[Pretty Wings]

When should you count the first day of your cycle? Is it the first day of spotting or first day of full flow?

I usually start to get slight spotting a couple days before AF arrives, but the spotting isn't constant, it comes and goes over a couple days so I'm hesitant to count the first day of spotting as the first day of my cycle.

I'm assuming that the first day of cycle would be the first day of full AF?

How does everyone else track their cycles?

[Mo2k]

The first day is when you have full flow prior to 6pm. Or at least that was what I was told by my FS.

[NSG]

I have the same problem. I was told the first day of full flow prior to midday. Full flow starting in the afternoon means CD1 is the next day. I count the two days of spotting as part of my previous cycle's luteal phase.

[Corella]

Yep full flow before nightfall was the advice I got. Ignore the spotting as it's not a menstruation but is withdrawal bleeding.

[Sassy Dingo]

I thought it was full flow before midday.

Sorry OP, you've got 2 for midday and 2 for 6pm. Maybe halve it and go 3pm

[Pretty Wings]

Ahh ok. Thanks for the replies ladies:)

I just wasn't sure whether the first day of spotting was counted as day 1 or whether it was the first day of the full flow. I've always counted full flow as being day 1 ... which sounds about right according to everyone else also

[erindiv]

As everyone else has said, first day of full flow.

I usually count it as full flow by nightfall (as many have said.

Good luck

[bubmakes3]

hmm I thought it was full flow by midday too - thats what I have been working off for the past 13 months (hasn't done any good as yet!)