Menstrual spotting facts

Menstrual spotting is a very common phenomenon that affects almost all women from time to time. It is a normal thing and is not something women should be concerned about. However, menstrual spotting may sometimes indicate the presence of severe health problems or be the first sign of pregnancy. Women should make sure that they understand the causes of menstrual spotting and that they can determine what exactly causes the changes in their body.

The most common causes of menstrual spotting

Menstrual spotting may be caused by many different causes. Two major causes of menstrual spotting is the use of birth control pills and pregnancy. Women that are trying to figure out what causes their menstrual spotting should first try to rule out these major reasons. If sexually a active woman experiences extremely light menstrual spotting instead of the regular period, it may indicate that the woman is actually pregnant. Normally, pregnant women do not get their periods but in some cases, women may experience this light spotting only in the first month of pregnancy. In this case women should get tested to see if they are pregnant.

Birth control pills may also cause menstrual spotting. Birth control pills are actually hormonal medications that significantly change the normal hormonal levels in the woman’s body. The spotting associated with birth control pills usually occurs when a woman miss some of the pills or take them irregularly. This kind of misuse may severely affect the optimum hormonal balance and cause menstrual spotting instead of a normal period. Women should consult their gynecologists about this problem and discuss the possibility to change the kind of pills they are using.

Other causes of menstrual spotting

Other things can also cause menstrual spotting. Among them, health problems like vaginal infections, bladder infections, cervical dysplasia, and polyps are the most prominent. Menstrual spotting sometimes occurs as a result of dysplasia, the formation of abnormal cells in the cervix. This is a serious health threat as it may lead to cervical cancer.

Infections of the cervix and vagina are also common causes of menstrual spotting. Women should look for other warning signs of the infection such as vaginal discharge that smells unpleasantly, or swelling, itching and burning sensations in the vaginal area.

Certain medications may also cause menstrual spotting, especially blood thinning drugs like ibuprofen or Aspirin. Medical conditions of hyperthyroidism or high levels of insulin, are also associated with this typically women’s problem. Similarly to birth control pills, many other health conditions, lifestyle regiments, and dietary habits, may cause changes to the optimum hormonal levels and provoke menstrual spotting.