Spotting Before Period

Spotting before period or premenstrual spotting may not only be perplexing but annoying sometimes to some women.

Any bleeding before period makes hygienic precautions for menstrual flow even more tricky. Even more important is the thought of the possible underlying cause, whether it is serious or benign.

I would present here the causes of spotting before menstrual periods as well as the appropriate things to do when this occurs to you.

What Is Spotting Before Period?

Spotting is mild bleeding that usual appears as a brown or pink stain on the underwear. It is not overt, bright red bleeding that occurs as in normal menses.

Premenstrual spotting occurs about 2-4 days before the overt menstrual bleeding. It therefore occurs during the luteal phase of the cycle.

Causes Of Premenstrual Spotting

The significance of spotting before period lies in its possible cause and not in the amount of blood that is lost because it is negligibly small.

The causes are diverse, some requiring no concern while others need medical evaluation and treatment.

1. Low progesterone. Progesterone is the major hormone of the luteal phase. Insufficient levels are the major abnormality of the Luteal Phase Defect.
2. Ovulation. There might be spotting or mild bleeding associated with the release of the egg. Also called mid cycle bleeding. This sort of spotting usually occurs early in the luteal phase, more than 8 days before menstrual bleeding.
3. Birth control methods. Most modern birth control methods use hormones which may affect the uterine lining and cause spotting or even bleeding. This sort of spotting is not limited to luteal phase. The kind of bleeding is usually called break through bleeding.
4. Pregnancy. If pregnancy occurs after ovulation, there might be some spotting before the expected date of menses, which of course will be missed!This is called implantation bleeding. Pregnancy causes a one time premenstrual spotting and not a regular month-after-month spotting. An ectopic pregnancy is a serious possible cause of luteal phase spotting.
5. Hormonal imbalance. Medical conditions such as thyroid disorders or medications such as aspirin may cause spotting.
6. Genital diseases. Diseases such as fibroids, pelvic infections, ovarian cysts or genital tract cancer may produce spotting or bleeding.
7. Endometrial biopsy. This may leave a few months of premenstrual spotting on its wake.

What Do I Do?

Vaginal spotting like bleeding must be explained. This is even more important in cases of recurrent premenstrual spotting.

Seek medical care for all cases of 2 or more episodes of spotting before menses for proper evaluation. It is not wise to assume any cause before objective medical evaluation.

Disease-specific treatments will be instituted for every specific cause identified whenever appropriate. In some few cases, no specific cause might be identified and treatment may become challenging. In these cases, a trial of progesterone supplementation may be helpful. Reading more about this condition and discussing with your doctor is a good idea!.

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