Hi everyone ~ I am 27, am not on birth control pills and have never been pregnant. My boyfriend and I use the withdrawal method and it has worked for a while now. However, I have noticed some unusual things going on with my body and was hoping someone else has had a similar experience. My period ended around June 8th/9th but about the 15th or so I noticed my nipples were extremely sensitive, red and swollen, and pointing upwards. This was so strange becuase I had never ever experienced anything like it before. My breasts weren't tender, just my nipples. It almost felt like they had been rubbed raw, so I thought I had just worn somthing that had irritated them to that point. But it continued for a week like that. It's the 24th and they aren't as sore, but they are still red and a little swollen. I had also noticed the slightly raised blue vein on each areola and that was equally unprecidented for me. I read that it could just mean ovulation or an upcoming period, but that was weeks away (and I don't get sore nipples/breasts before my period). Another thing I noticed was sleepiness and fatigue. There was one day at work last week when I was so tired and had absolutely no energy that I literally could have fallen asleep standing up. That same day I had strong lower back pain, like an insistent dull ache which got so intense at one point during the day that got lightheaded and a bit sick to my stomach. I also noticed my appetite had gotten noticably (and annoyingly) larger for the last two weeks, but that is when I started to think I was jumping to conclusions. However, over the last week I have had a few brief but sharp twinges and that dull ache in my lower back. This is another oddity for me, because my only pre-period symptoms are aches in my knees and moodiness. I never get twinges or back aches until I actually start to bleed the first day. These started almost two weeks before my period, which I expect around the 1st/2nd of July. But what really made me suspicious is the fact that yesterday (June 23rd) and the day before I had some kind of spotting. Nothing at all like my period, which is agonizing and heavy the first day or two and of a deep, dark-red color. This was a small bright red streak in a tissue, followed by a pinkish wetness in another tissue. Then nothing. This was fully 10 days before my expected cycle. The same thing happened the next day, with the pink/light red in a tissue. After that nothing. Now, both times it was after my boyfriend and I had sex, however we have never, ever noticed anything remotely like this before and it didn't happen again when we had sex this morning (sorry, tmi! :p). So I don't know what to think. Has anyone else been in a similar situation, or does anyone have any insights? It is still too early to test, but I am driven to distraction wondering over this ~ Thanks! O.o