6 cycles, but I thought I would ask your opinion now.
Thank you.
AnswerYou, obviously, have some hormonal imbalance. HOwever, your cycles are within normal limits. A cycle is considered normal if its length is 21-35 days from the start of one period until the start of the next period.Your cycle length ranges from 23-28 days, which is within normal limits. As long as you do not bleed for longer than 14 days at a time, your period is considered within normal limits also. You may or may not be ovulating, and the trick is to calculate exactly when you ovulate each month.I would suggest that you get an ovulation predictor kit and try to pinpoint the exact day of ovulation. Then concentrate on having sex around that day. After you have been trying to conceive for a full year, consult with your gynecologist.
