Negative HPT - long cycles, spotting - thoughts?

Hi ladies. I hope I'm posting in the right place. I have been TTC for about 3 months. Since I stopped b/f in October my cycles have been long - 36/37 days. October is the last month I noticed egg white like mucus. I have been drinking red raspberry tea and have had acupuncture. We BD frequently. I had no cramping leading up to expected AF. On CD 36 I had some brown discharge throughout the day and the next day. Then a drop of bright red blood and I assumed AF was arriving. Used tampon and when removed saw very little light pink and brown, no more red. Got a negative HPT on CD 39. Today is day 41 and I haven't seen any blood since day 39. Could I be pregnant? I had mild cramps with my first pregnancy and no other symptoms until 7 or 8 weeks. So far I don't feel pregnant... I plan to retest in a few days and am trying to be patient, but the long cycles worry me.

Thanks so much!

hi greenmama, sounds to me like you are utd... it may have been implantation bleed. if i was you i would wait til end of next week and then test again,.. good luck and keep me posted

Thanks Liz! I really hope you're right. I don't think I'd be as concerned if my cycles were shorter. I've heard that it can be more difficult to get pg with longer cycles. I'm concerned that maybe I didn't O and it was just old blood or something. I'm trying to wait until Monday, CD 44, to retest. I really appreciate your response!

So, I couldn't wait til Monday. I tested today and still negative. I have to assume this is correct. Oldly enough I've been temping since I started spotting in case that was the start of a new cycle and my temp is up today. Seems way too early with my long cycles, but I've also had what could be O pains in my right side. Not sure what to make of all this. I think I'll wait it out another cycle and then call the doc if things don't straighten out.

Hi Greenmama,

I would go to your GP & get a HCG test, that will confirm either way for sure. In relation to the Raspberry Tea - I didn't think you should drink this whilst ttc or if in early stages of pg?

Thanks RhiChiChi. I think I'll call this week to see about an appointment. It never hurts to be too cautious. Our doula advised on the raspberry tea. Apparently it can cause contractions at the end of pregnancy, but it also helps to strengthen the uterine lining while preparing for pregnancy and in the early stages of pregnancy. If anyone has other suggestions I am open to them as well. Thanks again everyone for your support and advise!

Hi Greenmama -
The spotting thing could be a number of things.
I tend to have very long cycles as well, so I tend to over analyse everything to look for signs which might tell me what is going to happen when.
From what I have read you can have spotting at three times during your cycle. The most obvious being before AF arrives.
Some people also get an implantation bleed (not gotten a BFP yet so I have no idea what that one looks like as far as how much or how long).
You can also get slight spotting with ovulation as well. I have had that on one of my cycles. I noticed the spotting for two days and I had a temperature jump after I noticed the spotting on the first day. The first day the spotting was a pinkish colour, the second day it had a bit of brown to it, but was still pinkish.
So the spotting you noticed could have been this, especially if you think you are having O pains at the moment. So I would think that you might have started your TWW from when you noticed your spotting. So maybe to a HPT 12-14days after that date.

Could just be the test you took wasnt very sensitive. I get one of those 3 days ones to make sure its as sensitive as possible because I am useless at tracking my cycles :$. Then again, when you have 25 days cycles like me, you don't *want* to be reminded how often AF turns up in a year. :(

Wait and see if AF makes an entrance - if not, then try a new test. :D (There is that horrible low HCG on ectopic thing, but I am not even going to entertain that idea!) Some times HCG takes time to build up.

Fingers crossed! Wish I could loan you my cycle! I'm not using it! LOL.

Thanks ladies! I called GP for an appointment and the earliest opening was this Thursday when I'm out of town - bummer - or April 6 - yikes. It looks like it will be a long wait... but then I guess it always is. No signs of normal AF. Temp is pretty low and stable. I've had a bit of nausea, but there is a bug going around and it could also be in my head. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!