Bloody discharge a week after menstruation: causes

My period started in a week - reasons

There are plenty of cases of bleeding that is not associated with menstruation. The cause can be either natural changes in a woman’s body or certain pathological conditions that require immediate medical attention.

Endometritis

Bloody discharge a week after menstruation may be a symptom of chronic endometritis (inflammation of the endometrium). Typically, this disease can develop due to diseases and infections that are sexually transmitted. Endometritis that is left untreated can cause polyps to appear.

Hypothyroidism

If your period starts a week after your period ends, this may indicate a decrease in thyroid hormone levels. Increased fatigue, irritability, fatigue are symptoms that also indicate this pathology. To make a diagnosis and further treatment, you must consult an endocrinologist as soon as possible.

Ectopic pregnancy

If bleeding begins a week after menstruation has already occurred and at the same time:

• accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen,
• decreased blood pressure,
• dizziness,

then its cause may be an ectopic pregnancy, a case when the attachment of a fertilized egg occurs outside the uterine cavity. This type of pregnancy is dangerous and requires immediate medical intervention, as it can be fatal.

Anovulation

If after the last period they start again a week later, then this may be one of the symptoms of anovulation. This is the name for a pathology in which there is no monthly ovulation. This condition is usually caused by:

• irregular menstrual cycle
• the appearance of slight bleeding from the uterus at any time.

Ovulation

During ovulation, the level of estrogen, the female sex hormone, changes in the body. It is hardly possible to feel the moment of release of the egg from the ovary into the fallopian tube as a result of rupture of a mature follicle, but it is quite possible to notice small discharges. And this is a normal situation, which is not a deviation from the norm.

Uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are another reason that menstruation can begin immediately after the critical days have just ended. As a rule, fibroids are one of the most common diseases in women during the late reproductive period and menopause.

Typical symptoms of uterine fibroids include:

• Menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
• Feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen
• Cramping pain in the lower abdomen.

Endometriosis

If your period begins a week after your period has already passed, then this may be a symptom of endometriosis (brown discharge). In this disease, endometrial cells (the inner layer of the uterine wall) grow outside this layer. Sometimes they are localized in the vagina or cervix. With endometriosis, bleeding leads to inflammation in the surrounding tissues, which can lead to the following problems

• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Increased and lengthened menstrual flow
• Infertility

Menstrual irregularities

It happens that a woman begins her period two weeks after the previous one. Most likely, this indicates menstrual irregularities. The reason may be:

• Overwork
• Climate change
• Time zone change (jet lag)
• Chronic lack of sleep
• Hormonal disbalance

In any case, consulting a gynecologist will not hurt.

Spotting after menstruation. Why is there bloody discharge?

Vaginal bleeding that occurs between periods is called differently. Metrorrhagia, intermenstrual bleeding, spotting. There are many reasons for them.

Most often, spotting does not affect life at all and you can safely forget about it. But sometimes they can threaten health and lead to death (if the bleeding is heavy). It all depends on the specifics of each case.

For example, for girls who have not yet established a cycle, or premenopausal women, such discharge is the norm. You shouldn’t be surprised if yesterday you had rough sex, but there wasn’t enough lubrication: microtraumas just make themselves felt. However, even ordinary stress can provoke bleeding.

There are other reasons why blood appears when it was not expected:

1. Ovulation. In some women, the maturation of the egg occurs with the release of several milliliters of blood. And that's completely normal.
2. Neoplasms of the uterus or cervix. Neoplasms - tumors - can be either benign or malignant.
3. Miscarriage. Lifehacker has already written that many pregnancies end in very early stages due to defects in the fertilized egg.
4. Medicines. For example, many hormonal contraceptives have this side effect. If you miss a pill, spotting is a normal reaction. Spotting Between Periods: Should You Worry? .
5. Hormonal changes. For example, before menopause or because something is happening with hormonal levels in general.
6. Some sexually transmitted infections. For example, chlamydia Why Am I Spotting Between Periods? .
7. Polycystic ovary syndrome. This is a chronic disease that causes the ovaries to stop working properly.
8. Ovarian dysfunction.

In the end, bleeding may have nothing to do with the gynecological area at all. This effect can be caused by problems with the thyroid gland, blood clotting disorders, and kidney disease.

The main problem is that it is impossible to make a diagnosis based on just one type of bleeding or the fact of its appearance. At all. No way.

How to stop heavy bleeding during menstruation

Bleeding during menstruation is often difficult to bear and is accompanied by weakness, nausea, pain and other unpleasant phenomena.

In some cases, heavy bleeding during menstruation is normal, but most menstrual irregularities are associated with pathologies of internal organs and require competent medical intervention.

The cause of severe blood loss during menstruation is usually an infectious disease of the reproductive system, hormonal imbalance, fibrous tumors, uterine and endometrial polyps, cancer, abnormal position of the intrauterine device, blood diseases that impair coagulation.

With short and irregular heavy discharge, such periods can be considered an isolated deviation. If bleeding during menstruation continues for more than 5 days, it is better to promptly determine the cause by contacting a gynecologist, and find a way to stop menstrual bleeding as soon as possible.

How to distinguish periods from bleeding

Pathological uterine bleeding is a consequence of dysfunction of the organs that regulate the menstrual cycle. Dysfunctional bleeding can be caused by fibroids, adenomyosis, polyps, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and iron deficiency. Miscarriage and early ectopic pregnancy can cause bleeding. Taking anticoagulants and inserting an intrauterine device can cause uterine bleeding as a complication.

A sign of uterine bleeding may be heavy bleeding during menstruation, especially if it lasts more than a week. A large number of blood clots, weakness, a feeling of fatigue, sharp and aching pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, anemia also indicate the presence of dysfunctional bleeding. Bleeding between periods clearly indicates pathology.

If fibroids are present, uterine bleeding can only be stopped through surgery. For polyps, drug treatment is also impossible; hysteroscopy is performed for treatment.

How to stop heavy bleeding during menstruation

When abnormal bleeding occurs or during heavy periods, hormonal and non-hormonal hemostatic agents are often used. Medicines whose action is based on changes in hormonal levels are recommended to be taken as prescribed, since only a specialist will be able to develop an individual dosage regimen that will prevent complications and recurrent bleeding. Self-medication with hormonal drugs often causes additional pathologies, fertility disorders and complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Blood before the expected critical days

The main reasons for the appearance of blood before menstruation include:

1. Implantation bleeding;
2. Chronic endometritis;
3. Intrauterine pathology (fibroids, endometriosis, polyp, endometrial hyperplasia);
4. Ovarian diseases (cysts and cystomas);
5. Ectopic pregnancy;
6. Pathology of the blood coagulation system;
7. General diseases (diabetes, arterial hypertension);
8. External factors (acute psycho-emotional stress, physical activity, severe thermal effects in the form of a bath or sweltering heat).

A favorable option for scanty bleeding before menstruation is implantation: the fertilized egg entered the uterine cavity and began to attach to the wall, but not all women experience this manifestation of the onset of pregnancy. If blood appears a week before the expected critical days, this does not mean that the desired conception has occurred. After consulting a doctor, you need to perform diagnostic tests to rule out intrauterine pathology.

Blood clots during menstruation

Some consider the phenomenon of menstruation with blood clots to be a completely normal and natural process, but for many women this causes concern.

A woman’s reproductive system is incredibly fragile, and not only her ability to give birth to a healthy child, but also her well-being and self-confidence depends on her health. So, let's figure out why there are blood clots during menstruation and whether you should worry about it.

Physiology of a woman

We all know that menstruation is a certain period in the cycle of a healthy reproductive system. In the first part of the menstrual cycle, the egg matures. Also at this time, the walls of the uterus noticeably thicken, as the uterus prepares to carry an embryo.

Most often, if blood clots come out during menstruation, this is not a pathology, but on the contrary, a completely normal phenomenon. The fact is that during menstruation not only an unfertilized egg is released, but also the functional layer of the endometrium is exfoliated. Moderate bleeding is considered a sign of normal menstruation; this is about 250 ml of blood in 4 days. To simplify calculations, with such a quantity of discharge, a woman uses no more than 5 sanitary pads per day. Also, menstrual blood is characterized by a scarlet color at the beginning of menstruation, by the end of menstruation it may darken noticeably, and blood clots during menstruation will turn brown.

There is another type of blood clot during menstruation - these are thrombus-like clots. They appear if blood clots in the vagina. This phenomenon is usually observed by women with heavy periods, and if such blood clots appear frequently during menstruation, and a woman uses more than 5-6 pads per day, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor, since such periods can cause severe blood loss.

In any case, if your periods are accompanied by blood clots, are not very heavy and are moderately painful, there is nothing to worry about. Menstruation during pregnancy, heavy and very painful periods should be a cause for concern.

When to see a doctor

It is clear that no one will run to gynecological offices because of every small spot that does not cause discomfort. If metrorrhagia occurs rarely and does not cause discomfort, it is enough to simply tell the doctor about it at the next scheduled visit (and we remember that you need to visit the gynecologist at least once a year).

You should run to the doctor if:

1. This is not just a few drops, but bleeding equivalent to menstruation. If it is stronger, call an ambulance.
2. The discharge is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen.
3. The temperature is rising.
4. You feel dizzy and feel very weak.
5. Bleeding between periods becomes heavier or more frequent for a couple of months.
6. In any case, if you have already reached postmenopause and are still bleeding.
7. If you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.

Brown discharge

Bloody discharge that occurs 3 or 5 days after the end of menstruation is usually not bright scarlet in color, but the color of coagulated blood is brown. Their appearance during the intermenstrual period can indicate various factors in a woman’s life - from taking oral contraceptives to pregnancy and implantation of the fertilized egg.

1. When taking oral contraceptives, the ovulatory function of the ovaries is suppressed, but when the drugs are discontinued (or a dose is missed), a menstrual-like reaction may develop in the form of brown or bloody discharge outside the cycle.
2. Ovulation in some women is accompanied by small, short-term spotting.
3. Brownish discharge sometimes appears during pregnancy, both ectopic and normal.
4. Implantation is indicated by brownish or pinkish discharge on the 14th day after the end of menstruation (or on the 21st day of the cycle).

If brown discharge smells foul, is profuse and is accompanied by abdominal pain or fever, this is a pathological sign that requires attention and consultation with a doctor.

What do small discharges with mucus mean?

When small spotting appears after the end of menstruation, this may be a consequence of the pathologies listed above or violent sexual intercourse. The latter is especially likely if, after the end of menstruation, bloody discharge comes out with mucus of a transparent or translucent appearance.

Vaginal mucus (lubricant) is often secreted mixed with blood if the integrity of the vaginal mucosa was damaged during sexual intercourse. If the mucus is opaque, has a viscous consistency, a strange color and an unpleasant odor, this is a sign of a pathological process in the reproductive organs.

Is this dangerous and what should I do?

Any bleeding, if it starts a few days or a week after the end of your period, requires attention. During the normal course of the cycle they should not exist. With a short cycle, they may indicate pregnancy, and this can be checked by undergoing rapid testing. If there is no pregnancy, but there is discharge, this is a dangerous signal. Particular concern should be caused by bleeding that appears after sexual intercourse, containing blood clots, accompanied by pain and poor health.

To find an effective method to combat this undesirable manifestation, it is necessary to be examined and determine the exact cause of the spotting that appears a week or several days after menstruation.

Causes of discharge with a spotting consistency

Having considered the reasons for the appearance of heavy bleeding after the end of menstruation or a week after its completion, it is worth understanding other forms of discharge from the genital tract.
What, for example, does spotting after menstruation indicate? Bloody discharge with a spotting consistency, which can occur both 2 days and 10 days after the end of menstruation, is characteristic of various pathological conditions, including:

• uterine polyps - uterine mucus is noticed both before and after menstruation, as well as after sexual intercourse;
• hypomenorrhea - scanty periods, characteristic of puberty (teenage girls), premenopause, lactation and hormonal contraception, but occurring with pathological complications;
• cervical cyst - bloody spotting appears both before and after menstruation;
• endometriosis of the uterus - the appearance of bloody discharge is also possible before the start of menstruation, and 2 days after its completion.

To establish the exact cause of spotting after menstruation, differentiated diagnosis will be required, since there are many diseases with such symptoms.