Questionage: 37, children: 2 (10, 12), lmp: 2.1.05, 4.2.05
hi dr. rappaport, i'm very glad to write to you with my somewhat random bunch of symptoms...
although we are not yet actively trying to conceive, i've been using the clear plan ovulation monitor for about a year; my cycles fluctuate 25-33 days. last cycle the monitor detected the surge on days 19/20 (jan 21/22). my partner and i were together the following morning (jan 23).
i've been more hungry than usual and occasionally feel nauseous (no vomiting). on day 33 (feb 4) i started spotting. this lasted about 2 days and stayed as spotting (no real bleeding). on feb 7 i had a brief flush of blood after an orgasm (without intercourse).
on feb 9 (17 days after intercourse) i took a home pregnancy test (viola, supposed to detect at 12 iu/l), which was negative. (i only looked at the test during the first couple of minutes; several hours later i looked again and there was a faint line, but i don't know how late this appeared.)
last night (feb 10) on my way home from swimming i suddenly experienced strong pain -- as if i would have pain in my cervix, although that's not really a location one usually knows, but that's how it felt. i also felt the need to lay down. after a while (about 10 min?) the pain turned into more 'normal' period-type cramps, which were strong but not so bad. (i don't usually have period cramps, though i did as a teenager.) this lasted a couple of hours, and then i went to sleep.
this morning (feb 11) i took another home pregnancy test (same brand) and checked during the full 20 min test time: negative. i still feel somehow tender inside; again i would describe it as my cervix -- somewhere there inside.
i don't check my cervix regularly, though i have felt it 2-3 times over the past year: 'like the tip of your nose' (the description i found in the internet was appropriate for how it felt). now my cervix feels softer than that. (maybe still from menstruation?)
although i would like to be pregnant, it seems highly unlikely based on the two tests.
what could have caused the pain i felt last night? is that ok?
what else could be causing the nausea? (maybe just thinking about potentially being pregnant?)
my partner and i were also together about a week after the detected surge (jan 29); is it possible to have two lh surges?
if i carefully wash my hands with soap, is it ok to check/feel my cervix with my hand? or can this lead to infection?
i am american but live in switzerland and am a bit too embarrassed to call my swiss doctor, so i would be very happy to hear what you think.
thank you!
michelle
AnswerThere is no need to palpate your cervix. It may be firm or soft, but that will not help you to determine if you have ovulated or not. I have found that the texture of the cervix does not help to determine if a woman is pregnant or not. It appears that you did get your period on February 4, even if it was only a bit of spotting. If you do not get your period by March 3, wait an additional week and repeat the pregnancy test. If yo8 have had two negative pregnancy tests, I doubt that you are pregannt. I cannot explain the pain you had in your cervix. If you have any concerns, you will have to make an appointment with a gynecologist.
