Abnormal Bleeding and trying to conceive

[brittany101]

I have been trying to conceive for months now with no luck. I stopped taking birth control in January and in February we started trying. I had been on birth control for close to 9yrs. Before stopping. In April my OB found a large cyst on my left ovary which was just a simple fluid filled cyst. By June it was completely gone. I go once a month to my OB just to be monitored due to the cyst and everything looks great. But one thing. I have not had a normal flow/period since July. In fact I have not had to use tampons just panty liners. And Since July I have had this abnormal bleeding. Every month around the 22nd-25th I start this brownish/reddish discharge that is very thick. That is around the time I am scheduled to start my period. And than around the 7-10th of the month I start with this brown light discharge from my timing around the time I am suppose to ovulate. I have told my doctor and she can’t find anything wrong with me and feels this could be normal and wants to start me on fertility meds. My husband has been checked and he is normal. But I just don’t know about starting fertility meds. My question is, is this normal? What could be causing this? And can I get pregnant at this rate without the fertility meds?

[Debbie Miller, RN]

Hello,
Your doctor is right that this can be perfectly normal and pregnancy may occur spontaneously. There is no way to predict this. If you can be patient for a few months it just might happen. If you are very anxious then fertility meds might be the way to go, realizing that the risk of multiples is quite high. If you do use them, follow your doctor's orders exactly. It's strictly up to you and what your desires are in regards to your reproductive life plan. If you want to try "naturally" for a while, you might consider an ovulation prediction kit to determine when you ovulate. This would increase your chances if you time intercourse to coincide with your fertile days.

Best wishes.