Menstrual blood can range from bright red to dark brown and, at your period’s end, black.
Spotting is usually light brown or pink.
Menstrual flow also tends to be heavier than breakthrough bleeding.
If you’re one of them, don’t panic!
You’re in good company.
While breakthrough bleeding can be frustrating or annoying, it doesn’t necessarily signal a medical emergency.
It’s important to listen to your body and consult your doctor when anything is amiss.
Understanding your cycle
The female reproductive system includes two ovaries.
Their function is to produce eggs and hormones the primary hormone being estrogen.
Hormones regulate the release of eggs and prepare the uterus for implantation and fertilization.
Within a week or two, a fresh lining appears, and the cycle starts all over again.
Theaverage cycleis about 28 days, but this can be shorter or longer depending on what’s normal foryourbody.
When your cycle and period are both regular, things are working as they should.
Depending on your age, breakthrough bleeding can be nothing to worry about.
Premenstrual young women may have spotting just before getting their first period, or menarche.
“No matter the situation, talk with your ob-gyn if you’re unhappy with your bleeding.”
One side effect of high cortisol levels is a drop in estrogen and progesterone, according to Petropolous.
Meditating and maintaining healthy relationships can also contribute to lower stress levels.
Emergency contraception
If you’ve recently completed a morning-after pill regimen, you might experience breakthrough bleeding.
Emergency contraception, such as Plan B One-Step or Ella, prevents or delays ovulation.
It’s taken after having unprotected sex or a birth control failure, like a condom breaking.
Emergency contraception is not a form of abortion.
According toPlanned Parenthood, you might experience breakthrough bleeding after taking the morning-after pill.
Breakthrough bleeding is possible whether an IUD is placed as regular birth control or as emergency contraception.
One example of a vaginal injury is a vaginal laceration, or a tear in the vaginal wall.
Vaginal bleeding following sexual intercourse is oftentimes heavy and red.
Vaginal bleeding can also result from a straddle injury.
Medication and surgical abortions
Breakthrough bleeding is a common symptom of both medication and surgical abortions.
According toPlanned Parenthood, the process resembles a first-trimester miscarriage or a very heavy period.
Although bleeding following an abortion might look like a period, they are not one and the same.
Your period should return a month or so after your abortion.
Miscarriage
Breakthrough bleeding is one of the most common signs of a miscarriage.
“You’ll have bleeding and cramping that are heavier than your normal period.”
It’s important to note that bleeding early in pregnancy is common.
One example is chlamydia.
While some people don’t experience symptoms of this bacterial infection, it’s important to get tested.
And if left untreated, chlamydiacan harm the reproductive system.
Gonorrhea can also cause breakthrough bleeding and infects the reproductive tract’s mucous membranes.
Unfortunately, there is no one conclusive test for PID, but its symptoms include bleeding between periods.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Breakthrough bleeding can be a symptom of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Department of Health and Human Services.
PCOS can cause ovaries to develop eggs incorrectly or release eggs as they normally would.
High levels of androgens can cause excess body and facial hair and can interfere with ovulation.
Factors like genetics, low-grade inflammation, and insulin resistance can contribute to a PCOS diagnosis.
The cause of PCOS is unfortunately unknown, which means treatment focuses on addressing symptoms.
Fibroids develop in the uterus and are made of smooth muscle cells, according toJohns Hopkins Medicine.
Unlike uterine fibroids, cervical polyps grow out of cervical tissue.
Rogers explained that a vagina’s acidic pH can irritate the polyps, which in turn can cause spotting.
Importantly, postmenopausal women should pay particularly close attention to breakthrough bleeding.
Bleeding after intercourse can be another sign of cervical cancer.
And while spotting or breakthrough bleeding may be annoying or inconvenient, it’s likely not something serious.
