[kristenitis]

So, my period is pretty predictable. I have it every 24 days, and I start spotting on day 23. Well, not this month. Instead, I started very light spotting of dark pink on day 16, and it has continued to get darker. On day 17 it became a little heavier, I had extremely tender breasts, felt occasional muscle twinges in my right lower abdomen, and experienced very light cramping in my lower back. Day 18 (today), I woke up and had to put on a pantiliner for the spotting that is now a dark reddish brown (more on the brown side), and I have full blown cramps. I am not taking any birth control (I am trying to find an alternative to hormonal, but am weary about the IUD and it's potential migrating/puncturing possibilities), so right now we're just using condoms.

...Help?

[Ashlee T.]

HMmm. Well, predictable or not, sometimes our cycles go bonkers. You could have, for whatever reason ovulated really early in your cycle this month which means you may start earlier than normal.

You could just be experiencing some ovulatory spotting. The twinge in your lower right abdomen could've been a bit of a spasm which sometimes happens during ovulation. It does for me, and it feels mega weird!

You could also be pregnant. Though if you're using condoms correctly, I doubt it. I don't take hormonal BC either. I chart my cycles, use condoms, and try to abstain altogether on my highly fertile days.

If you are ovulating now, that means you should start your period on or around day 30-35. I would wait until day 35, and if you haven't started your period, take a home pregnancy test.

[kristenitis]

I now have reason to believe that I am having my period?...even though I had it 18 days ago. Like I mentioned, my normal cycle is 24 days, I never spot in between... and yet I had to upgrade to a tampon today. Hmm...