Dark brown spotting is most often associated with old endometrial tissues – if your period is late you might get dark brown, rather than red, discharge. Dark brown spotting may happen right after periods, and is just “cleaning out” your vagina. Old blood looks dark brown. If woman observes dark brown spotting during the time she is not expecting her periods, it could be a symptom of several health conditions.
Dark brown spotting causes
It is always better to know all possible causes for dark brown spotting which can be useful for prevention, early diagnosis and in time treatment (if needed). The following conditions can trigger dark brown vaginal spotting:
- Puberty hormonal fluctuation,
- Pregnancy,
- Stress and depression,
- Ovulation,
- Vaginal infections and Sexually Transmitted Diseases,
- Cervical dysplasia,
- Cervical and/or uterine polyps,
- Intercourse,
- Some contraception methods,
- Perimenopause and/or Menopause,
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease,
- Hysterectomy,
- Cervical cancer.
Endometrium is a mucous membrane which lines the uterus and thickens so that a fertilized egg can attach itself to this lining. Sometimes this lining disintegrates and is thrown out of the body in the form of brown vaginal discharge or spotting. Women may experience dark brown spotting after period or may be before the beginning of the next periods. As the blood is a little old, it becomes dark brown in color.
In puberty girls can have few times dark brown spotting before first period, and even first period can also look like dark brown. In general, hormonal fluctuations can trigger changes in endometrium and brown spotting. Nothing to worry about. It will disappear after 1-2 years.
Some women experience dark brown spotting just in the middle of the menstrual cycle – it is most likely because of ovulation. In most cases women with average 28-30 days menstrual cycle have ovulation on 14th – 16th day – as the mature egg releases from the ovary, some women experience a little bleeding which is usually called “ovulation spotting”. In most cases the combination of dark brown spotting with short abdominal cramps indicate ovulation day.
When a woman is subjected to extreme stress and depression, the inner lining of the uterus becomes thin. This thin lining means that there is a delay in shedding the endometrial wall. This delay will cause the blood to oxidize and become discolored – often like dark brown spotting. Scientists discovered the correlation between chronic stress, irregular periods and dark brown spotting.
Dark brown spotting during pregnancy is always alarming symptom and special attention should be paid to it. Dark brown spotting in early pregnancy is very common and can be an indication that one has conceived. This usually occurs a few days after conception (when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine lining) – it is called implantation bleeding. This type of dark brown spotting during pregnancy lasts for 3-4 days and is usually very light.
Vaginal infections and sexually transmitted diseases (gonorrhea, genital warts, Chlamydia) can also be a cause of dark brown vaginal discharge. However, in this case, along with vaginal discharge, women may also experience other symptoms which include pain, burning sensation, infertility, loss of appetite and/or vomiting.
Dark brown spotting is typical for cervical dysplasia. Cervical dysplasia is precancerous changes of the epithelial cells that line the cervix. Risk increases with multiple sexual partners, sexual activities before age 18, childbirth before age 16, or a past history of STDs.
Dark brown spotting
Dark brown spotting could be also a symptom of cervical and/or uterine polyps which can bleed.
Main causes of the dark brown vaginal spotting during and/or after intercourse include hymen tears, pregnancy, cervical dysplasia, inflammations and/or irritations, adenomyosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), vaginal yeast infection and cervical polyps.
Dark brown vaginal discharge can be one of side effects of birth control pills. Dark brown spotting caused by birth control is an unpleasant and embarrassing problem that many women deal with monthly – it is just a signal of some hormonal changes developed by birth control pills.
Dark brown spotting and/or brown spotting are pretty common side effects of morning after pills (Emergency Contraception). Some women could have dark brown spotting or bleeding within the first week of taking morning after pills.
Dark brown vaginal spotting is one of unpleasant side effects of intrauterine devices (IUD) especially for hormonal IUDs (Mirena). Main causes for dark brown spotting during Mirena use are hormonal disturbances and/or infections (vaginal infections and/or pelvic infections).
During menopause, women no longer have a period but women could experience light bleeding or dark broan vaginal spotting. A condition during menopause known as atrophy can also cause the dark brown spotting. Atrophy occurs when the blood vessels within the uterine lining become weak and spontaneously burst, causing dark brown spotting.
One of the most serious problems which can cause the dark brown vaginal spotting is pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This disease occurs due to the infection on the ovaries, uterus lining, Fallopian tubes, cervix and the vagina. This is commonly seen in women who have sexual contact with more than one partner. Apart from dark brown vaginal discharge some other typical symptoms could be noted such as abdominal pain, painful menstruation, pain during sexual intercourse, infertility, fewer, etc.
Dark brown vaginal spotting after hysterectomy could last several weeks after surgery and it may have some specific vaginal odor. The amount will vary depending on patient activities but is often more noticeable two weeks after surgery.
Cervical cancer is surely the most serious as well as the most dangerous cause of dark brown vaginal spotting. This type of cancer is usually caused by the virus HPV which is spread through sexual contacts. Other than dark brown vaginal discharge, some other symptoms of cervical cancer include unexpected weight loss, pelvic pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, etc.
