Blood spots appear when not menstruating: should you be worried? & bull; hello healthy

Spots are vaginal bleeding that occurs randomly outside the time of your period. Almost every woman has experienced this problem in her life. However, spots can be worrying if you are not waiting for your period, perhaps because they are so similar in color to blood.

Luckily, in most cases you shouldn't worry too much about the blood spots staining your underwear.

What do non-menstrual blood spots look like?

The bleeding you experience during your period is similar to but not the same as the type of bleeding that occurs when you cut your finger. What you see on the surface of the bandage is a mixture of the original drainage of blood and traces of uterine lining that fall off when the expected fertilization of the egg doesn't occur.

Menstrual blood color is an indication of how fast blood is flowing from the open blood vessels in the uterine wall. Usually the color of menstrual blood is two shades darker than 'normal' bleeding. The darker the color of your menstrual blood, from dark red to brown, indicates blood that is slightly older or has slow flow. Menstrual blood can also be bright red (fresh blood) due to the rapid bleeding rate that has recently occurred.

You can also see that menstrual blood is slightly thicker and heavier in texture, takes a long time to dry, than normal blood that bleeds due to a tissue clot or blood clot that flows with the original blood In nonmenstrual blood spots, the volume is much less - only a drop or two of the blood dries easily; usually leaves a stain.

Blood spots that are not related to the ovulation cycle are usually pure pink or brown (old) blood. These blood spots warn us about certain negative processes that are taking place in the body system. Spotting can occur a day or two before menstrual bleeding, a few days after you've just finished your period, or at a completely random unexpected time.

When to worry about random blood spots?

As already mentioned, if you experience light spots, you don't need to worry about it. The causes are usually benign; for example, hormonal fluctuations that occur at the start of your reproductive cycle (first period or irregular menstrual cycle); external problems, such as dealing with stress, fatigue, or changing hormonal contraceptives; or you are entering the final stage of your menstrual cycle, aka menopause. This bleeding should resolve itself without medical assistance.

However, "the spots are still not normal," said Joyce Gottesfeld, MD, an obstetrician at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, quoted from Everyday Health. "It's not that anything bad is happening, but it's not normal."

So if you experience spotting outside of your menstrual cycle, it's worth paying attention to how heavy your vaginal bleeding is. In the case of heavy vaginal bleeding that requires changing pads every hour, you should consult your doctor for further evaluation - although you will almost always see other symptoms when there is a problem. When investigating why you have spots, your health care provider will consider your age and whether you are pregnant, have had unprotected sex, or have recently started using hormonal contraception.

Here are certain cases of spotting that require a visit to the doctor:

• Excessive vaginal bleeding, lasting more than three days
• Light spotting that continues for at least three menstrual cycles
• Spots with a pattern that is different from your usual vaginal bleeding pattern
• Spots that occur more often than once every three weeks
• Heavy bleeding immediately after sex
• Vaginal bleeding after menopause is over

What might be the cause of the appearance of blood spots?

Some of the possible pathological causes of your spotting, outside the menstrual cycle and not including implantation bleeding:

• Injury, acquired during sex. Spots are usually fresh blood.
• Brown patches in the middle of your menstrual cycle may indicate that you have progesterone deficiency or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - these two conditions require immediate medical attention because they are often the cause of infertility problems in women.
• Brown spots can also be the result of thyroid or other hormonal disorders.
• Spots can be a symptom of you having a sexually transmitted disease. In this case, the blood spots are usually accompanied by a mixture of pus or foam, as well as physical changes in the skin in the genital area.
• Erosion and cervical cancer are characterized by a brown discharge at the time of your period and several days before it.
• Uterine fibroids and endometrial cancer are dangerous conditions that require immediate medical attention. These two conditions can also cause bleeding outside of your period.
• Adenomyosis and endometriosis - abnormal growths from the endometrium (into the muscle lining or out of the uterine cavity) that can lead to spots, either mild or excessive.
• Blood disorders.

Some of the examples above are cases where you should let your doctor know about your condition.