The daily discharge between periods should consist exclusively of mucus, which is produced by the glands of the cervix for a protective purpose. Normally, these secretions are few and are produced constantly in order to cleanse the genital tract from possible infections and pathogenic microflora. Depending on the phase of the cycle, the composition and consistency of the secret may vary. The appearance of blood discharge in the middle of the cycle with a pink, reddish or brown tint may be a sign of pathology, but at certain periods of a woman's life, a secret with streaks of blood may be a variant of the norm.
In this article, we will look at the main causes and treatment of spotting in the middle of the cycle, and also consider in which cases intermenstrual spotting is normal.
Intermenstrual bleeding does not always have to cause fear and apprehension in a woman. In some cases, this may be the norm for the body, for example, they can be provoked by small hormonal imbalances, physiological processes in the body, or injuries during examination on a gynecological chair. Let's consider each of the options in more detail.
Bleeding between periods can occur for physiological reasons:
Accidental damage to small capillaries in the genitals during diagnostic and therapeutic measures can cause slight bleeding between periods. The following procedures can cause pinkish or brownish impurities in everyday secretions:
The causes of spotting between the regulations may be age-related changes in the female body:
Blood between periods can be released due to hormonal disorders triggered by the following factors:
Taking blood thinners can cause bloody discharge in the middle of the cycle, and there is a high risk of such phenomena in women with blood clotting problems.
Some women, especially those who are sexually irregular, may experience blood streaks in their daily discharge after having sex. This may mean that the Bartholin glands could not secrete enough lubrication, and there was a microtrauma of the vaginal mucosa. But it should not be ruled out that spotting after sex may be a sign of cervical erosion, cancer of this organ, or a neoplasm in the vagina.
There are many pathological causes of bleeding in the middle of the cycle. Intermenstrual daubing can be a sign of a disease of the liver or organs of the endocrine system, but most often such a symptom indicates the development of pathological processes in the organs of the female reproductive system. There are a number of serious ailments for which intermenstrual bloody discharge is the only symptom.
Consider a number of pathological factors that provoke discharge with blood streaks between menstruation:
A woman should be wary if spotting in the middle of the cycle has the following characteristics:
All of these symptoms should be examined by a specialist. In case of uterine bleeding, you should not wait for an appointment with a gynecologist, you must urgently call for emergency care, since such a condition is dangerous to health.
To determine the reason why a woman has a spotting in the middle of the cycle, the gynecologist may prescribe the following diagnostic procedures:
After making an accurate diagnosis and finding the cause of spotting in the middle of the cycle, the gynecologist prescribes a course aimed at treating the underlying disease, normalizing the hormonal background and eliminating the effects of anemia. If the cause of the discharge was a small hormonal failure, then in some cases, in order to normalize the cycle, it will be enough for a woman to reconsider her lifestyle, reduce daily stress, get rid of bad habits and have a good rest.
If any unusual vaginal discharge occurs, a woman should find out what this symptom indicates. It can be both brown and bloody discharge between periods.
It is possible that this is a sign of pathologies:
Such discharge in the middle of the cycle is divided into two types: uterine and intermenstrual.
Uterine bleeding occurs in women of any age and indicates:
Intermenstrual spotting in the middle of the cycle is considered normal if a woman uses hormonal contraception.
In other cases, the causes of scanty spotting may be:
If a woman who is not protected has a spotting discharge, this may indicate an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. But if instead of menstruation, brown, bloody discharge occurs, and after that - a delay, then most likely the woman became pregnant.
Smearing discharge before critical days is explained by the following reasons:
Probably every woman with an established cycle knows the expected date of her menstruation. It helps to plan trips and meetings, choose the period of vacation, put on the right clothes.
Any malfunction in the reproductive system is confusing: lack of menstruation, blood at the wrong time - in other words, between periods. Bloody discharge can appear both a day or two before menstruation, and a week before them. In any case, this is not the norm and the reasons for such discharges can be very different. It is important to approach the issue of your health with great responsibility and try to analyze what happened to the cycle and find the reasons why blood appears between periods. The ideal option would be to visit a competent doctor who can explain the causes of the phenomenon.
Despite the need for professional advice, it will be useful for every woman to know the characteristics of her body and possible troubles with the menstrual cycle. Let's try to figure out in what cases there is blood between menstruation and what predicts such a disorder of the reproductive system.
Doctors secrete several types of blood outside of menstruation: blood in young girls who have recently experienced their first menstruation, bleeding in women of reproductive age, and menopausal and post-menopausal women. In each case, the causes of the phenomenon are completely different, so each of them should be considered separately.
What is the reason for the appearance of spotting during ovulation:
Menstruation at the wrong time is a characteristic phenomenon for the first year of the formation of the cycle. During this period, the girl's body is going through a real hormonal restructuring, which prepares it for future motherhood and adulthood. Between monthly discharges often appear - both immediately before them, and a week or two before them.
The norm is bleeding in girls after the first sex, which is associated with defloration. If during the second or third intercourse the blood continues to stand out, then this is also not scary. Most likely, the walls of the vagina have not yet healed - the symptom will pass by itself, but the process can be accelerated by douching with chamomile, calendula or pharmaceutical preparations, setting special candles.
The appearance of unforeseen periods may not be accompanied by pain, but may be quite painful. The same applies to the amount of blood: if there is not much of it, then everything is normal. And if there is hemorrhage (massive bleeding), which cannot be stopped by conventional means, then in this case it is necessary to consult a doctor. Only he can prescribe the right treatment and regulate the cycle. In addition to discomfort, the release of blood before menstruation can cause anemia and even coma.
When to contact a doctor:
Most likely, the cause of the disorder of the cycle and the appearance of discharge between menstruation or a week or two before them is a sharp hormonal jump. Very rarely, doctors identify other causes: neoplasms, cysts. Therefore, in case of any dangerous violation, it is still worth being examined.
The appearance of menstruation at the wrong time can be both an ordinary case and a symptom of a dangerous disease. It all depends on the amount and color of the discharge, as well as the time of their appearance.
Spotting a few hours or days before menstruation is not a pathology. Such a symptom suggests that the body is already beginning to prepare for critical days some time before they appear. The norm is the appearance of "daub" in a week or less, more is already bad. The situation is the same - for some time the body still gets rid of excess blood.
A sharp appearance of discharge a week or two before menstruation is the norm, but only if the woman is taking hormonal drugs at this time. It is the jumps in hormones that lead to such changes, so the intervention of a doctor is not necessary if the bleeding is not too heavy. Perhaps the appearance of blood during sex, if the partner was not sufficiently prepared for it. In this case, there is an injury to the mucous membrane of the vagina and small vessels begin to bleed.
It is worth worrying in cases where you do not use any hormonal drugs and at the same time live a constant sexual life. In such cases, brown discharge without blood may indicate normal ovulation - egg maturation, but bloody discharge - sexual infections, ectopic pregnancy, cervical erosion, adnexal tumors., Sarcoma.
If the cycle was normal all the time, but such a symptom appeared in one of the months, you should definitely consult a doctor. Only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis and prescribe a proper treatment.
The time of onset of menopause is different for everyone, however, conditionally, all women after 45 years of age are included in this category. Before the menopause is fully established, a woman can observe significant fluctuations in the cycle for some time: menstruation begins earlier or later than the deadline, their profusion can also fluctuate greatly. This is due to a strong fluctuation of the hormonal background, a change in the thickness of the endometrium. In addition to bleeding, menopausal women have other unpleasant effects: dizziness, hot flashes.
Since such cases during menopause are the norm, the diagnosis of dangerous manifestations is difficult. However, there are several points that directly indicate a malfunction in a woman's body:
Why does blood flow during or after sex, what to look for:
When bleeding occurs between periods, girls are rightfully worried. After the end of menstruation, blood should not be observed in the discharge. Such symptoms may be a sign of temporary malfunctions in the body or a serious pathology. When unusual secretions appear, attention should be paid to their nature and dynamics. Intermenstrual bleeding is called bleeding that occurs between the 10th and 25th day of the cycle.
Abnormal bleeding between periods can occur as a result of a violation of the hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle. Cause a sharp change in hormonal balance can:
Women are especially vulnerable during puberty and before menopause, when there is a serious restructuring of the hormonal background.
With hormonal failure, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular. There may be long delays in menstruation (up to 6-8 weeks). Bleedings begin as moderate, then become more intense and continue for a very long time, then decreasing, then increasing.
In some cases, symptoms are mild at first, worsening over time. Periods come on time or a little late. Gradually, delays increase, and the period of blood loss becomes longer. With advanced pathology, menstruation lasts 1-1.5 months.
A slight spotting between periods can occur in healthy women due to ovulatory fluctuations in hormone levels. During ovulation, the amount of one substance decreases, while the other increases. If the changes occur rapidly, the walls of the blood vessels become thin and begin to bleed. After the normalization of the hormonal background, the bleeding stops. It lasts 2-3 days and is not accompanied by significant blood loss.
Intermenstrual bleeding is observed in women using any type of hormonal contraception (birth control pills, patch or ring). They are the body's response to a violent change in hormonal levels. Later, adaptive mechanisms work and abnormal bleeding ceases to bother. In such cases, blood loss is negligible.
If a girl has a regular sex life, unexpected intermenstrual bleeding may be a sign of implantation of the ovum.
When a fertilized egg descends into the uterus, it begins to penetrate into the upper layer of its inner surface. In the process of implantation of the fetal egg, the blood vessels that are in the walls of the organ are destroyed. Blood enters the uterine cavity and exits in the form of secretions.
When implanted, they have a smearing character. They are so small that they often go unnoticed. A woman may have spots of red, yellow or brown on her underwear. Bleeding can last from several hours to 1-2 days, depending on the individual characteristics of the girl. It occurs 7-12 days after fertilization. At this time, the woman does not yet know about her interesting position.
If spotting is accompanied by severe pain, it may be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy. This condition occurs when a fertilized egg does not descend into the uterus, but is fixed outside it. Most often, the fertilized egg remains in the fallopian tube.
There are various reasons why an ectopic pregnancy occurs. Promotion of a fertilized egg can be difficult due to narrowing of the fallopian tubes as a result of an inflammatory process or injury.
As the embryo grows and develops, the walls of the pipe stretch and at a certain moment break, unable to withstand the load. Rupture most often occurs 4-5 weeks after conception.
An ectopic pregnancy poses a threat to the health and life of a woman. When these signs appear, you should immediately call an ambulance.
If conception has occurred, spotting may signal the onset of a spontaneous abortion. Often, premature menstruation is a miscarriage, which a woman does not know about.
The causes of abnormal bleeding are often inflammatory in nature. They characterize the following diseases:
Intermenstrual discharge is a characteristic sign of endometriosis. This is the name of a disease in which the endometrium grows outside the uterus. Tissue cells can appear in the most unexpected places: on a woman's genitals, in the intestines, in the kidneys, on the bladder, on postoperative scars, in the lungs and even in the eyes.
The endometrium is an active participant in the menstrual cycle. Under the influence of hormones, it grows, then is rejected during menstruation. Endometrial lesions, like normal endometrium, respond to changes in hormonal levels and "menstruate". They grow, then break down and bleed, causing inflammation of adjacent tissues and pain.
With endometriosis, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular, spotting occurs before and after menstruation. Endometriosis of the cervix is characterized by spotting in the middle of the cycle. Pain during bleeding is sometimes so severe that a woman loses her ability to work.
Myoma is a neoplasm in the muscular layer of the uterus - myometrium. In the early stages of development, the tumor does not cause discomfort and can only be detected during a routine examination. Sometimes fibroids grow strongly and reach very large sizes. By squeezing neighboring organs, they interfere with their normal functioning. Myomas can be single and multiple.
A characteristic symptom of fibroids is intermenstrual bleeding. They can occur after menstruation, before it, or in the middle of the cycle.
The intensity of blood loss in women with fibroids increases after physical exertion, stress, or sexual intercourse. Patients have problems with urination, suffer from constipation, headaches and hot flashes.
Bloody discharge between periods can be a sign of polyp growth. In the uterine cavity, in the cervical canal and in the vagina, peculiar growths may occur. They are benign tumors formed from the cells of the mucous membrane of the organ. Polyps come in different shapes and sizes.
The presence of polyps is most often indicated by abruptly arising and just as suddenly stopping abundant discharge of a scarlet color. But there may be abnormal bleeding of a different nature. The liquid is allocated sparingly, literally drop by drop, but constantly. The bleeding does not stop throughout the entire menstrual cycle. The discharge is brown because the blood has time to clot.
Women with polyps have very large amounts of blood (menorrhagia) during their periods. One sanitary napkin lasts less than 1 hour.
Unusual bleeding can be a symptom of cancer. Menstrual irregularities and spotting between periods appear with uterine sarcoma. The woman's appearance changes. She is losing weight, and the skin on her face becomes yellowish. The patient loses his appetite, she develops anemia and the structure of the blood changes.
Vaginal discharge with an admixture of blood outside of menstruation can signal cervical cancer. They may be pink or brown. One of the characteristic signs of the disease is the release of blood during or after sexual intercourse. A malignant tumor bleeds at the slightest mechanical impact.
Spotting between periods occurs in women using intrauterine contraceptives (spirals). In the first month after the installation of the device, bleeding occurs as a result of its mechanical effect on the uterine mucosa. Later, the body gets used to the foreign body and the discharge stops. In some cases, the daub is observed for several months.
Drops of blood on underwear after sex occur in women with cervical erosion. It is a wound (true erosion) or an area with altered cells on the cervix (pseudo-erosion). The first bleeds with any mechanical impact (sexual contact, gynecological examination, douching or inserting a tampon). Pseudo-erosion also sometimes causes minor bleeding.
Blood between periods is observed after a number of gynecological procedures (biopsy, diathermocoagulation, cryodestruction or laser therapy of the cervix). Depending on the size of the problem area and the type of procedure, watery-bloody discharge may end in a day or several days. They have an unpleasant smell.
Blood in the discharge appears after a foreign body enters the vagina. The intensity and duration of bleeding between periods depends on the nature of the damage to the mucous membrane and blood vessels of the genital tract.
Bleeding may be the result of abuse or overdose of anticoagulants. These drugs reduce blood clotting and inhibit the process of thrombosis, which determines the rate of clogging of damaged blood vessels. Due to low blood clotting, menstruation lasts much longer than usual. Anticoagulants increase the permeability of blood vessels and make them vulnerable to external influences.
To find out the causes of abnormal bleeding, you need to consult a doctor. Timely diagnosis and treatment will help prevent the development of pathology.
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The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!
Consider the causes of the most common types of bleeding from the vagina in women.
Any spotting that appears between two consecutive periods, that is, in the middle, beginning or second half of the cycle, can be caused by the following possible causes:
However, in addition to physiological, there are also pathological causes of bleeding from the vagina, when this symptom indicates any disease that a woman has.
Pathological causes of the appearance of long-term or often recurring bleeding (abundant or scanty) in the interval between two menstrual bleeding are the following diseases:
1. Gynecological diseases:
In addition to the above causes of bleeding from the vagina associated with the female genital area, there are a number of factors that can provoke this symptom. However, these factors are not related to the female genital area. So, non-gynecological causes of bleeding from the vagina are the following factors:
1.
Pathology of the blood coagulation system;
2.
Taking medicines that affect blood clotting (for example, Warfarin, Heparin, oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, antidepressants, etc.).
Since the causes of bleeding from the vagina are very variable, when they appear, you should consult a doctor and do not try to figure out the problem yourself.
Although spotting from the vagina can be caused not only by gynecological diseases, but also by the pathology of blood clotting, however, despite this, you should always contact a gynecologist first. After all, gynecological diseases are much more likely to cause bleeding from the vagina than the pathology of the blood coagulation system. And if the gynecologist after the examination finds out that the cause of spotting is a pathology of the blood coagulation system, he will refer the woman to hematologist (make an appointment).
Accordingly, with signs of dangerous diseases, a woman should immediately call an ambulance and be hospitalized in a hospital. And with relatively safe causes of bloody discharge from the vagina, you need to routinely visit a gynecologist and undergo all the necessary examinations and tests that the doctor will prescribe.
Distinctive signs of dangerous bloody discharge from the vagina are their increase over time, combination with severe pain in the lower abdomen or lower back, fever, a sharp deterioration in general well-being after the onset of discharge, blanching, lowering blood pressure, increased heart rate. With relatively safe spotting, a woman’s well-being never deteriorates sharply, quickly, suddenly and very much, so much so that she literally faints and is unable to move, perform conscious actions, etc.
Thus, it is obvious that we will consider what tests a doctor can prescribe for bleeding from the vagina in relation to relatively safe conditions only.
If a woman has a small amount of spotting exactly in the middle of the menstrual cycle, then the doctor does not prescribe any examinations and tests, since such a situation is considered ovulatory bleeding and belongs to the normal options. That is, a woman during the period of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary) may experience scanty spotting from the vagina, which lasts from several hours to two days. Ovulatory spotting can be so scanty that it looks more like spotting.
If a woman has scanty spotting in the second half of the cycle (between ovulation and the next menstruation), and in the same cycle there was unprotected intercourse, then the doctor, first of all, will prescribe blood test for hCG (sign up), and after 4-5 days and Ultrasound of the pelvic organs (make an appointment), since this situation is most reminiscent of implantation bleeding at the very beginning of pregnancywhen the fetal egg is attached to the wall of the uterus.
If a woman is pregnant, but the period is short (up to 12 weeks), then the appearance of spotting may indicate a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. In such a situation, the gynecologist prescribes, first of all, an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, which allows you to differentiate a uterine pregnancy from an ectopic one. If, according to the ultrasound results, the pregnancy is ectopic, the doctor may additionally perform a puncture through the posterior fornix of the vagina to confirm the diagnosis made by ultrasound. Further, if an ectopic pregnancy is detected, the woman is urgently prepared for surgery. If, according to the results of the ultrasound, it was possible to find out that the pregnancy is uterine, but unstable, since there is a miscarriage in the process, the doctor may additionally prescribe a general blood test, a general urine test, a coagulogram, blood test for progesterone (make an appointment) and hCG, as well as a number of tests for genital infections ( chlamydia (sign up), mycoplasmosis (sign up), gardnerellosis, gonorrhea (sign up), trichomoniasis, candidiasis, ureaplasmosis (sign up)).
If bloody discharge from the vagina appears in a woman in late pregnancy, the doctor urgently prescribes only a general blood test, Rh factor analysis (sign up) And blood type (sign up), and urgently begins treatment, since such symptoms, starting from the 20th week of pregnancy, always indicate the development of life-threatening diseases for the mother and fetus, such as placental abruption, premature birth, etc.
If a woman has a metal or plastic non-hormonal intrauterine device, and periodically, after the end of menstruation, for several days there is scanty bloody discharge from the vagina, then the doctor prescribes only an ultrasound and swab for flora (make an appointment) to play it safe, since such a condition is the norm for this type of contraceptive.
If a woman has bloody discharge from the vagina between periods, and at the same time there is a hormonal intrauterine device (for example, Mirena), then the doctor also prescribes only a smear for the flora and ultrasound, since this condition is a variant of the norm.
If a woman has slight bleeding or spotting, then, first of all, the doctor examines and assesses the condition of the cervix and vagina. If the cervix is damaged (for example, erosion is visible, any bleeding formation), the doctor must prescribe a smear on the flora, as well as colposcopy (make an appointment) And smear from the cervix for cytology (sign up). In addition, if there is erosion or an inflammatory process on the cervix, the doctor may prescribe tests for the presence of
