Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

looking for advice

for the past week i haven’t been feeling well. feeling sick (haven’t been sick) and not hungry in the mornings and evenings but fine during the day. my stomach rumbles constantly as if i’m hungry but i’m really not. i was 5 days late for my period this month been for the past 7 months) meaning i came on, on the 14th June and ended on the 19th which is about right. i had diarrhoea on the morning of friday 26th June but only 2 times in the morning and had nothing since. currently in my fertile window and when i went to the toilet there was 2 spots of brown (about the size of a 5p) in my underwear and when i wipe its brown as well (as if i’m about to start my period) I’ve never had this before unless i’m starting or ending my period. it’s been more than a week since my last period and i’ve never had brown like that outside of my period window. i’m not sexual active and don’t take anything for my periods/birth control. I’m 18.
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
973741 tn?1342342773
COMMUNITY LEADER
The  brown is old blood. That's pretty normal to have even if you haven't had it before.  Your hormones may be shifting in some way.  GI issues can be confusing too.  How's your diet? Any changes lately?
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
I just thought it was a bit weird since i’ve never had it before. Yeah i think my diet is ok. Eat healthily and do some cycling and i have a hobby. Also been getting bloating a lot as well, especially in the evening.
I would monitor it.  There is probably nothing really wrong but you are shifting in your hormonal balance.  Do you get an annual pap smear?  
the brown only lasted just over a day. it was quite bad the first day and gradually went down. it’s stopped now. no i’ve never had one. I don’t get one until i’m 21.
Just as an aside -- regarding pap smears, if you have had the HPV vaccine, your chances of cervical cancer at age 18 and not sexually active are really low anyway. You will still need to get pap smears occasionally during your lifetime, because not all kinds of cervical cancer are prevented by the vaccine. But you're in a pretty safe position (not 100% safe if you have had sex, especially if it was not using condoms), but it's highly unlikely that mid-cycle brown spotting is from this. (If you haven't gotten the vaccine for  HPV, please be sure to do so, I was talking to a woman on this site who had just learned she has stage 2 cervical cancer and had no hint, and she was not even 30 years old.)

Anyway, about the brown spotting -- it suggests your uterine lining built up and your body hung on to a bit of it a little longer than usual, and then when your progesterone dropped enough to shed that old bit, you did. Why this would happen right before ovulation I don't know, except that this is a time when your progesterone is low and it's the progesterone that holds onto the uterine lining. Your next period should basically wash any last traces of the brown blood away. It seems like nothing to worry about; especially at 18, your body is still on its shakedown cruise regarding your whole menstrual picture, and it will shift and adjust. You might even find that this is just a way your particular body reacts to ovulation coming. (In other words, mid-cycle spotting of old blood might be something that happens again if your progesterone behaves the same way consistently.) When the body builds up the endometrium and sheds it is also sensitive to other things, like stress, changes in your body-fat ratio, and even to whether you have been in close contact with a new female in your environment. (College roommates often find they begin to cycle together even if that is not what their schedule was before. It's thought that the women's pheromones are an influence in this.) In your shoes, I would totally not be concerned, just wear a mini pad if it happens at mid-cycle again, and forget about it. Only if your periods themselves get weird (and for several months not just one month) would I ask a doctor about it.
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Women's Health Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
Normal vaginal discharge varies in color, smell, texture and amount.
Bumps in the genital area might be STDs, but are usually not serious.
Chlamydia, an STI, often has no symptoms, but must be treated.
From skin changes to weight loss to unusual bleeding, here are 15 cancer warning signs that women tend to ignore.