Brown Spotting Before Period: Causes & What to Watch For

Question
I'm kind of concerned. About three or four months ago my period was REALLY late, like 3 weeks late. Then I started spotting brown. Not enough to show up on my underwear but when I would wipe it would be on the toilet paper. This happened for a couple of days and then I got my period, which was completely normal. For the last couple of months I have gotten about 4 days of this before my periods (my periods have been normal, by the way). This month I have been having the brown discharge more. It comes and goes randomly. There aren't any other symptoms I can think of except I'll randomly get a couple of minutes of very light pelvic cramping. I made an appointment w. my gynecologist but it's not for a few weeks. Please tell me what this could be. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac so I'm imagining the worst! Thanks, Amanda

Answer
amanda;

about 5% of women will experience spotting-a light staining of blood-regularly with ovualation. the key to this harmless kind of spotting doctors say,is that it happens almost every month near the middle of your menstrual cycle. often this spotting is accompanied by mild pain on the right or left side of the abdomen.

however,is some women,lack of ovulation,which causes the uterine lining to grow thicker and then shed small areas of tissue at different times,may also be a cause of spotting.

if you are experiencing spotting that does not seem related to ovulation,there can be a variety of causes,including infections of the vagina,bladder,cervix or edometruim[uterine lining]. other possible causes include polyps,little fleshy growths in the uterus; cervical dysplasia,abnormal cells in the cervix;cancer;pregnancy complications;the wrong birth-control pills or hormonal imbalances;

your doctor will have to diagnose and prescribe treatment for unexplained spotting. heres what to expect;

-clarify the cause-your doctor will perform a careful physical exam,examining the outer areas,the vaginal lining and cervix. if necessary,he may take small tissue samples for close examination under the microscope.
-harmonize the hormones-you may need to keep a temperature chart to determine whether or not you are ovulating. if lack of ovulation turns out to be the cause of your spotting,your doctor will most likely prescribe hormones,either in the form of birth control pills or progesterone.
-treat any infections-if an infection of the vagina or bladder is the cause of your spotting,your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics to clear it up.

so its hard for me to say what is the cause of your spotting.

sorry i cant do more;

catherine;