9DPO

The days keep slipping by. Soon I'll be within the window of the most accurate results for pregnancy tests. The rest of this post may be TMI but again, it helps me think.

I know something else is up. Whether it's pregnancy or not, something is different. I am still spotting, started Thursday. It started out as pink, not red, and very very minimal. Like a few drops. Yesterday it got just a tad heavier, like maybe a teaspoon full each time I'd check. Last night it turned from pink to brown. Today again it's brown.

I've only EVER had BROWN spotting when I was pregnant. It's a symptom of pregnancy. Even when I was spotting for those 6 days before my last period it was red. RED. Minimal, but RED.

I've had a normal cycle since the miscarriage. It's over. My body is back into it's rhythm. So unless something else is going on here, these have to be pregnancy symptoms. My doctor checked me for other issues, though. Progesterone levels (low levels make you bleed between cycles) Endometriosis, blood clotting disorders, ovarian cysts, sugar levels, anything and everything that has to do with the reproductive system that she is capable of testing. Nothing. I'm very healthy. I have absolutely nothing "wrong" with me.

So I keep coming back to the main differential diagnosis - pregnancy.

If I still receive negative test sticks and still no actual period by the time I would have a period on a 35 day cycle (35 being the longer of a normal cycle, sometimes I start around 32 days, 35 days would put me at 19DPO) I will request a blood test for suspected pregnancy from my doctor. A blood test will be considered positive if it's >5miu/ml.

So I should know within the next week for sure what's going on. I hope!

With each passing day I am a bit more comforted with the fact that my chances of receiving a positive go up. It has been shown with pregnant women who take tests early the chances of a positive go up with each passing day, which is why tests tell you not to test until you've missed your period, when there's the highest chance for accuracy.

6DPO 83.5% of pregnant women received a NEG test
7DPO 76.2% of pregnant women received a NEG test
8DPO 71.3% of pregnant women received a NEG test
9DPO 54.8% of pregnant women received a NEG test <---today
10DPO 39.1% of pregnant women received a NEG test
11DPO 24.7% of pregnant women received a NEG test
12DPO is the best chance for an accurate reading.

As you can see, the percentage goes down for false negatives. I'm hoping I'll get my answer soon!