Relationships May 10, 2017
So you’re spotting three days – or even two weeks – before your period and you can’t figure out why.
Not only is it annoying, but it’s starting to get a bit worrisome. Sure it’s just some light bleeding before your expected period, but you just want to make sure everything’s okay down south.
Well, ENTITY’s here to try and relieve some of your stresses. Here are five potential reasons you could be spotting too early.
One of the most common explanations for spotting before periods is an irregular cycle. By irregular, we means that the complex coordination of your hormone balance is slightly off.
Irregularities are fairly common and usually lead to a failure to ovulate (or release a mature egg from the ovary), according to LIVESTRONG. When an egg isn’t released, then the hormones are temporarily imbalanced, which typically leads to spotting.
And for most women, irregular cycles occur in the the first few years or the last few years (before menopause) of menstruation. During this period, your period will arrive at seemingly random times.
But if you’re not just starting puberty, then your spotting may have to do with the birth control you’re taking. Intrauterine devices and the birth control implant can cause spotting.
But sometimes, starting, switching or missing birth control pills can cause light bleeding as well. If you start or switch to a pill with less estrogen, spotting can occur since estrogen is what keeps the lining of the uterus in place. Thus, messing with estrogen levels also messes with your bleeding times.
Stress can really mess with your hormones.
When you’re stressed, your body releases an extra large dose of cortisol. This, in turn, causes your body to release less estrogen and progesterone. And as discussed above, this can mess with your periods and spotting.
Your cervix, which is the uterine opening at the top of your vagina, can bleed a little bit if touched or manipulated. Some women are more prone to this kind of bleeding than others.
Also, aggressive intercourse or a Pap test can also cause minor injury to the cervix. A little spotting can come as soon as the same day of these incidents or a few days after.
In addition, infections from STIs like chlamydia or bacterial vaginosis can cause a little bleeding. This type of bleeding can happen any time during your menstrual cycle.
For some women, some spotting occurs at the same time as ovulation, which happens about halfway through a normal menstrual cycle.
For others, however, spotting happens during the earliest stage of pregnancy. About one week after ovulation, a fertilized egg embeds itself into the uterine wall. This implantation can then cause some bleeding that looks like normal vaginal spotting.
However, don’t freak out if you are bleeding and think you’re pregnant. All that stress may just make you spot again.
It’s complicated, yes. And really, the best advice we can give you if you’re really worried is to visit your OB/GYN. They’ll be able to tell you more detailed information about your spotting.
For the most part, though, you’re most likely just fine.
