Almost all women will agree that they have had abnormal vaginal bleeding sometime or the other. There are several reasons that might cause the conditions and some of them are serious while others are minor and no cause for worry.
Nonetheless, it is imperative to seek medical assistance immediately for those who are affected by the condition.
How do you know you are experiencing irregular vaginal bleeding?
You can identify when having unusual vaginal bleeding in case:
- You start having periods at a time they are not expected.
- The menstrual flow is either heavier or lighter than your regular period discharge.
- When you start having menstrual cycle at the time when the pregnancy is not expected such as after menopause, before the age of 10 and also during the gestation period.
Causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding
There is multitude of factors that can cause unusual vaginal bleeding. Plain bleeding of a person is not particularly a big deal.
It does not indicate a very serious problem. Read on for some causes that can lead to the problem:
- Pregnancy: When there is a problem with a pregnancy, irregular vaginal bleeding may occur. A healthy pregnant woman is generally not supposed to experience bleeding problem. However, minimal bleeding or spotting is normal and no cause for worry. In case an expectant mother starts experiencing heavy menstrual flow before a period of 12 weeks, this is an indicator of a greater problem which can be either a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. In addition, heavy abnormal vaginal bleeding that occurs after 12 weeks can be an indicator of a dangerous health condition like placenta previa.
- Midcycle bleeding is often caused by ovulation.
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding can also be caused by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). This is a hormonal imbalance condition that can cause the bleeding problem.
- Some medication also causes irregular vaginal bleeding problem. The main varieties of drugs in this category include birth control pills. Women who have started using the drugs recently often experience the abnormal inter-periods bleeding. Bleeding can also be experienced as a result of failing to take the birth control pills at regular intervals.
- Heavy periods and spotting can be enhanced by intrauterine device (IUD).
- Pelvic organs (cervix, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina and ovaries) infections are also other causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding especially after douching or intercourse.
- Venereal disease is another common cause of the bleeding problem in women.
- The Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) results in inflammation and sometimes infection of fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus which can start the abnormal bleeding.
Extra unusual bleeding causes
There are a number of other rare but dangerous conditions that can cause irregular vaginal bleeding problem. They include:
- Sexual abuse.
- Insertion of objects in the vagina.
- Infection by uterine fibroids.
- Structural abnormalities such as polyps and urethral prolapse.
- Cancers affecting organs such as ovaries, vagina, cervix and uterus.
- Excessive exercise and extreme exercises can also cause the vaginal bleeding disorder. Nonetheless, extreme exercising in some people causes amenorrhea.
- Other diseases such as diabetes and hypothyroidism can also cause the disorder.
