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If you’re wondering whether to worry about bright red or rust stains on your underwear, there are a few questions you need to answer for yourself. Do they appear most often in the middle of the cycle? If so, is the spotting short-lived? Or maybe you feel pain, similar to the one that occurs during menstruation? If you answered yes to all or the first two of the above questions, you have nothing to worry about. It’s completely normal to have spotting during ovulation. However, there are cases when they mean something much more and are a sign that something is wrong with the body.
First, spotting can have many causes, but there are 4 most common. You need to know that they are dangerous when:
- They become abundant
- occur frequently,
- Their color changes to a more distinct, intense red,
- they extend,
- They are only one of the symptoms and are accompanied by, for example, lower abdominal pain, enlargement of the abdominal circumference or weight loss, menstrual cycle disorders.
Reason number 1 – intimate infection
Spotting in the case of infection of the intimate tract may be associated with damage to the mucous membrane and wounds associated with rubbing, scratching due to the presence of itching. Spotting also often occurs in connection with trichomoniasis infection, during which the cervix becomes congested and its blood vessels often rupture.
Treatment requires a visit to a specialist who will select the appropriate agents, depending on the causes of the infection – fungi, protozoa, bacteria. You suffer from an intimate infection if, in addition to spotting, there are also:
- vaginal discharge,
- Unpleasant smell,
- itching and burning,
- White, gray, mucopurulent, lumpy, yellow-green discharge,
- Sometimes abdominal pain, nausea, fever and chills.
Reason number 2 – cancer
It is specifically about endometrial cancer that occurs in women who have already gone through the menopause. If spotting occurs after the menopause, be sure to visit a doctor – their cause is always associated with a serious illness. The gynecologist then performs an ultrasound examination to rule out cancer.
Reason number 3 – erosion
Every woman should have a pap smear once a year, which helps to exclude and detect cervical cancer early. Erosion is a symptom that may suggest early neoplastic changes. It often bleeds, especially when touched, e.g. when taking a swab. Vaginal bleeding can also mean advanced cervical cancer.
Reason number 4 – myoma
Its symptoms are heavy, painful periods and spotting in between. Fibroid is the most common type of benign tumor that develops in women of childbearing age. It is most often treated with hormonal therapy, i.e. contraception, which regulates and reduces the abundance of menstruation. In situations where the myoma is not only the cause of spotting, but also miscarriages and infertility, they are treated surgically.