Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, brown discharge is nothing to be worried about.
Read on for more about what brown discharge may mean, plus when to reach out to your practitioner.
What is brown discharge?
Its not uncommon to spot brown discharge in your underwear at various times during your cycle.
Brown discharge crops up when blood from your uterus takes longer to make its way out of the vagina.
As blood ages, it turns brown.
What can brown discharge look like?
Brown discharge doesnt always look the same.
Brown discharge is very often a normal part of the menstrual cycle.
What can cause brown discharge?
Here are some possible causes of brown discharge:
1.
A recent pelvic exam
Sometimes a little brown discharge means your cervix is bleeding.
This isnt necessarily a cause for concern.
The cervix is a sensitive organ and may bleed a bit after a pelvic exam, for example.
It’s also common to have some brown discharge or spotting after getting a Pap smear.
Sex
You could also experience some brown, blood-tinged discharge from sex, especially if it’s vigorous.
Perimenopause might be to blame if youre also experiencing mood swings, hot flashes and insomnia.
This can lead to changes to your discharge.
Vaginal dryness
During menopause or if you’re breastfeeding, your body produces less of the hormone estrogen.
As a result, vaginal dryness can occur.
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis is asexually-transmitted infection(STI) brought on by theTrichomonas vaginalisparasite.
The infection can cause irritation that can sometimes result in bleeding that looks brownish.
Other symptoms of trichomoniasis include a foul odor, itching and painful urination.
If you test positive for Trichomoniasis, your doctor can prescribe antibiotics to knock it out.
Even though ovarian cysts dont often cause any symptoms, they’re usually detected by ultrasound.
A pelvic sonogram is used to detect and diagnose them.
The majority of polyps are usually benign and not cancerous, especially in younger women.
But during your period isn’t the only time in your cycle that you might notice brown discharge.
This can be confusing, especially if its intermittent.
Typically, implantation bleeding happens between 10 and 14 days after conception.
It can resemble a very light period, or may be more pinkish-brown in color.
These could be signs of infection or a more serious issue that requires treatment.
No, not necessarily.
