Understanding Intermenstrual Bleeding: Causes & What to Expect

Question
Kristy, for the past two months, my girlfriend has had minor spotting for a few days in between periods.  Last month, her period was a little bit lighter than usual.  She is due to get her period again in 9 days and she noticed light spotting again this morning.  We have been having sex for about 2 years, with the pill being the method of protection that we use.  The spotting is brown in color.  She has been under some minor stress lately, also.  She has also noticed some tenderness in her breasts.  She is 23 yrs old.  She plans on going in to see a doctor, but until then, what do you think this spotting may be a sign of?
Thanks for any light you can shed on this for me.

Answer
Hi Jack..

Spotting most certainly can happen in very early pregnancy. But first, keep in mind that if your girlfriend forgot to take a pill during her cycle, that will certainly cause spotting, and sometimes will induce an early period.

Stress as well, will play havoc on a womans cycle causing spotting here and there. Some women whom are under high levels of stress will even get two periods in a couple of weeks span.

If she has taken her pills on time daily, and is still having an issue with spotting, the problem can be as simply as correcting the dosage of pill. The only way that can be determined, is for your girlfriend to see her physician to determin if this is infact a dosage issue. Not all birthcontrol pills, agree with all woman. Sometimes it takes some switching around to find the right one that will agree with an individuals cycle.

Pregnancy when taking the pill correctly is rare, however it is not impossible. Tender Breasts, is a symptom of pregnancy. However, the pill's purpose is to basically trick your body to beleive that its already pregnant, and preventing a "Real" pregnancy. Thus, its quite common for some women to experience symptoms that coincide with pregnancy, such as have tender breasts.

Your girlfriend Needs to see her doctor, and the doctor will most likely give her a blood test to see if indeed she could be pregnant. If this comes out to be a negative result, I think altering her dosage in pill will be the answer.

Hope this answers all your questions, Take Care.

-Kristy