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What Causes Vaginal Spotting After Periods?
Question: Hello, my fiance just got done going to the bathroom and when she wiped, she noticed some blood.. And she just got off her period a week ago. What does this mean?
Brief Answer:
It could be due to the birth control
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
Getting blood of the time of period is not a usual normal finding. When on hormonal contraceptives, spotting can occur. This is especially when the birth control is Depo provera injection. Depo Provera also is known to cause either heavy and/or long menses and/or intermenstrual bleeding. Combined oral contraceptive pills rarely cause inter-menstrual bleeding. Rather they reduce menstrual flow and regulate the cycle. However, missing pills at times would result to bleeding or spotting.
The second possibility could be that it is menstrual blood. If it is black then its most likely old menstrual blood. If it is bright red then it is new blood and probably due to the birth control.
It would be good to as well consider the possibility of an infection. Pelvic inflammatory disease could present as such. If she has whitish discharges, lower abdominal pains, genital itches etc., it is more likely to be an infection.
So, if she is on depo injection and she does not have associated signs of infection (discharges, pains etc.) then the cause is the depo injection.
If she is on pills and with no signs of infection as well then the pills are the cause and it is more likely she missed pill or took on at a time different from her routine time of intake. I would wait for a day or two before visiting the gynecologist for next line of treatment.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further query i will be glad to respond.
Best regards
Dr Achuo
It could be due to the birth control
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
Getting blood of the time of period is not a usual normal finding. When on hormonal contraceptives, spotting can occur. This is especially when the birth control is Depo provera injection. Depo Provera also is known to cause either heavy and/or long menses and/or intermenstrual bleeding. Combined oral contraceptive pills rarely cause inter-menstrual bleeding. Rather they reduce menstrual flow and regulate the cycle. However, missing pills at times would result to bleeding or spotting.
The second possibility could be that it is menstrual blood. If it is black then its most likely old menstrual blood. If it is bright red then it is new blood and probably due to the birth control.
It would be good to as well consider the possibility of an infection. Pelvic inflammatory disease could present as such. If she has whitish discharges, lower abdominal pains, genital itches etc., it is more likely to be an infection.
So, if she is on depo injection and she does not have associated signs of infection (discharges, pains etc.) then the cause is the depo injection.
If she is on pills and with no signs of infection as well then the pills are the cause and it is more likely she missed pill or took on at a time different from her routine time of intake. I would wait for a day or two before visiting the gynecologist for next line of treatment.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further query i will be glad to respond.
Best regards
Dr Achuo
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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