Possible causes include birth control, pregnancy, menopause, and more. When people experience vaginal bleeding at times other than during normal menstruation, doctors refer to this as intermenstrual bleeding. Spotting tends to occur between periods and can happen at any age after puberty.
Menstrual cycles vary from person to person, and spotting is not uncommon. A range of factors, including stress, early pregnancy, and certain health issues can cause it. If spotting persists and accompanies any other symptoms, such as pelvic pain, speak with a doctor.
Spotting after a period ends but before the next one begins is common and can occur because of the drop in estrogen that occurs before ovulation. Unlike heavy menstrual flow, spotting involves only small amounts of pink or dark brown blood—not enough that you'll need a pad or tampon.
Bleeding after periods is not usually a cause for concern. If the blood flow is light, it is called 'spotting.' Bleeding between periods can have a range of causes, including hormonal changes and injury.
Bleeding from the rectum or blood in the urine may be mistaken for vaginal bleeding. To know for certain, insert a tampon into the vagina and check for bleeding. Keep a record of your symptoms and bring these notes to your doctor.
Common benign (non-serious) causes — If you see a small amount of bright red blood on the toilet paper after wiping, on the outside of your stool, or in the toilet, this may be caused by hemorrhoids or an anal fissure. Both of these conditions are benign, and there are treatments that can help.
Stress can lead to spotting between periods, but the hormonal changes that stress causes in your body don't stop there. In fact, stress is also a common cause of late or skipped menstrual periods. Finding healthy ways to manage stress can make a big difference for your overall well-being, menstrual regularity included.
Amount: Implantation bleeding is typically only spotting or a very light flow—some women only notice it when they wipe. Implantation bleeding is never enough to fill a pad or tampon like a menstrual period.
Although not common, dehydration can cause spotting in pregnancy. It's believed some women experience spotting when dehydrated, as their hCG levels temporarily stop increasing, or dip. Once re-hydration is reached, hCG levels level out and spotting may stop.
Make an appointment if spotting concerns you, or if you have spotting along with the following symptoms: Pain in your lower abdomen. Fever. Symptoms that get worse or happen more often.
Changes in hormone levels. Inflammation or infection of the cervix (cervicitis) or uterus (endometritis) Injury or disease of the vaginal opening (caused by intercourse, trauma, infection, polyp, genital warts, ulcer, or varicose veins) IUD use (may cause occasional spotting)
If you are a woman of childbearing age, the presence of a pink discharge when you wipe (a reddish, pink or brown appearance with no smell), in the first few days before your period starts or after it ends, is normal and should not cause alarm.
There are many conditions that can cause blood to be present in the urine. Pink or red urine may be the result of a injury, urinary tract infection, kidney stones, tumors, excessive physical exercise or other conditions which cause the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra to leak or ooze blood into the urine.
After ovulation, if you don't conceive, your estrogen levels drop again. This can cause light spotting (bleeding that happens outside of your regular period). Your discharge can mix with this spotting blood as it leaves your uterus and make it appear pink.
In early pregnancy, you might get some harmless light bleeding, called "spotting". This is when the developing embryo plants itself in the wall of your womb. This type of bleeding often happens around the time your period would have been due.
The two main hormones which regulate the menstrual cycle are estrogen and progesterone. An imbalance of these two hormones can cause irregular bleeding. Hormonal imbalances can be caused by issues with your ovaries or thyroid gland.
Hormonal Imbalances
An imbalance in the hormone estrogen can also cause spotting between periods. This may affect women during perimenopause and menopause. A woman's thyroid may also be to blame for spotting between periods, and with less than normal thyroid hormones, a woman can miss periods altogether.
Light bleeding, or spotting, during pregnancy is common, especially during the first trimester. It is considered spotting when you notice a few drops of blood occasionally in your underwear, or if you wipe yourself with tissue and see a little blood on the paper. There should not be enough blood to fill a panty liner.
Symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding
Very heavy bleeding during a period and/or bleeding that lasts more than 7 days is called menorrhagia. For example, women may bleed enough to soak through 1 or more tampons or sanitary pads every hour.
Gynecologic causes of iron deficiency include recurrent hypermenorrhea, menorrhagia, or metrorrhagia. They all come under the heading of heavy uterine or menstrual bleeding.
Most people notice spotting as a few drops of blood on their underwear or toilet paper when wiping. In most cases, spotting should not cause concern. Often, hormonal changes due to birth control, pregnancy, or menopause can trigger it.
Spotting is usually red or pink in colour. It can also look brown, like old blood or like the bleeding at the start and end of your period. The amount of blood you lose when spotting is small – less than a light period bleed.
One out of ten women experiences light spotting during ovulation in their menstrual cycle because of a brief decline in their estrogen levels that happens when an egg is released from an ovary. This type of spotting usually occurs about ten to fourteen days before your next period.