A woman should carefully monitor changes in the reproductive system. Its normal functioning ensures the possibility of pregnancy, intimate life and the overall health of the body. Deviations in the cycle and atypical discharge indicate the presence of serious gynecological problems.
A cause for concern should be the appearance of bleeding in the first week after menstruation. This alarming symptom in most cases indicates pathology.
My period started in a week - reasons
There are plenty of cases of bleeding that is not associated with menstruation. The cause can be either natural changes in a woman’s body or certain pathological conditions that require immediate medical attention.
Endometritis
Bloody discharge a week after menstruation may be a symptom of chronic endometritis (inflammation of the endometrium). Typically, this disease can develop due to diseases and infections that are sexually transmitted. Endometritis that is left untreated can cause polyps to appear.
Hypothyroidism
If your period starts a week after your period ends, this may indicate a decrease in thyroid hormone levels. Increased fatigue, irritability, fatigue are symptoms that also indicate this pathology. To make a diagnosis and further treatment, you must consult an endocrinologist as soon as possible.
Ectopic pregnancy
If bleeding begins a week after menstruation has already occurred and at the same time:
- accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen,
- decreased blood pressure,
- dizziness,
then its cause may be an ectopic pregnancy, a case when the attachment of a fertilized egg occurs outside the uterine cavity. This type of pregnancy is dangerous and requires immediate medical intervention, as it can be fatal.
Anovulation
If after the last period they start again a week later, then this may be one of the symptoms of anovulation. This is the name for a pathology in which there is no monthly ovulation. This condition is usually caused by:
- irregular menstrual cycle
- the appearance of slight bleeding from the uterus at any time.
Ovulation
During ovulation, the level of estrogen, the female sex hormone, changes in the body. It is hardly possible to feel the moment of release of the egg from the ovary into the fallopian tube as a result of rupture of a mature follicle, but it is quite possible to notice small discharges. And this is a normal situation, which is not a deviation from the norm.
Uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids are another reason that menstruation can begin immediately after the critical days have just ended. As a rule, fibroids are one of the most common diseases in women during the late reproductive period and menopause.
Typical symptoms of uterine fibroids include:
- Menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
- Feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen
- Cramping pain in the lower abdomen.
Endometriosis
If your period begins a week after your period has already passed, then this may be a symptom of endometriosis (brown discharge). In this disease, endometrial cells (the inner layer of the uterine wall) grow outside this layer. Sometimes they are localized in the vagina or cervix. With endometriosis, bleeding leads to inflammation in the surrounding tissues, which can lead to the following problems
- Pelvic pain
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Increased and lengthened menstrual flow
- Infertility
Menstrual irregularities
It happens that a woman begins her period two weeks after the previous one. Most likely, this indicates menstrual irregularities. The reason may be:
- Overwork
- Climate change
- Time zone change (jet lag)
- Chronic lack of sleep
- Hormonal disbalance
In any case, consulting a gynecologist will not hurt.
Why do women have different menstrual cycle lengths?
It is divided into 2 phases, each of them has its own indicator of female hormones. In the first half of the cycle, if it is regular, a full-fledged follicle in the ovary is supposed to mature, and then ovulation should take place. In the second gap, in place of the hatched egg, the formation of the corpus luteum will occur. It is responsible for the hormone that is needed during the 9 months of pregnancy - the hormone progesterone.
The duration of the 2nd phase is the same for all women - 14 days. But the 1st can be from 10 days to 20, and even longer, since each woman needs different time for the egg to mature. It is this period that determines the duration of the menstrual cycle.
How to stop heavy bleeding during menstruation
Bleeding during menstruation is often difficult to bear and is accompanied by weakness, nausea, pain and other unpleasant phenomena.
In some cases, heavy bleeding during menstruation is normal, but most menstrual irregularities are associated with pathologies of internal organs and require competent medical intervention.
The cause of severe blood loss during menstruation is usually an infectious disease of the reproductive system, hormonal imbalance, fibrous tumors, uterine and endometrial polyps, cancer, abnormal position of the intrauterine device, blood diseases that impair coagulation.
With short and irregular heavy discharge, such periods can be considered an isolated deviation. If bleeding during menstruation continues for more than 5 days, it is better to promptly determine the cause by contacting a gynecologist, and find a way to stop menstrual bleeding as soon as possible.
How to distinguish periods from bleeding
Pathological uterine bleeding is a consequence of dysfunction of the organs that regulate the menstrual cycle. Dysfunctional bleeding can be caused by fibroids, adenomyosis, polyps, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, hypothyroidism, and iron deficiency. Miscarriage and early ectopic pregnancy can cause bleeding. Taking anticoagulants and inserting an intrauterine device can cause uterine bleeding as a complication.
A sign of uterine bleeding may be heavy bleeding during menstruation, especially if it lasts more than a week. A large number of blood clots, weakness, a feeling of fatigue, sharp and aching pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, anemia also indicate the presence of dysfunctional bleeding. Bleeding between periods clearly indicates pathology.
If fibroids are present, uterine bleeding can only be stopped through surgery. For polyps, drug treatment is also impossible; hysteroscopy is performed for treatment.
How to stop heavy bleeding during menstruation
When abnormal bleeding occurs or during heavy periods, hormonal and non-hormonal hemostatic agents are often used. Medicines whose action is based on changes in hormonal levels are recommended to be taken as prescribed, since only a specialist will be able to develop an individual dosage regimen that will prevent complications and recurrent bleeding. Self-medication with hormonal drugs often causes additional pathologies, fertility disorders and complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Treatment of postmenstrual uterine bleeding
A gynecologist treats pathologies. To maintain the functionality of the reproductive system, self-medication is strictly contraindicated.
Based on a set of diagnostic procedures, the specialist will select individual therapy aimed at improving hormonal levels and eliminating the causes of intermenstrual bleeding.
Depending on the pathology, the following treatment may be prescribed:
- When hormonal levels are destabilized, hormone therapy is prescribed.
- If there are pathological formations on the cervix or uterus, curettage or removal using one of the gentle methods is prescribed.
- To stop bleeding, drugs that normalize blood clotting and increase the elasticity of capillaries are used.
- If there is physical trauma to the genitals, treatment will consist of stitches, bed rest, cold compresses and antibiotics.
- If uterine bleeding associated with contraception recurs within 2 months, the drugs are replaced.
- If the cause is stress and nervous tension, therapy will consist of sedative medications.
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Blood clots during menstruation
Some consider the phenomenon of menstruation with blood clots to be a completely normal and natural process, but for many women this causes concern.
A woman’s reproductive system is incredibly fragile, and not only her ability to give birth to a healthy child, but also her well-being and self-confidence depends on her health. So, let's figure out why there are blood clots during menstruation and whether you should worry about it.
Physiology of a woman
We all know that menstruation is a certain period in the cycle of a healthy reproductive system. In the first part of the menstrual cycle, the egg matures. Also at this time, the walls of the uterus noticeably thicken, as the uterus prepares to carry an embryo.
Most often, if blood clots come out during menstruation, this is not a pathology, but on the contrary, a completely normal phenomenon. The fact is that during menstruation not only an unfertilized egg is released, but also the functional layer of the endometrium is exfoliated. Moderate bleeding is considered a sign of normal menstruation; this is about 250 ml of blood in 4 days. To simplify calculations, with such a quantity of discharge, a woman uses no more than 5 sanitary pads per day. Also, menstrual blood is characterized by a scarlet color at the beginning of menstruation, by the end of menstruation it may darken noticeably, and blood clots during menstruation will turn brown.
There is another type of blood clot during menstruation - these are thrombus-like clots. They appear if blood clots in the vagina. This phenomenon is usually observed by women with heavy periods, and if such blood clots appear frequently during menstruation, and a woman uses more than 5-6 pads per day, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor, since such periods can cause severe blood loss.
In any case, if your periods are accompanied by blood clots, are not very heavy and are moderately painful, there is nothing to worry about. Menstruation during pregnancy, heavy and very painful periods should be a cause for concern.
Menstruation is affected by weight.
Very obese women will have irregular cycles. Such patients complain to the doctor about the need to frequently change pads. Their periods do not come according to the calendar and last longer than expected.
Or a completely different patient - a young girl diagnosed with anorexia. She wants to look slim and has lost all her fat tissue. As a result, the body has nothing to produce estrogens from, and menstruation stops altogether. As a rule, such patients have osteoporosis, dry mucous membranes (including the genitals), it is difficult for them to study and work, since it is difficult for them to remember any information.
Over the years, the reproductive system asks for rest. She usually gets tired by age 40. And then the cycle is no longer so regular, warns gynecologist-endocrinologist Victoria Kasyan . – But in some situations, menopause occurs at 30 years old. This feature is often passed on from mother to daughter. If a woman knows about a family problem, she will rush to have a child.
Tests to be taken
You should definitely visit a doctor to rule out the development of serious diseases. To prescribe the correct treatment, the doctor needs to find out the nature of the dark brown discharge. To do this, he will conduct an examination on a chair using a special gynecological speculum, find out the presence of redness, rashes and ulcers, and prescribe a number of additional laboratory tests that will help make the correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.
Necessary tests:
— A smear on the flora determines what flora is present in the vagina and what exactly caused the appearance of brown discharge and inflammation.
— Urine and blood analysis allows you to determine hormonal imbalances.
-Ultrasound.
— Histological studies are aimed at detecting cancer cells in women.
Treatment of diseases accompanied by bleeding
You should not self-medicate; you should go to a clinic for medical help. Only a doctor will be able to study the symptoms in detail and determine the cause of the discharge.
Brown discharge, which is accompanied by a delay in menstruation or natural aging of uterine tissue, requires correction in diet and abandonment of bad habits.
It can be recommended to drink more water, since the problem may arise due to a decrease in water balance in a woman’s body.
If dark discharge appears as a result of diseases (cancer, erosion, infection), hormonal medications, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and dietary supplements are prescribed.
Surgery is possible in severe cases.
For additional treatment, you can douche with soda or chamomile, which will help relieve inflammation and speed up the healing process of the vaginal mucosa.
The entire course of therapy is carried out under the supervision of the attending physician.
After antibiotic therapy, measures are taken to restore the natural microflora of the vagina - lactobacilli and physiotherapy are prescribed.
The doctor must order follow-up tests at the end of the course of treatment to check how effective the treatment was.
If necessary, re-treatment is carried out.
Important! Self-treatment can lead to complications.
