Hello, I am 27 and very confused. I have been having some problems with my period lately. I had a period heavy and normal Jan. 31st. Feb. 27th. and my last period March 24th. And this month I was due around April 20th. But no period came, no cramping either. My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and actually feel like getting pregnant is the hardest thing to do right now but friends tell me if I am stressed it can change when I ovulate. Is this true? I should have ovulated anywhere between April 1st through April 8th but I don't know any more because my body has been acting wonky. I had the clear thick discharge on and off from the 1st to the 17th. Is that normal? We this morning (April 24th) I started having some brown discharge not a lot only when I wipe and not every time I wipe, and I know its old blood but old blood from where exactly? I have no cramps and feel fine. I had sore breasts on and off for the last week and I thought maybe I was Pregnant before I started the brown discharge so I took a Pregnancy test the 18th, 19th, and 21st with first morning pee and all were negative so I figured I am not pregnant. But now I have the brown discharge and I have no idea what is going on with me. I live on a military base and army doctors are very rude and treat everyone like we are stupid and that our questions are stupid. When I called to make a appointment they told me to wait tntil May first and if I still didn't have a period then to call back. What doctor office tells you that? So that is why I am looking for help, is this a hormone imbalance? Pregnancy? A brown light period? Just confused and would like some answers please.

These are really questions for your own medical practitioner.

I tried to make a appointment with my doctor but they're army doctors and what we think is a big deal they think isn't so they told me to wait until May 1st to see if I have a period and if not then to call back and make a appointment then. My husband is in the army and the military doctors are very rude and the doctors motto of "there are no stupid questions" do not apply to them. But I guess if I can't get any advice or help from anyone who may have experienced my problem then I have no choice but to wait until a week to see a doctor.

A hormone imbalance is usually not suspected as a possibility unless you were starting to have several irregular cycles with no use of hormonal birth control. Every now and then, a cycle may just be off for no apparent reason. Stress can play a role for some women, but for most women, general stress it is a non-issue in terms of their menstrual cycles.

Your ovulation may not have occurred when you expected it to. Many women do not ovulate within the norm. Usually, prior to ovulation, discharge will become more clear and fluid as this allows the sperm to survive longer and also helps with moving them in the right direction.

The brown discharge may be from recent sex, may be from ovulation, may be from pregnancy, may be a period getting ready to start. It is also possible that it is just due to a fluctuation in hormones.

If still no period in a couple of days, you could try another pregnancy test, or just save the money and wait for your appointment.

Good luck!

In the meantime, treat yourself as though you are pregnant. Make sure you and your husband are both making any lifestyle changes you know would be healthy and it would be wise for you to be taking a prenatal vitamins or multivitamin in case you haven't started already.

Thank you DoulaLC, for your advice. I do want to make sure things are OK with me because my husband and I are trying to get pregnant. That is a good idea I should probably get on prenatal vitamins just in case I am pregnant I didn't even think of that. So ovultion is never really on a set schedule huh it does make it difficult to conceive if you don't know when you're ovulating. Thanks again

Ovulation is usually on a set schedule, just not always the same for every woman. For example, many women will ovulate mid-cycle... which is what the ovulation calendars follow as this is the norm. But many other women will naturally ovulate a bit sooner or later than that. Being off by even a day can make all the difference. This is why you can start with the calendars to get an idea, but also watch for your own personal signs that your body may be preparing for ovulation.

The main benefit of the prenatal vitamins, especially while trying to conceive, is the folic acid. A minimum of 400 mcg is recommended to help reduce the chances of certain birth defects which often occur before most women will know that they are pregnant. Folic acid plays an important role throughout the pregnancy, early in pregnancy for birth defect prevention, and late in pregnancy for brain development.

You can think of the vitamins as insurance for a less than ideal diet as well. Certainly healthy foods and drink should be the main source, but not everyone eats as well as they know that they should... :)

Thank you DoulaLC, for your advice. I do want to make sure things are OK with me because my husband and I are trying to get pregnant. That is a good idea I should probably get on prenatal vitamins just in case I am pregnant I didn't even think of that. So ovultion is never really on a set schedule huh it does make it difficult to conceive if you don't know when you're ovulating. Thanks again