Dark red blood in underwear during non-menstrual period

Menstrual bleeding is a relatively normal phenomenon, but many women find dark red blood in their underwear during their non-menstrual period. This is non-menstrual bleeding. There are many reasons for this problem, such as ovulation bleeding, functional uterine bleeding, delayed menstruation, contact bleeding, bleeding caused by contraceptives, miscarriage bleeding, hydatidiform mole or menopause, which are all important causes of non-menstrual bleeding symptoms!

1. Ovulation bleeding

What Western medicine calls ovulation bleeding is called "intermenstrual bleeding" in traditional Chinese medicine. This is due to a temporary drop in estrogen levels, which causes the endometrium to lose hormonal support and partially shed, causing regular vaginal bleeding. This type of bleeding is generally not in large amounts. Some people only experience a small amount of brown discharge. It usually lasts for half a day or 2-3 days, and no more than 7 days at most. It may be accompanied by mild ovulation pain and back pain. If you are measuring your basal body temperature, you will find that this bleeding usually occurs during the transition from low body temperature to high body temperature.

If the symptoms are mild, no treatment is required, but if the symptoms are obvious and may affect fertility, systemic treatment should be carried out.

2. Functional uterine bleeding

Functional uterine bleeding is abbreviated as DUB.

This disease is relatively common in clinical practice, mainly caused by endocrine dysfunction that regulates reproductive nerves, and usually manifests as: irregular menstruation, excessive menstrual flow, long menstrual cycles or irregular bleeding. The treatment principle is: stop bleeding quickly, adjust and establish a normal menstrual cycle after stopping bleeding, and prevent recurrence. Due to long-term bleeding, some women also suffer from anemia to varying degrees, so it is also important to treat anemia.

3. Delayed menstruation

Do not simply think that this is a delay in menstruation. You should pay attention to whether the amount, color, and duration of bleeding are the same as usual. If the menstrual blood is sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes not, and is accompanied by abdominal pain, you need to pay attention to the possibility of ectopic pregnancy or threatened abortion; if the bleeding is more than usual, lasts longer, and the dysmenorrhea is obvious, it is more common in uterine fibroids or endometriosis. You should go to the obstetrics and gynecology department of a regular hospital in time.

4. Contact bleeding

The phenomenon of vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse is medically called "contact bleeding", which is often related to gynecological diseases such as vaginitis, cervical erosion, cervical polyps, early cervical cancer, and submucosal myomas. Early detection and early treatment are the best ways.

5. Bleeding caused by birth control pills

Some women take emergency contraceptive pills after having unprotected sex, which can also cause vaginal bleeding. The effects of emergency contraceptive pills on menstruation are mainly manifested as: changes in the menstrual cycle, which may be advanced or delayed. Repeated use can lead to menstrual disorders, continuous spotting, etc. Therefore, it can only be used as a remedial measure and cannot replace normal contraceptive methods. In addition, experts from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the 254th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army remind women that the abuse of "health products" and "breast enhancement medicines and creams" containing estrogen can also cause menstrual disorders, and in severe cases can even aggravate gynecological diseases such as uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.

6. Abortion bleeding

Generally, vaginal bleeding will stop about 3-7 days after an abortion or miscarriage. In very few women, the bleeding may be prolonged due to physical weakness, fatigue, etc., but this requires the judgment of a doctor. If there are no special circumstances and vaginal bleeding lasts longer, after excluding intraoperative injuries, cervical inflammation and the like, it is likely that there are residues in the uterus. At that time, the doctor should examine the patient and decide whether to use medication or perform a uterine curettage. Otherwise, the remaining fetal membrane tissue may turn into choriocarcinoma.

7. Hydatidiform mole

If a woman with a history of hydatidiform mole experiences persistent vaginal bleeding again within two years after regular treatment, it may be an early symptom of malignant hydatidiform mole and she should seek medical attention immediately.

8. Menopause

There are two possible reasons for vaginal bleeding in menopausal women, especially after the age of 60. For some women who still have sex, due to endocrine changes after menopause, the vagina becomes dry. If some lubricants are not used, it is easy to cause mechanical damage to the vagina and bleeding. Unexplained vaginal bleeding after menopause should be considered as a possible cause of cervical cancer or endometrial cancer.