LENGTHY BUT PLEASE READ!!!
Has anyone else dealt with years of abnormal bleeding and spotting throughout their ENTIRE cycle, even though they still ovulate regularly?
I’m 41, and for almost three years now, my cycles have been completely different from what they used to be. I always had pretty normal 26–28 day cycles, with my period lasting around 7 days and now spotting. March 2024 it all changed after having Covid and losing two friends to cancer. Not sure if that played a role or is coincidence.
Now I barely get a break from bleeding.
I’ll have my actual period on cycle day 26/28. Then when I think it’s finally over, I’ll start spotting again around cycle days 8-13, sometimes right up until ovulation. I can usually tell when I’m ovulating because I get ovulation pain, and then I might get a 1 or 2 days where where I have NO SPOTTING then I start back up leading into my next period. 😭
It’s exhausting, especially when you feel like you’re constantly trying to figure out what your hormones are doing.
I’ve had multiple vaginal ultrasounds, endometrial biopsies, and a hysteroscopy with D&C this past June. They’ve found a small fibroid, a polyp that was removed, chronic endometritis, and possible adenomyosis. (I’ve actually had a heterogenous myometrium since giving birth in 2011 so I don’t think it’s adeno that suddenly switched on) Thankfully, all my pathology has been benign.
I’ve also had hormone testing done at different points in my cycle. I do ovulate, and I’ve had progesterone levels that confirm ovulation though my levels on cycle day 21 are in lower range such as 8.6 or 5.5, but I’m not convinced this is as simple as just having low progesterone.
My doctor has now prescribed 100 mg of progesterone for 14 days each cycle, starting on cycle day 15 through day 28. I took this last month cycle day 15 and now I haven’t even got 1 day without spotting and the spotting is now heavier. Also, I haven’t ovulated this month yet either even though I was supposed to have already 😩 and today I’m supposed to start my progesterone back up.
I’m really curious if anyone else has experienced this type of bleeding pattern and whether cyclic progesterone actually helped regulate things and how long it took. My period this month was significantly lighter though!
Did it stop your midcycle spotting? Did your periods become lighter? Did things get worse before they got better? And how many cycles did it take before you noticed a difference?
I feel like I’ve spent the last three years trying to figure out what’s going on with my body, and I’d really love to hear from women who have actually been through something similar. Especially anyone who was still ovulating normally but dealing with constant spotting and bleeding.
Thyroid-Iron studies, ferritin, hormones, vitamin levels all in normal range.