You are used to seeing vaginal discharge in your underwear. They are usually white, yellow or transparent, and are an integral part of your menstrual cycle. Menstrual blood color changes are normal. Your general health is more likely to affect the rate and duration of your period than its appearance, however there are various explanations why the color of your period varied. Sometimes it can be a sign of pregnancy. In rare cases, these losses can be caused by a serious health problem. Fortunately, in most cases, these losses are harmless.
Why Do The Rules Change Color?
Blood usually changes color depending on how long it is exposed to oxygen. The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus, in which a fertilized egg implants and grows. The endometrium is made up of highly vascularized tissue to allow the fertilized egg to have quick and easy access to blood flow to grow. The blood color appears darker because it reacts to oxygen in the air and most of the water that makes up blood has evaporated giving it a brown color more pronounced.
What is Brown Losses?
The brown vaginal discharge are brown in color because they contain dried blood. Blood turns brown as it dries on contact with air. It just means that the blood took a little longer to come out of your uterus. Most often, the brown losses may occur at the start or end of your period, after a pelvic exam, after intense sex, at the time of implantation, around ovulation, or when taking the pill.
What Causes Brown Discharge Before Period?
It is not uncommon to have brown or maroon discharge a few days before, during or after your period ends. The brown discharge that precedes your next period is most often leftover blood from your last period. Blood that has been in your uterus for a while then takes on a brownish color.
Unlike the mockingi.e. the presence of blood during the wrong parts of your cycle, these darker brown discharges usually have a thicker consistency and slower flow than normal menstruation. It is menstrual blood which takes a little longer to be expelled from the uterus. Brown discharge is more common with scanty periods and lighter flows because blood takes longer to leave your body.
There are multiple causes of bleeding between periods. If you have some brown discharge before your period, this may be due to one of the following causes:
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Implantation Bleeding
Brown spotting or discharge the week before your period can be a early sign of pregnancy. Implantation bleeding is the bleeding caused by the attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterine lining, generally occurring between 6 and 12 days after fertilization. Contrary to normal rules, the implantation bleeding are light and only last a few days. Not all women have bleeding at this time. However, in some it can lead to brown discharge.
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Hormonal Contraception
It is common to experience irregular periods during the first few months of taking hormonal contraception such as the birth control pill, contraceptive implants, vaginal ring or contraceptive injection. Bleeding between periods is a common side effect of taking birth control that can result in brown discharge. Although they can be worrisome, this bleeding is rarely dangerous and should go away after a few months.
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Bleeding During Ovulation
Some women may experience brown spotting and bleeding in the middle of their menstrual cycle when the egg is released from the ovary. Of the period apps allow you to accurately estimate this time to conceive a child.
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Sex
It is possible to have maroon or brown discharge after intense sexual intercourse. Friction during sexual intercourse can cause damage to the vaginal tissues especially in case of poor lubrication of the vagina which can cause discharge.
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The Pelvic Examination
It is quite normal to have brown discharge or spotting after a pap smear. The examination consisting of taking cells from the cervix can cause bleeding for the next few days.
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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have a hormonal imbalance that can lead to fertility problems, cause irregular periods, absence of periods (amenorrhea), light bleeding or brown discharge.
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Premenopause
You may observe brown discharge or light bleeding during the first months of menopause. This is usually caused by a decrease in hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone).
What to do in case of brown losses?
If you're not pregnant and have brown discharge before or after your period, around ovulation, or sometimes after sex, chances are it's completely normal. In this case, just use period panties until they disappear.
