Mid cycle bleeding--HELP!

[Merope]

I'm getting really stressed out by my mid cycle bleeding. i am 26 and not on any sort of birth control. It's been going on for eight months, always in the middle of my cycle. Sometimes it's brown, sometimes it's bright red, heavier and mixed with egg-white cervical fluid. At first, I thought it might be ovulation spotting, but then read that this usually lasts three days or so--there have been months when mine lasted for up to a week.

 

I had a pap smear which came back normal. I went to a GUM clinic and got tested for everything--nothing came up. I paid for a private ultrasound (both pelvic and vaginal) because my GP wouldn't send me for one and my results were normal. There seems to be nothing structurally wrong with me, which leads me to think it's a hormonal issue. I tried going on the pill but had to stop after a couple of months because it made my anxiety flare up massively. During the time I was on the pill (one and a half packs, I stopped mid pack) I spotted pretty much constantly. After stopping them, I got my first real period about two weeks ago and now I'm mid cycle and spotting again (day 14). This time it's bright red and mixed with cervical mucus and there is also a little pain on the left side of my pelvis (ovulating left ovary?).

 

I tried going the natural route way to balance my hormones. I started taking Dong Quai supplements but had to stop after a week because they made it difficult to breathe (a known side effect apparently). I'm trying to change my diet and eat stuff like flax seeds which are known to balance hormones. I also bought a B-vitamins supplement thing which is supposed to balance female hormones, but so far i've only been taking them for three days so i don't see any changes. Fingers crossed though.

 

Has anyone ever experienced this? Could it be a natural physiological change (randomly starting to have ovulation spotting at 26) or could it be a hormonal imbalance that needs to be addressed? I don't really know what else to do, my GP thinks it's homonal and offered the pill but I don't want to go back on it. He offered no alternatives and was dismissive, which annoyed me. It also feels like it's impossible to get appointments that aren't a month and a half away.

 

Sorry for ranting--any advice would be extremely welcome.

 

Thank you in advance.

[SGH]

Switch doctors. Get your medical advice exclusively from medical professionals. No one on here can tell you based on your story if there is something wrong, or if this development is harmless.

 

Do not fall prey to "natural" remedies. There is a whole industry out there that wants to convince you that medical science is useless, and puts a big price tag on their products to profit from not helping you at all.

[Merope]

Thank you. I'm not looking for medical advice, I just wanted to see if anyone else experienced something similar. As for natural remedies, i do agree that on the whole they are a bit tricky to take seriously...however, there are many that work and that have a scientific backing. I'm not looking to switch from "medical science", I'm just looking to complement.

[goddess]

Change doctors. I would change your OB-GYN. It doesn't sound normal to me but I am not a physician.

[Billie28]

Switch pill.

Honestly you haven’t given any attempt to settle your periods a reasonable amount of time. And until you do you can’t rule it out.

[luminousone]

Stop the natural remedies and go to an endocrinologist for a workup. The natural remedies might mess up any test results, among other things.

 

I would also go to another ob/gyn for a second opinion

[Rose Mosse]

I'm appalled that you haven't been referred to an endocrinologist. Try looking into a referral to an endocrinologist if you have time. Stopping the pill mid-pack wouldn't have done your body any favours either and added spotting is normal especially if you've never taken the pill before. If you've experienced the spotting mid-cycle for eight months you should be speaking to a specialist.

[Merope]

Thank you all.

 

Just to clarify, I am not on any birth control at the moment. Also, i haven't seen an actual gynaecologist, just my general practitioner who doesn't think it's necessary to refer me to one. I can't really afford to see one privately. it's also quite hard to change genral practitioners as there are no other clinics in my area and it's all done by post code (UK). You can't switch to a different clinic if your home address doesn't fall within their catchment area.

[Merope]

Thanks for this. I've been on the pill before for three years without any side effects. I stopped it after my ex and I broke up three years ago and was fine. The reason I started taking it again, two months ago, was because of this mid-cycle spotting, but it made things worse so I stopped it. It was probably stupid of me to stop it mid pack, but I was in a dark place with my anxiety. I will try to push my GP to refer me, hopefully, he will.

[Andrina]

I agree with SGH. Find a new doctor who seems more knowledgeable about issues like yours. I don't use a general practitioner for pap smears as I've had issues best addressed by a gynecologist. Is it possible for you to see a gynecologist with your insurance instead of a GP? I don't know what a GUM clinic is. I've switched gynecologist many times over the years when I wasn't happy with my treatment.

 

Just because one type of oral contraceptive didn't work well with your body, doesn't mean another type will cause the same issue. Each person's body is different. I know the first high blood pressure pill I tried didn't work well for me and I had side effects, but the 2nd type I tried was perfect.

 

Read reviews of gynecologists in your plan to attempt to find the right fit. Take care.

[Merope]

Thanks for this. In the UK you can't see a specialist without a referral from your NHS general practitioner unless you go private which I can't afford. I don't have health insurance. I'm fully aware that if i were able to go straight to a specialist, this would be resolved by now...the reason this is causing me this much angst is because I can't without a referral and it's hard to even get an appointment with my general practitioner that isn't a month away.

 

Also, a GUM clinic is a Genito-Urinary Medicine clinic which is NHS funded and therefore free to use. They test for sexually transmitted diseases as well as other infections and provide free treatment if you need it.

[SarahLancaster]

Merope, take out a loan and go to see an OBGYN. Don't fool around with your health.

[Seraphim]

Years ago I had mid cycle bleeding a lot, it was caused by a vaginal polyp.

[ThatwasThen]

Your Ultra Sound came back normal as did your pap smear. I suspect that things will work themselves out and you'll be ck to a 28 to 30 day cycle once again. In the meantime, did your family doctor give you any ideas of what may be causing mid cycle bleeding? Surely he/she gave you some possible reasons why this may be happening. Did he/she send you to get blood work done in order to see if there is any sort of hormonal imbalance?

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/vaginal-bleeding-between-periods

 

You say your anxiety has been strong lately so the bleeding could just be caused by stress as mentioned in the article in the link I provided.

 

Go back to your doctor and ask for blood work to be done if none has been done yet. Your problem is likely due to a hormone dip as your pap smear and your ultra sound came back clear.

[maew]

God this stuff is so upsetting... it’s far too bloody common for women to have their problems dismissed by doctors unless we are bleeding out in front of them... Definitely find a new dr... if you can get a female dr. you will be less likely to have your symptoms dismissed. At the very least if you need to have a male Dr. find someone that doesn’t treat you like a hysterical woman.

[ThatwasThen]

I didn't read where she has been treated as a "hysterical woman." Op: What possibilities did your doctor discuss with you since you have had clear ultra sound and pap smear? Did he/she order blood work?

[Merope]

He just said it's not "normal" but that it's "common" and likely to do with hormones. At that point I hadn't had a scan, but he didn't think it was necessary to refer me for one. He had a feel of my abdomen and said it felt normal. He asked if i wanted to go back on the pill and I said no...and then he suggested a test for BV which I'm pretty sure will be negative. I've had BV before and this bleeding is too cyclical to be an infection, hence my theory that it's hormonal. Anyway, they seem to have lost my BV sample as i've been calling them for three weeks to get my results only to be told "they haven't arrived yet". He didn't order blood work, but I did have some regular blood tests done a short while back and they came back fine. Maybe I should ask for hormonal specific ones.

 

i went and got a scan privately becasuse i was worried, so my GP doesn't know about it. I will mention it next time I see him. I'm making his job easier...now that he doesn't have to refer me for a scan, we can hopefully proceed to the next step, whatever it is.

 

The anxiety started a few months after the mid cycle bleeding so it's not caused by it, though I'm sure it exacerbates everything.

 

I looked at joining other GP practices in my area, but there are only two and they are not taking on new patients. I'm stuck with my current ones. I will try to make another appointment and see if i can be a bit more assertive.

 

I don't think he's necessarily treating me as a hysterical woman...but I think he is a bit dismissive because i am 26 and have no other health issues that he or I know of.

[ThatwasThen]

Was your thyroid okay when you had that last blood work done?

 

... also infection can cause what you're experiencing as well so hopefully they find/get the results for that BV soon.

 

Let us know how you're getting on.

[Wiseman2]

See a gyn specialist. Stop the otc quack treatments.

my GP thinks...