What is considered the 1st day of your period?

Maybe someone can answer this silly question question for a 25 year old women who has had her period since she was 13 but has never really understood her menstrual cycles...

I started spotting on July 2nd...then saw brown discharge the next day on July 3rd...and on July 4th, I started having a heavy flow of bleeding....

Would July 2nd or July 4th be considered the first day of my menstrual cycle?

I'm trying to track my menstrual cycle especially since I'm taking Metformin and I want to make sure that it's being effective on me....Hopefully, this will also allow me to be able to track my most fertile days....and finally conceive our miracle baby.

Thank you in advance for the feedback!!!  :-)

[ladybug82]

my RE says that you count your first reg flow day as cd 1 !!! So i would count july 4th as your CD 1 ? good luck on your journey ... bug hugs *:O) erika

[Maredy]

Thanks a lot for the feedback and kind words!!!

Big Hug Back To You 2!!

:-)

Mrs. MAC!

[AuroraSage]

I'd totally second those comments!  Plus, if you're charting on here, it goes by your first reg. flow day (spotting still counts as "cycle day").  Good luck and welcome!  :)

[Maredy]

If spotting still counts as a cycle day...then does this mean that July 2nd would be the first day of my AF and not July 4th, which was when I saw the first reg. flow.....In my first comment, I was informed by ladybug82 that July 4th would be the first day of my cycle....

[ladybug82]

The first day of your period is the first day when you see red blood. when i was trying to conceive and was wrong for many years. I always counted the first day as the day I began spotting but my RE   informed me it was the first day red blood appears on the pad and you actually flow. This means I have been throwing off my ovulation by one day because I have always counted day one as the first day I saw the light spotting which occurred for me the day before the actual flow

[Maredy]

Got'cha!!! Thanks again!!!  :-)

I guess I've been doing the same thing....  :-/

but now, It's time to get back on track! :-)