Women’s Wellness – Bleeding between Periods

Menstruation is the time when the vagina bleeds. It is a normal physiological process inside every woman’s reproductive system at the onset of puberty all throughout middle age; except when bleeding between periods. Menstruation helps produce women’s hormones, keep women healthy and prepares women for pregnancy.

The menstruation period usually lasts for about 2-7 days. After the last day of every period, the reproductive system undergoes a menstrual cycle, which usually occurs at an average of 28 days from the 1st day of the last period to the 1st day of the next period.

On a regular basis, women will experience having periods monthly. However, there are some who experience irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods. Bleeding between periods usually occur 10-16 days after the last menstruation period. There are two types:

• Intermenstrual bleeding or the definite bleeding between periods. This usually happens in the middle of 2 menstruation periods.
• Metrorrhagia or heavy irregular bleeding that doesn’t have a pattern.

Bleeding between periods can be attributed to a lot of factors, both physiological and psychological, such as:

• Cancers like cervical and uterine cancer that have reached the malignant stages can cause this, especially when undiagnosed.
• Gynaecological procedures such as recent abortion operations and insertion of medical vaginal devices (IUDs) may also be a cause
• Missing, starting and stopping hormonal contraceptives result to hormonal fluctuations that can lead to irregular bleeding between periods.
• Hormonal irregularities like abnormally low thyroid hormone levels.
• Miscarriages/Pregnancy – Bleeding at any stage of pregnancy is not normal.
• It  is also normally present in patients diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• Sexually-transmitted diseases and other vaginal infections can cause bleeding between periods.
• During ovulation, irregular bleeding can manifest through spotting. This is usually normal.
• Stress is a major factor that can cause many illnesses. Fatigue can lower hormonal levels which in turn can result to heavy bleeding in between periods.
• Inter menstrual bleeding can be caused by the formation of uterine fibroids or non-cancerous tumors in the uterine muscle.
• Vaginal injury or trauma caused by engaging in rough sex can also result to bleeding between periods.

When bleeding in between periods, bed rest is usually recommended particularly when the bleeding is heavy because painful cramping of the abdomen, back or thighs is common. Pain relievers are also recommended because of the pain. However, not all pain-relieving drugs can be used to suppress the symptoms. Aspirin is prohibited because the bleeding can be aggravated. Bleeding between periods is an abnormal manifestation that should not be taken lightly because it can lead to serious health issues. Bed rest is not enough for some cases. The cure to the symptoms should not be initiated just by anyone because the control and prevention of the bleeding vary.  It normally depends on the root cause. Although some causes of irregular bleeding appear normal for most cases, it is still recommended to seek medical assistance, especially if the bleeding is heavy or if the woman is pregnant.