Are you spotting or bleeding in between periods? It is common for women to worry when they are experiencing these symptoms, especially weeks away from their periods. Before you start to panic, you should know what causes spotting between periods.
Vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods is also referred to as intermenstrual bleeding and metrorrhagia and it’s not a normal symptom of the menstrual cycle. The average menstrual cycle lasts for twenty-eight days with four days of bleeding. It is normal for a cycle to last for twenty-one to thirty-five days and a period to last for two to seven days. If you are bleeding outside of those periods, it would be abnormal and could be caused by many factors.
What Causes Spotting Between Periods?
Hormonal imbalance: If your progesterone and estrogen hormone is out of balance, this can lead to spotting. Your hormone balance can be affected by thyroid gland conditions, dysfunctional ovaries, as well as on and off use of birth control pills.
Complications during pregnancy: Ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages can cause bleeding. This happens when a fertilized egg inserts itself inside the fallopian tube and not the uterus.
Intrauterine device: If you are using this device as a birth control method, inserting it inside your uterus can result in abnormal bleeding.
Birth control pills: It is common for women to see spots in between cycles in the first few months of using birth control pills. Some women actually see spots during the entire time when they are using birth control pills. If you think that this is the problem, it would help if you are taking your pills at the same time daily. In the event that you are still bleeding for three cycles after taking your pills, you should talk to your medical doctor about changing them to a solution with higher levels of estrogen or progesterone.
Uterine fibroids: These fibroids or polyps are non-cancerous growths which develop inside the uterus. It is common for females who have children to have these growths.
Infection: If you are bleeding in between periods, this could indicate that you have an infection inside the reproductive organs. This infection could cause bleeding and inflammation and you might get from a STI or sexually transmitted infection, pelvic inflammatory disease or after intercourse or douching.
Even though this is not so common, cancer of the vagina, cervix, ovaries or uterus can cause bleeding. Some other rare causes include diabetes, vaginal dryness and extreme levels of stress.
Now that you know what causes spotting between periods, you should take the necessary steps to avoid serious problems. Just remember that spotting could indicate that you have a serious underlying condition. Be sure to consult your doctor to get the proper testing done, accurate diagnosis, and the best treatment.
