Please help me figure out this brown spotting

[earthmama4]

I don't frequent this forum ever so I don't know if this is the right place for my question and I probably don't know all the right abbreviations for all things fertility , but I would really appreciate your help.

My cycles have been long since I got my first PPAF about 3 months ago, about 40-45 days in length, with ovulation around day 20 based on CM. So I got my third PPAF in December right before Christmas. We DTD on day 8 and I noticed slippery discharge for a few days, not sure if that was semen or CM. I thought semen at first, but it lasted for a few days so then I was thinking CM, it was really slippery. Now it is day 17 and I got a large amount of discharge today with brown spotting. I have never had any spotting between periods, pregnancy, nothing. I am really confused as to what it means? The discharge is continuing pretty heavy, and its thick and whitish - not the clear egg white CM stuff that would lead me to think I am ovulating. I have heard that spotting can occur at ovulation, and also at , gulp, implantation. Based on what I have told you - what do you think?

[MaerynPearl]

First I have to say if your cycles are around 40-45 days long and you get CM around cd20 that your CM is probably not a good indicator of ovulation as a 20-25 day luteal phase is incredibly improbable even when breastfeeding.

That said, if you had AF at Christmas and have long cycles due to breastfeeding it would be highly unlikely (not impossible) for you to randomly ovulate that much sooner.

Explanation for the blood? Your body didn't fully expel at your last AF and was letting a bit more go (it was brown, thus old blood)... DTD caused the cervix to bleed a little (can happen randomly, if the blood sits up there a few days before coming out due to the increase in discharge then of course it would be brown by then)

My best suggestion... take a deep breath and in 4 days take a pregnancy test. It will likely come back negative, if so you can stop worrying

[earthmama4]

I hadn't thought of those explanations. Interesting. I was leaning toward implantation spotting because I have two unplanned pregnancies most likely due to random early ovulation. I get pg very easily, my other two were conceived my first TTC cycle. So I have good reason to be a little nervous! Though as I said, I have never spotted so it got my attention. Then more EWCM showed up on day 18 - more consistent with what my cycle has been. So then I started leaning toward ovulation-related spotting. I guess we'll see. Would a pg test really pick up anything in just a few days? And what if, maybe, I ovulated twice? Its can happen! Just for fun I am keeping notes on myself of any symptoms.

Dec 22 LMP
Dec 29 DTD (day 8)
Dec 30- Jan 1 EWCM (9-11)
Jan 7 spotting brown (17)
Jan 8 mild cramping, EWCM (18)
Jan 9 Sore breasts while nursing (20)

So two days from now - Jan 11 will be day 22 of my cycle - and I should start testing then? I have never tested before day 28 of my cycle.