I started my period last Tuesday. By Saturday, it was done, or so I thought. Now, I get light red blood when wiping. It's not enough to warrant a pad or tampon. My husband and I engage in unprotected sex. I do have ovarian cysts. Any ideas?
Not sure of your age, but I'm 46 and since my late 30's most of my periods have the same pattern that you describe in the last couple of days. I talked to my GYN and he said it is quite common in early peri-menopause. (which, by the way, can begin in your mid to late 30's) It's a real pain, since I usually don't dare go out without wearing a light pad, just in case, for those last few days.
I am 27, but I've had mini hot flashes and such for as long as I can remember. My gyn at the time kept saying it was nothing. I have an appointment with a new gyn on September 15th. (That was the soonest I could get in.)
I just wasn't sure because granted, my periods have never been normal. They are normally 35 days to maybe 42 days between them. The flow, however, has always been the same. Heavy for about 3 or 4 days and then nothing. This light red, pink stuff is just so abnormal that it has me wondering.
My husband tells me I need to stop self-diagnosing. So, I thought I'd reach out and see if anyone else has had anything similar.
I hope it's not a peri-menopausal thing, my mother just finished menopause not so long ago! I am also 27 years old, and I also have periods that start heavy, then become several days of tiny spotting.
My personal belief is that women's periods are very variable, especially in the modern world where we are missing most of our "cues." Most of us don't live in a tiny home with several other women's pheromones, keeping each other on schedule. We have artificial lights and jet planes to confuse our internal clocks. So, a lot of variation, and most of it is just fine.
As long as you're getting a period several times a year, and it isn't causing you intense pain or overly heavy bleeding, it's probably ok.
You may simply be experiencing changes that come with age but you will need to rule out any other possible problems such as endometrial hyperplasia which is a thickening of the uterine lining which causes spotting (ie. the slight stain of blood when wiping).
When a woman complains of irregular bleeding or spotting the gyne will usually perform an endometrial biopsy which is the taking of some of the tissue from the endometrial lining of your uterus. This is a quick and simple procedure that is done in your doctor's office. Taking an ultrasound is another way to see the thickness of your lining. If your lining is found to be greater than 1 cm then they will perform a D & C which is a day procedure where they remove all of the excess lining and your periods should go back to normal.
Another thing that could be causing longer than normal periods is fibroids in the uterus. These often begin to develop or grow as you get older and over two thirds of women have fibroids. Fibroids are harmless growths in the uterus and unless they cause problems (ie. too much bleeding or perhaps pain during your period) it is recommended that they be left as they are.
As for the hot flashes, this would be more in the realm of hormonal imbalance and perhaps you may consider asking to see an endocrinologist for this. They can easily do some labwork to make sure that your hormones fall within the norms.
As to your ovarian cysts, are they keeping an eye on these ? Are they just simple cysts that come and go or do you have something more persistent ? We all get cysts on our ovaries every month and this is a part of our ovulation process. However, occasionally some cysts persist longer than the two or three cycles and depending upon what type of cysts they are more agressive action may be required (like laparoscopic surgery).
I hope you find an answer to your problem. Hopefully your new gyne won't simply put you on the birth control pill in order to regulate the bleeding and forget about finding out the reason behind the change (some will do this as to them this kind of problem is not important, especially in a twenty some year old). Try to insist on getting answers rather than trying to cover it up with synthetic hormones.
