Brown discharge instead of menstruation - causes of brown color

A woman's reproductive age begins with the appearance of monthly bleeding, which will accompany her until the onset of menopause. The presence of menstruation is a sign of a woman’s sexual health. But this is not the only condition. Discharge also has its own standards for the amount of blood, the timing of the menstrual cycle and the quality of the released material. In this article we will consider the option when menstruation is brown. Does this indicate a violation and is it a reason to contact a gynecologist?

Periods are normal

Normally, menstruation lasts from 3 to 7 days, and the color of the discharge is dark red or very close to burgundy.

This color is caused by coagulated blood from vessels that were damaged during the separation of the inner mucous layer of the uterus. In addition to blood, the discharge includes mucus produced by the glands of the cervix and dead epithelial cells.

Normal menstrual flow, even when it is dark in color, has the following characteristics:

• uniform structure (small clots are allowed);
• red or brown tint;
• the amount of discharge is minimal;
• no itching or burning in the vagina;
• there is no strange or unpleasant odor;
• may begin a couple of days before regulation;
• does not appear in every cycle.

Among the most likely factors for the appearance of brown spotting instead of menstruation or so-called hypomenorrhea is a hormonal imbalance, which can be provoked both by the woman herself and by external conditions.

Why does the discharge change color?

The brownish color of vaginal fluid varies depending on the cause: light brown, brown, or even black. Vaginal secretion may darken due to:

• taking antibiotics;
• hormonal imbalance;
• worsening of the disease;
• development of diabetes mellitus;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• treatment with hormones.

Remember that normal secretion, once on linen after some time under the influence of oxygen, darkens slightly, acquiring a light yellow-brown tint.

Brown discharge – Brown secretion

Normally, brown periods should not have an unpleasant odor or blood clots. If such discharge is observed monthly, this is a serious reason to think about your health and consult a doctor.

If there is spotting of a brownish tint or discharge in the form of clots, this means that there are some problems in the woman’s reproductive system.

Smears

On the first day when menstruation begins, a woman should have about 50 ml of menstrual flow. Due to any violations, spotting appears, and the required amount of discharge does not come out. Additionally, you should pay attention to the symptoms accompanying the regulations:

• pain in the head and genital area;
• heaviness in the chest;
• pain in the back;
• nausea.

If, in addition to spotting leaks that have a brown tint, the listed symptoms appear, this may be a sign of serious abnormalities:

• normal or ectopic pregnancy;
• dysfunction of the ovaries and pituitary gland;
• endometrial dysfunction caused by surgery, inflammation or tuberculosis of the genital organs;
• incorrect contraception;
• genital injuries;
• stressful state;
• sudden weight fluctuations;
• physical stress;
• hormonal disorders caused by endocrine pathologies.

Scanty discharge

Hypomenorrhea can be primary or secondary. In the first case, brown periods begin to occur from the very first day. They are caused by underdevelopment of the genital organs and congenital anomalies of the genital area.

Secondary weak menstruation of a brown color does not bother a woman until a certain point, but can begin only when disturbances occur in the functioning of the female body.

In this case, the following causes of hypomenorrhea are distinguished:

• heredity;
• infections in the genitals;
• benign and malignant tumors;
• hormonal imbalance due to vitamin deficiency, moving, climate change and other reasons.

On the first day of the cycle

Some women have no idea why their period starts with brown discharge on the first day. Experts say that this is a completely normal phenomenon, but only if the color and consistency of the discharge returns to normal in the following days.

If there is brown discharge at the beginning of menstruation, all 3-7 days end with brown discharge, this is a signal that the female body needs the help of a doctor who can determine the cause of such deviations.

Smell

Normally, menstruation has a metallic, sour smell and a reddish tint. Towards the end of menstruation, less and less fluid is released, and its color gradually becomes darker, so it is natural for a wave when, after the end of the period, a daub appears, but it should not last more than 1-2 days. If this daub develops a strong putrid odor, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Preventive measures

Most gynecological diseases come from improper handling of one's own body and an irrational lifestyle. The occurrence of brown blood during menstruation and painful conditions can be avoided if you make it a rule to do simple things that will not be difficult to do regularly:

• visit a gynecologist’s office twice a year to get tested for possible infections and cancer cells;
• monitor genital hygiene every day, if necessary, wash yourself twice a day (at least once);
• during critical days, change hygiene products (pad or tampon) at least 3-4 times, wash before each change;
• use contraceptives even with a regular sexual partner, if your plans do not include pregnancy;
• adhere to a healthy lifestyle, since alcohol and tobacco smoking have a serious impact on a woman’s reproductive abilities;
• try not to wear thongs, as this is the most unhygienic option of all possible underwear.

This year alone, not a single women’s forum has more than a hundred representatives of the fair sex who shared their personal situation with strange dark-colored discharge. And how many are still left alone with their problem? The issue of the functioning of the reproductive system is very serious and requires immediate resolution as soon as any difficulties arise. But you won’t be able to find answers to all your questions on the forum, so a visit to the gynecologist’s office cannot be avoided. And the sooner this happens, the easier it will be to cure the disease.

Brown Discharge - Natural Causes

In some periods of a woman’s life, it is normal to discharge brown secretions instead of menstruation; let’s look at each of these cases in more detail.

Unsteady cycle

After a girl’s first period begins at the age of 12-13 years, the hormonal cycle stabilizes for another 1.5-2 years.

This process is accompanied by irregular menstruation, as well as fluctuations in the consistency and color of monthly discharge.

Since the ovaries have not yet fully matured at this age, the level of sex hormones will vary, which means that it is quite natural that for several years after menarche, brown spotting will appear instead of regulation.

After 2 years, the cycle should normalize; if this does not happen, consultation with a specialist is required.

Pregnancy

At the very beginning of pregnancy, brown spotting may appear during the process of implantation of the fertilized egg into the inner layer of the uterus.

The attachment of the zygote is accompanied by injury to the small vessels of the endometrium, which are the source of slight bleeding against the background of secretions released from the vagina.

A special test can confirm the presence of pregnancy. If the test is positive, but the brown spot does not stop coming, it means that the woman’s body has insufficient levels of progesterone, which is necessary for full gestation.

In this situation, spotting may signal the threat of spontaneous abortion. To avoid this, you need to donate blood for hormones and undergo treatment.

After childbirth, breastfeeding

After the birth of the baby and after stopping breastfeeding, the woman’s body gradually gets used to the new hormonal levels, and the menstrual cycle also normalizes only after a few months.

It is quite natural that during the adaptation period, a spotting brown secretion may appear instead of menstruation. If such discharge occurs every cycle and is accompanied by pain and an unpleasant odor, you should definitely contact a gynecologist.

Climax

When a woman enters premenopause, she may experience interruptions in her menstrual cycle for 2-3 years.

The level of sex hormones decreases, ovulation no longer occurs in every cycle, so the intensity of menstrual flow fluctuates from cycle to cycle. The closer you get to menopause, the more scanty your periods become.

Over time, they begin to look like brown daub, and then disappear completely.

Problem identification and therapy

Self-medication and copying other people's diagnoses are useless here, because without the help of a doctor you will not be able to determine what disease led to dark brown blood during menstruation. To identify the problem, the gynecologist will first need the results of an ultrasound of the pelvic organs and the conclusion of blood tests for hormones. Then, during the examination, the doctor will take a smear for tumor markers to exclude the possibility of malignant tumors appearing in the body.

If the problem lies in hormonal imbalance, then the doctor will prescribe Duphaston or Utrozhestan 2 tablets per day with an interval of 12 hours between doses. The drugs are taken from the 14th day of the cycle until the 26th, then the use should be stopped until the next 14th day of the cycle. These drugs normalize the level of progesterone in a woman’s body, which was not enough to create a sufficient amount of the endometrial layer in the uterus, due to which menstruation is scanty and has an unnatural color.

The doctor prescribes the duration of taking the hormone individually. Typically, 3 months are enough to restore progesterone. If the deviation from the norm is not large, the course takes only a month.

If cysts occur on the reproductive organs, the gynecologist may prescribe surgical intervention, or consider it possible to get rid of the disease with the help of medications.

Doctors recommend getting checked by specialists for inflammatory or infectious diseases once every six months.

In cases where pathogenic organisms are detected, both partners will have to undergo treatment, otherwise it will not have an effect.

Brown discharge - Pathological causes

If menstrual flow becomes scanty and spotting, most often women of reproductive age think that they are pregnant.

But if your periods do not go as usual, but are spotty, and the test is negative, this means that there are other reasons for the abnormal discharge. Most often, gynecological pathologies, infections and hormonal disorders are to blame, especially if brown daub is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, fever and other unpleasant symptoms.

Hormonal disorders

Hormonal imbalances in a woman’s body directly affect the nature of her periods. If there is not enough progesterone, then the endometrium cannot fully form, which is why its normal rejection does not occur, so instead of regula there is a brown daub.

With a lack of estrogen, the endometrial rejection mechanism is not fully activated, which also leads to the release of a dark spotting secretion. Hormonal imbalance can be a consequence of stress, poor nutrition, poor daily routine and endocrine diseases.

Ectopic pregnancy

If a woman has taken a pregnancy test and it shows a positive result, but while she had her period before pregnancy, she now has brown spotting, she should immediately consult a doctor.

The cause of brown spotting may be an ectopic pregnancy, namely due to the fact that the embryo is not attached to the uterus, but in the tubes. This is a dangerous condition for a woman’s health; it can only be eliminated through surgery and this must be done as early as possible to prevent rupture of the fallopian tube.

Infections

If a spotting brown secretion is secreted instead of regula due to disturbances in the functioning of the ovaries, then this can be caused by infections and inflammatory processes in the reproductive system.

Among hidden infections, such symptoms are caused by Trichomonas, gonococci, gardnerella, genital herpes virus, etc. Inflammation can begin due to the pathological proliferation of microflora, fungi, streptococci, and staphylococci.

Surgical operations

If brown spotting occurs instead of menstruation, this may be a consequence of abortion, cesarean section, partial removal of the genitals and other surgical interventions that cause hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body.

If the operations were completed without complications, then only the first regulations may be altered; the next cycle should proceed normally.

Oncology

At the initial stages, tumors in the reproductive system develop asymptomatically. It is quite difficult to determine their presence by the patient’s well-being; only with the growth of education does a woman begin to experience delays in menstruation, which are replaced by copious discharge, in which brown blood may contain impurities of pus.

In the later stages of cancer, the stomach may hurt, and the lower back and hip may be pulled.

Sudden changes in weight

If you combine fasting with intense physical activity, then instead of normal menstruation, a brown spotting secretion will appear. This disorder causes vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency in the body.

A sudden weight gain has a similar effect, which can also be the cause of brown spotting.

What are the dangers of period brown?

A strange color of menstrual blood may indicate endocrine disorders, infectious and inflammatory processes - all these factors significantly reduce the likelihood of conception and normal pregnancy.

Against the background of severe inflammatory processes, adhesions appear, the infection begins to spread to other organs, which is fraught with the occurrence of chronic pathologies and sepsis.

Brown discharge during pregnancy may indicate placental abruption, which can lead to miscarriage. Scarlet discharge is a sign of a frozen pregnancy.

Important!

Light brown or darker discharge before, instead of, or after menstruation, with clots, impurities of pus, and a strong odor are dangerous, especially if they last longer than a week.

Brown discharge - Effect of medications

The brown color of menstruation can be caused not only by hormonal-based drugs, but also by some other groups of medications. Dark spotting instead of regula may appear after the following types of drugs:

• antibiotics. After long-term use of antibacterial agents, the vaginal microflora changes, which negatively affects the functioning of the uterus and its appendages, and slight brown discharge appears in the form of a smear. They can be caused by a slowdown in the maturation of the egg;
• antiulcer medications. These drugs almost always cause menstrual irregularities; they change the length of the cycle and cause the appearance of dark spots even between periods;
• hemostatic drugs. These medications are prescribed to stop uterine bleeding and heavy menstruation. If you violate the dosage or do not adhere to the prescription, you can provoke spotting instead of menstruation or amenorrhea;
• antidepressants. Taking drugs from this group is indicated for very heavy menstruation, but prolonged treatment can lead to a delay of 3-4 days, and brown spotting begins instead of the critical days.

There is a high probability of abnormal periods in women who take diuretics, psychotropic and steroid medications.

Relatively safe causes of bloody spotting

External factors and a woman’s behavior can provoke endometrial detachment during the intermenstrual period. This happens under various circumstances:

• Active sports;
• Impact, abdominal injury;
• Aggressive sexual intercourse;
• Drinking large amounts of alcohol;
• Taking antibiotics;
• Severe mental shock.

Brownish discharge after taking a smear or scraping from the cervix, as well as as a result of a biopsy, sometimes also happens.

Hormonal medications and contraceptives

The basis of modern oral contraception are hormones, so the female body takes some time to get used to each drug.

Brown discharge during menstruation during the period of adaptation to a new type of contraception for several months is a variant of the norm. If the spotting continues for more than three or four cycles, you should definitely consult a gynecologist.

There may be the following causes of brown spotting when using oral contraception:

• insufficient dosage of hormones;
• deviation from instructions;
• failure to take pills on time;
• individual intolerance to the drug and its components;
• bad habits and diseases.

Very often, hormonal disruptions occur in women who resort to emergency contraception (Agest, Postinor, Escapelle). Usually, by the next cycle the balance of hormones is restored, the main thing is not to use such pills too often.

After installation of an intrauterine device, brown daub may be released during the adaptation period, as well as in case of improper installation or rejection of the contraceptive by the body.

For these reasons, the use of this method of contraception should be under the strict supervision of a physician.

Treatment

These are the main points in the treatment of brown menstruation.

The choice of tactics will depend on the type of pathological condition:

• For an ectopic pregnancy, the main treatment is its termination through surgical access. The volume will depend on the timing and condition of the woman. In the initial stages of pregnancy, but already with the appearance of brown menstruation, surgical intervention is limited to the removal of part of the fallopian tube and its subsequent restoration, in order to preserve the anatomical full state. With a long period and symptoms of its violation, treatment is limited to complete amputation of the fallopian tube.
• If there is a threat of spontaneous miscarriage , especially in the early stages of pregnancy, when brown periods appear, hormonal treatment is required. Among them, the main drugs are drugs of the progesterone group. Of these, there are a large number of products on the market, but the most popular of them are Duphaston and Utrozhestan . Duphaston is a systemic drug used for brown menstruation during pregnancy. Prescription is possible only up to 20 weeks of pregnancy; after the second screening, it is canceled completely or replaced with Utrozhestan. The dosage will average 20 mg daily. Utrozhestan is a progesterone drug produced in the form of a vaginal suppository. It has an effect similar to Duphaston, but the bioavailability is much higher. The dose of one suppository is 200 mg.
• Inflammatory diseases that lead to brown periods require systemic treatment. These may be antibacterial or anti-inflammatory drugs. If a specific pathogen is identified, selection is carried out by determining sensitivity to antibiotics. If there are hormonal imbalances, you can use combined oral contraceptives, which lead to a decrease or cessation of brown discharge during menstruation. These may also be other hormonal agents that help treat the underlying disease leading to brown periods.

If brown periods occur due to natural physiological causes, treatment is usually not required.

Wrong lifestyle

The following factors can change the nature of menstrual flow:

• smoking;
• alcohol abuse;
• poisoning of the body with harmful substances;
• work in hazardous production;
• excessive physical activity.

With prolonged exposure to these factors, there may initially be a slight delay in menstrual periods, but against the background of deteriorating health and decreased immunity, spotting may begin instead of menstruation. In this case, the only way to cope with the problem is to completely abandon bad habits and change your lifestyle.

Climate change

Spotting can replace regular menstrual bleeding even after a routine move. More noticeable changes in a woman’s body occur when climate zones change. If such spotting continues for more than a week and your health deteriorates significantly, you should definitely contact a medical facility.

Nutrition

An unbalanced, poor diet does not saturate the body with the vitamins and microelements it needs, as a result of which menstrual flow can be delayed for quite a long time.

If a woman suddenly gains or loses weight, her period may disappear altogether. If critical days are delayed by 2-3 days, and a scant brown smear is released, this indicates a lack of iron in the body. A deficiency of this microelement leads to darkening of the color of menstrual blood.

Stress and overexertion

Excessive stress and nervous shock cause problems in the central nervous system, which is responsible for the regularity of the menstrual cycle. These factors can provoke completely different reactions in women.

If some people experience brown spotting instead of menstruation due to stress, others may experience uterine bleeding. If there are no other symptoms, such as pain and general weakness, then you should not worry about this; after getting rid of stress and overexertion, the cycle will normalize.

Symptoms of pathology

Sometimes spotting, dirty discharge occurs due to delay - this may be a sign of hormonal imbalances and serious pathologies. Brown spotting instead of menstruation is typical for the following women's health problems:

• inflammatory processes in the organs of the reproductive and urinary system;
• infection in the genital area;
• benign and malignant tumors;
• ectopic pregnancy;
• miscarriage;
• other pathological processes.

If instead of critical days a dark spot is released, you should pay attention to the accompanying symptoms:

• pain in the lower abdomen;
• increased body temperature;
• redness of the external genitalia;
• discomfort during sex;
• delay of menstruation for more than 10 days;
• absence of critical days for more than 2 months, etc.

To determine the exact cause of spotting, you should seek help from a doctor.

Menopause period

During the period of gradual decline in ovarian function, menstruation may disappear and resume. But the appearance of spotting in the middle of the menstrual cycle should alert you.

If a woman has previously been diagnosed with endometriosis or endometrial hyperplasia, then they may be the cause of vaginal discharge. If menopause has already occurred and there have been no menstruation for more than a year, then if blood with mucus or watery brown discharge appears, you should consult a doctor. This may be a symptom of cancer that requires immediate diagnosis.

Brown spotting during menopause can be a direct consequence of sexual intercourse: dryness of the vaginal mucosa with simultaneous atrophy leads to the appearance of small cracks and microtraumas during sex.

Brown discharge – Going deeper into the shade

Not only the color and consistency of the fluid that was released instead of menstruation can tell about the pathology present in the body. To make a more accurate diagnosis, you should even pay attention to the shade of the discharge.

Light brown

Light brown discharge instead of regular discharge may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. To more correctly determine the cause and prescribe treatment, you should pay attention to the presence of additional symptoms:

• itching and burning;
• nagging pain in the lower back and lower abdomen;
• pain during urination;
• temperature increase;
• painful sensations during intimacy;
• impurities of pus and abundant clots in the discharge;
• delay of menstruation by more than a month.

The same symptoms, accompanied by spotting, may indicate the presence of an infection in the body. Light brown secretion can be caused by diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, they can also be provoked by trichomonas, ureaplasma and mycoplasma.

Dark brown

A long absence of critical days is almost always a sign of disturbances in the functioning of the reproductive system. If, after a delay, your periods are dark brown in color, and their consistency and shade did not change for about 4 days, this may indicate the presence of the following pathologies:

• inflammatory processes in the uterine mucosa;
• erosion;
• focal proliferation of the endometrium;
• endometriosis.

If curdled discharge is also mixed with bloody discharge, then candidiasis can be diagnosed.

Is dark discharge dangerous during pregnancy?

Of course, not all discharge can pose a danger to a woman’s health. It is worth noting that brown discharge during pregnancy can be either normal or indicate the presence of one or another pathology.

With pathology, brown discharge can occur when pregnancy develops outside the uterus or an unauthorized abortion occurs, that is, a miscarriage.

Also, brown discharge may indicate that a disease such as uterine fibroids has begun to manifest itself.

If during the first two to twelve days brown discharge continues to be produced by the body in small quantities, then there is no cause for concern, but the doctor must be warned about this.

Brown discharge - Diagnosis and treatment

If brown discharge appears instead of normal menstruation, you should immediately go to the gynecologist. To find out the cause of such an anomaly, the doctor, in addition to a gynecological examination and smears for microflora, can conduct a number of additional studies:

• Ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs;
• Ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland;
• general blood test and hormone test;
• If the doctor suspects the presence of cancer, he may prescribe CT and MRI.

Based on the results of the examination, an accurate diagnosis is established; in some cases, if menstruation is brown, you may need to consult an endocrinologist. If the cause of the disorders is stress and psycho-emotional disorders, you will need to visit a psychotherapist.

Only after accurately establishing the cause of the brown spot will the doctor be able to prescribe adequate treatment. If hormonal imbalances occur, a course of medications is prescribed, the use of which must be combined with diet and lifestyle changes.

How can we help?

Take another look at the list of reasons and you will understand that in this case you should under no circumstances rely on the advice of friends for whom some miracle cure helped so well in “exactly the same case.”

If we are talking about an infection, then anti-inflammatory treatment is necessary. A hormonal disorder requires examination of the thyroid gland. In this case, the possible frequency of infectious diseases in childhood (up to 12 years) should be taken into account. Indeed, in this case, it is precisely this circumstance, the so-called infectious index, that is very important for correct diagnosis.