I've Been Spotting for 3 Days Now... What Does It Mean?

Updated on July 07, 2011
P.C. asks from Washington, DC
9 answers

Hi. We're Trying To Conceive for say 7 months now. Before my hubby and I got married, we have been doing the act and I was afraid then to get pregnant. But we did not use any form of contraceptives. I've been charting my BBT (Basal body Temperature) for June. I've noticed a drift in my temperature and I guess I have ovulated. We timed our coitus (sex) near ovulation. I am fairly irregular and on cycle day 35, I had a menstrual flow which is a little scanty than the usual. i tested yesterday and it went back BFN (big fat negative). In April, when my period came, it was kind of heavy but it only lasted for only a day. in May, my period also came and it lasted for only 2 days. It is only now that I had a scanty period which lasted for 3 days. I used to have menstrual flow for 5 days. Along with the scanty blood flow, I am experiencing dull low back pain and mild headaches before the blood flow. Could this mean that I can be pregnant even if I had a BFN on HPT (home pregnancy test)? Anyone?

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

Too technical for me. I can't answer based on BBT info. I wonder why you haven't taken a pregnancy test. It is possible to have light periods at the beginning of a pregnancy. You can get the test for $1 at the Dollar store.

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S.S.

answers from Atlanta on

When I was pregnant, I didn't show any signs until about a week after ovulation. I remember it was about a week after I conceived... I was at a concert with my husband, and my ovary hurt soooo bad, I thought I was going to pass out. That was implantation... and 3-4 weeks after conception, that's when I finally got a positive. The first test I used as a dollar store test strip, not because they are cheap, but I've heard they are very sensitive because they are so cheap that they pick up on any hormone level. So try that... try several different types of sticks. That's what I did... Also, I agree with one of the comments below, you might be so caught up in the whole thing that you are shifting your period... hey, I'm not judging, as I did the same thing. It's amazing what your mind tells your body to do, and it just does it. If the tests are coming back negative, you aren't pregnant, or the hormone level isn't showing up yet. If you are experiencing any serious pains, you should go see a GYNO and discuss, it could be something more serious like a cyst (mentioned below). I do remember being light headed and spotting around the week I knew I was pregnant, if that helps any!!

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W.W.

answers from Charlottesville on

Test again in another couple of days. You may have tested too early! With both of my pregnancies, I had negative HPT results the first time I tested, but it was DEFINITELY positive when I tested a few days later. If it is still negative for you in a few days, ask your MD/midwife to do a blood test and explain your symptoms. And by the way, I spotted and even bled a little all through both of my pregnanices (mostly in the first/second trimester) and I have had 2 perfectly healthy pregnancies... this might just be how your body reacts to pregnancy like mine. Although, you should always talk with your MD/midwife about any spotting. OR... maybe you aren't pregnant and you are just having some irregularity in your cycles...
I wish you all the best either way!!! Good luck!

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M.K.

answers from Chico on

Most of your acronyms are unfamiliar to me; however, I had spotting at the beginning of both of my pregnancies and felt generally blah. You could be pregnant, but it could also be signs of a cyst or fibroid which can cause or aggravate cramping. If you think that you could have become pregnant over 4 weeks ago, a home pregnancy test should be accurate by now since it measures the presence of human growth hormone- which if you are 4 or more weeks pregnant should be present. Whatever happens, good luck.

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A.P.

answers from New York on

How are your temps right now??? If you are pregnant it is a general rule that your temps will remain elevated. Also, your temps will usually drop the day before the temperature rise. So, if you notice a day that is lower than your usual low temp. level it can indicate that you are about to ovulate. I have been using the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning (uses temps and cervical mucus) for over 4yrs now and we've used it to both achieve and postpone pregnancy with great accuracy. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.

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R.C.

answers from Phoenix on

Home pregnancy tests are pretty accurate--if it says negative, you aren't pregnant. It's a rare woman who doesn't secrete enough of the pregnancy hormone that the test picks up (Hcg) in her urine to create a positive reading. Those women need to have a blood test to determine early pregnancy. So, you are likely not pregnant, but it's possible that you also aren't ovulating. One of the most common causes of irregular and long menstrual cycles is PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I think it's time to see a Dr. or CNM and have yourself evaluated. There's hope that you can have children (I have it and I have 3 children), but often you need to make some lifestyle changes including weight loss, regular exercise and a lower carb diet. Best wishes! Midwife mom of 3

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J.S.

answers from Hartford on

It sounds like you're stressing yourself out. If you've been using this method the entire time you've been trying to conceive this past 7 months, then isn't it clear that it's not working? Have you tried to just, you know, have sex during on the days you know you're fertile? And then if you miss your period you take a pregnancy test. If not, then you try again. It doesn't have to be so technical and stressful.

However, depending on your age, if you're 35 or older and you've been trying for this long without success and you were having sex for a while without protection and didn't get pregnant then you may want to talk to your obstetrician about referring you to a fertility specialist. It couldn't hurt to get a consultation.

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G.T.

answers from Redding on

Coitus? lol.
You could be pregant or you could be so stressed out by wanting to be pregnant that you are throwing your menstrual cycle into spasmania episodes.
That is my guess.

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K.M.

answers from Norfolk on

It could be that you've tested too early. I tried an early pregnancy test that claims to give you an accurate result up to 5 days before a missed period. BS! I tried it 2 days before a missed period and got a negative result. I, for other reasons, went to the OB/GYN 2 days after the negative result and their test picked up that I was pregnant. They even mentioned to me that the result was very faint. I would count on the HPT as a sure thing until you're a few days past your period's usual arrival, at least. If you look online at what your numbers should be when you first miss your period and compare that to the lowest number of hormone an EPT picks up you'll see that in a lot of cases your number won't even come close to the EPT number for almost 5 days after your missed period.

I would guess that your body is working on trying to get pregnant since your period has changed but that you're not pregnant (just taking an educated guess here). The same happened to me when we first started trying. Period symptoms are so similar to pregnancy symptoms too so it can be hard to tell. I know I get back pain and headaches before a period though it's not every month or even a few times a year but it happens.

Good luck!!! I hope you get your baby soon!!

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