How to Estimate your LMP after M/C

[NikkiCC]

So since my m/c will be over soon I want to start charting now. I really want and need to watch my body since it is still adjusting and since me and DF will be TTC right off. So I had a D/C scheduled for Thursday, but in the wee hours this morning I ended up naturally m/c my baby. This morning when my doc's office opened I called immediately, she had me go down for an ultrasound, and it showed that the sac and everything was no longer in my uterus. It also showed that my uterine lining was almost completely shed so now it looks just like it would if I was getting ready to end my period.

Since it is really hard to figure an LMP I am wondering what everyone would do to try and get an estimate? I know if I had the D/C then that day would be considered my LMP, but it didn't happen like that. So since everything was expelled this morning would today be considered my LMP? I actually started spotting light pink on Friday, then Saturday spotted red, then Sunday it was dark red and at a regular period flow, same with Monday, then Monday night into this morning (Tuesday) it was very, very, very heavy flow, and then the clots came. Now I am back at the regular period flow.

So if anybody could just maybe give me some advice on which day to use?? I am thinking either the first day of spotting or the day I lost my precious baby. It was absolutely awful last night and I hope this never happens again to me or anyone. Thanks everyone!

Nikki

[rccresswell]

Hey
I am so sorry for your loss.  It is very difficult to loose a baby.  I can only tell you what happened to me so I hope that helps you figure out your dates.

I miscarried april 13th at 14 weeks 2 days.  My son came out that night which was  Tuesday.  I had cramping on the Wednesday which I know was my uterus contracting back down to size. From the 13th till about the 20th I had a normal period.  From the 20th to about the 27 I had light bleeding leading to spotting.  From the 27 to 30th I had spotting on and off.  I bled from heavy to spotting for a total of 3 weeks.  I believe I started ovulating between the 1st and 6th of May because of the ewcm.  I only BD on the 2nd.

On the 14 May I had a blood test and hcg levels were at 2.  I got my first period at 37 days after miscarriage.  I have another friend that miscarried the same day as I did and her period came at 30 days after her miscarriage.

I decided to use opk's after my period so I knew when I ovuated.  I found out I ovlulated on day 18.  We got a bfp at 10dpo and confirmation yesterday.  If you realy want to fall pregnant then try opk's and follow your ewcm.  When you feel like you want to BD that is also a good sign.  I think if you miscarried early you should ovulate about 2 weeks post miscarriage but if you miscarried later you could ovulate 3 weeks later as I did.  

I hope this all makes sense but remember everyone is different and your body changes drastically after a miscarriage.  

Good luck

[rccresswell]

I forgot to mention.  I basically started counting from when the bleeding started.  I had spotting on monday but no heavy bleeding but because my heavy, heavy bleeding only happened 3 hours before he came out I just count from the day I lost him because the spotting prior was nothing.

I hope that helps.  Start from when you started bleeding and see how you go

[NikkiCC]

OMG! Congrads! Throw some good luck my way! I think I agree with you! On Sunday my bleeding was consistent just like a regular period. So thats what I'm thinking too that I should go by that date. I mean it really doesn't matter, but I am charting so I need a place to start for the cycle to be most accurate since it will probably be all over the place. I'll be using opk's, my bbt, cervical mucous, position, etc. I had one last opk and took it tonight and of course it was + still. So that means a hpt would still be +. So I'm wanting to see that opk turn - and then +. My doc said that if we are serious about ttc then after I stop bleeding to bd at least every 3 days. My opk might stay + for a while, but I could actually ovulate and I don't want to miss a chance. So thats why I'm hoping I can tell from cervical mucus and postition. If I notice things happening well do everyother day and maybe a few days in a row. Hopefully I will get some clue!

I am hoping my doc will want to take my blood next Tuesday when I go in but it doesn't look like that will happen. So I'm prob gonna have to rely on the hpts! Well congrads again and hopefully things will be happening over here very soon!

Oh one more question! You mentioned about ovulating and how far along you are. Well my baby stopped growing at 6wks 5days, but I actually miscarried on exactly 14wks being pregnant. So I know 6wks is early, but my body did try to hang on for the whole 14wks. Do you think it was still early or late because of how long my body hung onto the preg?

Thanks!
Nikki--

[rccresswell]

Hey
Thanks for the congrats that would have been terrible to have carried that long.  My son had stopped growing between 10 and 11 weeks so it was a missed miscarriage as well but un to what others say I was fortunate enough to go through a painless labour and see my little man as a whole.  I think it gives me peace knowing I could see him and I could take him home and bury him.  I truly feel for all the women that miscarry blood clots - but each to there own.

I think being early or late would be hard to tell.  I think when the baby stops growing your hcg levels would start to decrease.  I only say that because doctors that check hcg levels get a hint you are miscarrying when your levels start to decline so one could only assume your levels would start to decline once the baby stopped growing (I hope that makes sense).  I do know it took 4 weeks for my levels to get down to 2 after my miscarriage so let's hope your levels have already started to decline because I am pretty sure you won't ovulate until they are below 5, 0 at the best.

I didn't take any hpt's straight after my miscarriage because I guess you could say I was a bit emotionally unstable lol.  I took one at 3 weeks and that was negative so one can assume they were below 25mlu because that was the sensitivy on the pregnancy test and then it took another week to get to 2.

I can tell you a week after you miscarry you start to get the feeling you want to BD and you see ewcm.  I went through this and it was just by body adjusting to everything that happened.  It does say on a website that you can have these signs shortly after a miscarriage.  I think if you take a hpt in about a week and get a negative then start taking opk's.  I know in Australia you can buy a pack of 10 for like 6.95 so maybe you should see if you can get a pack like that cheaply so you can buy tons and check everyday.  That is on the internet.

At first I thought the Opk's didn't work after about 7 days of trying and then I finally got a positive with it and we were lucky enough to fall pregnant.  I am very positive about this pregnancy although doubt does creep in every now and then.  I have opted not to have a scan until I am 12 weeks because I would prefer not to know if their is something wrong I just want it to happen.  With my son I didn't have any symptoms until I had spotting one day, tiny bit of red blood the next day which turned into gushing that night and out he came.  I would much prefer to go through the unknown experience rather than the waiting and worrying if that makes sense.

I wish you all the best and please let me know how you go.  I am hoping you get a bfp.

[NikkiCC]

Thanks for all the wonderful information. So last Tuesday my levels were in the 14,000s and then I had them re-taken last Thursday and they dropped to the 11,000s. So within 48 hrs they decreased 3,000. Now Tuesday after the u/s is when the m/c slowly started. I didn't even start spotting until I think Friday and my levels already dropped by 3,000. So this give me good thoughts. I can't imagine what they have done since last Thursday. Last night I noticed my uterus getting swollen again not as bad, but it was swollen and I started to cramp, woke up this morning and passed another clot. I think that everything is done now because on the u/s you could see that my uterine lining was almost totally shed, but it was thick so I think it came out in the form of a clot. So I'm thinking by now my levels should be pretty slow.

I actually talked to my doc and she mentioned something interesting. I've always heard that you can't ovulate until your levels are below 5. Well I guess you still do have a chance to ovulate, but your levels have to be pretty darn low and they have to be declining obviously. I really wish that when I went in yesterday my doc would've taken my blood. Just so I could know ya know? Some womens levels drop within a few days and some it can take weeks. It all depends. But I do have good feeling considering I wasn't even bleeding yet and the m/c just barely started that they dropped 3,000 points. Thats quite a bit with everything still in there and nothing really had happened yet.

I have been thinking about how I will want to handle my next preg. I am praying it happens right off and I know my chances are really good. I have thought like you have about not getting a u/s until 12wks cuz you don't want to know. But I think I'm gonna have my doc stay right on top of everything. Maybe see if we can take my blood at least once a wk start when the baby reaches 6wks through to 12wks and then get an u/s. I don't think I could make it to 14wks again knowing my baby had passed 7 wks earlier. I just keep thinking that it might have been easier if I knew 7-8wks ago ya know? I'll tell you thought whatever happens I will be scared. If they do take my blood every wk. When I call to find out the numbers I know my heart will be in my throat everytime. At my doc office she always goes a u/s in the beginning around 6-8wks to date the baby and then again I think around 12wks. But I don't even think I'll be able to look at the screen right off until the tech tells me everything looks good.

I still can't believe I am going through this....I do feel a lot better knowing that the baby has passed and that I'm now playing the wait game to stop bleeding. I think when I do stop bleeding I will have more things to do and the game will start again. Trying to catch ovulate if I even do ovualte right after. I might have to wait until I have my first af for that to even happen. Its just so hard because know one can tell you exactly how long you will bleed and when you will ovulate. Ever women is diff and some its longer some quicker...

Nikki