Do you find yourself in the center of that loop where you keep wondering when you notice some bleeding before periods if it’s actually your periods or just your hormones messing around with you by shedding drops at random or should you be reaching out for a pad or just disregard its existence? If yes, we’ve got you some great content to read today – spotting before periods.
First things first, spotting before period is completely normal. Although we are sharing the potential causes, just in case.
What is spotting?
Spotting, typically, is the light vaginal bleeding one encounters outside of their regular period cycle. It is considered as abnormal vaginal bleeding or intermenstrual bleeding. While most of the times it is said and believed to be normal, sometimes it might be a symptom of a concerning problem.
What are the causes of spotting?
Well, when one’s egg is not fertilized, their body sheds uterine lining which holds the egg. The breaking of uterine lining results in a little bleeding which you encounter as spotting. This is one of the most common causes of spotting. However, there are various other causes of spotting like a change in one’s birth control pill or any change in dosage of the pill as it alters their progesterone levels. Besides that, if one has an UID, spotting before periods is marked as totally normal.
On the other hand, if you tend to spot after having an intercourse, chances are you might be suffering from a vaginal irritation. This may happen due to anything right from a yeast infection to even a sexually transmitted virus such as chlamydia. The infection can cause inflammation of cervical tissue as a result of which one may experience painful urination, painful intercourse, and spotting after sex.
That’s not pretty much everything about it. There are still a few more reasons for spotting. We have broken down most of them below.
- Pregnancy
- Perimenopause
- Trauma
- UID
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Thyroid Disorder
- Stress
- Medications
The bottom line
Even though most causes of spotting are normal, we recommend having a talk with a gynaecologist whenever you feel anything out of the ordinary before, during or after your periods. Additionally, try to keep a record of when, how much and for how long you’re spotting as then it would be easier for you to catch unexplained reasons for spotting in between your menstrual cycle and you will be able to convey information to your doctor more clearly.
FAQs
- What is period spotting?
- Light vaginal bleeding which happens out of one’s regular period cycle.
- What does brown spotting before period indicate?
- When uterus sheds the leftover blood from one’s last period, it tends to be brown in colour.
- What does spotting after period indicate?
- If spotting subsides for long, it might be an indication of something severe.
- What if you have spotting instead of period?
- Might be a sign of anemia.
- Is it normal to encounter spotting a week before period?
- Should consider getting checked if happens frequently.
