Bleeding Between Periods: 1 Problem, 9 Possible Causes to Deal with
Periods are quite unpredictable processes, and when one woman has regular cycles, tens of others suffer from erratic ones. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do, as things greatly depend on one’s body, way of life, etc. However, regardless of whether your cycles are regular or not, bleeding between periods should always be a reason for concern, because in most cases it is a sign of a health issue.
Gynecologists define three main types of causes:
- uterine
- vaginal
- ovarian
- And we would like to add chemical ones, like contraceptives. Why? If a woman is on contraceptive pills, she may observe frequent discharges of blood. Physicians call it spotting between periods on the pill. These can be both birth control non-pill shots and hormonal birth control pills. When a woman misses one pill, there is not enough supplement on the hormonal level and she experiences pink discharges between periods. To treat the condition the doctor should help to normalize hormonal birth control process, making a woman switch to a new brand of pills or a new dose.
IUD and other contraceptive devices may also lead to irregular spotting. IUD is inserted into the uterus. Many women state that the device decreases the menstrual flow, while others experience spotting. Those who get IUD for the first time always have bleeding, but it can be of different kind.
- Together with chemical ones, there are also mental/emotional triggers, among which stress takes the leading part. Stress can quite easily impact the hormonal levels, thus changing menstruation cycles. Even if you are relatively calm, it doesn’t mean your body isn’t influenced by stress: hard work, tension, failure to eat or sleep right, etc. The only possible solution is practicing healthy-self-care.
But let’s get back to uterine, ovarian and vaginal triggers, as they are the primer reasons of abnormal bleeding and require professional care and a special treatment course:
- STIs or STDs are perhaps the leading causes. In most cases these are gonorrhea and chlamydia that are accompanied with a great number of serious symptoms and finally lead to spotting a woman experiences between her periods. Bleeding, fever, burning while urinating, pain during intercourse and abnormal discharges require professional examination. Such symptoms can occur after having unprotected sex.
- Abnormal spotting may accompany menopause. Such phenomenon is referred to as impending menopause: though menstrual bleeding and ovarian activity paused, women still experience vaginal discharges.
- Uterine polyps are another reason of blood discharges from vagina. These are uterine growths that can be of different size. Women with such polyps normally don’t feel any changes and aren’t aware of growth they have till they visit a doctor. However, they experience spotting outside normal cycles, heavy cycles and abdominal cramping.
- Uterine fibroids belong to uterine causes and occur when non-cancerous tumors start developing. The symptoms they cause include cramping, an increased need to urinate, pain during sex and spotting between periods. Only a gynecologist can determine whether a woman has fibroids or not.
- Vaginal dryness leads to the same problem. It is the result of low estrogen level that makes vaginal walls become thinner and less lubricated. The condition is called vaginal atrophy and is common among women in menopause, those who are breast-feeding or suffer from condition that leads to the decline of estrogen level. Dryness leads to the increase of vaginal infections, a rather painful intercourse, vaginal burning and rare watery discharges, urinary incontinence, shortening of the vaginal canal and blood discharges between periods.
- Thyroid issues are rare, but very serious, as thyroid is responsible for producing the hormone that regulates the metabolism rate. When it’s out of whack it triggers joint pain, cramps, rapid weight gain/loss, diarrhea and spotting. Professionals can determine thyroid levels with the help of a blood test and treat the condition with medicine.
- Spotting can be the result of ovulation and ovarian cyst. The ovary produces sacks that are called cysts, where the egg is getting mature. During ovulation the egg gets released, rupturing the cyst, causing slight cramps and leading to spotting.
To a great extent, it doesn’t matter much what the reason of bleeding between periods might be. Its occurrence always involves concern. The only recommendation is not to hesitate discussing the problems with a gynecologist to prevent serious health issues.
