Complaints & connections · borters.ch
Metrorrhagie
The timing decides — new after menopause or repeated after sex should be looked at promptly.
Also known as: intermenstrual bleeding · spotting · bleeding after sex · bleeding after menopause
Open in the tool — with search and all the links →This compilation is for information and replaces neither medical diagnosis nor treatment. If you have symptoms, see a doctor.
Bleeding between two periods is common and often has a simple explanation — but the timing says a lot about how urgent it is. In the first months of a new contraceptive, after a missed pill or around ovulation, light spotting is expected. In the years before menopause the cycle becomes irregular and bleeding in between belongs to that. A thyroid disorder, a raised prolactin and heavy stress also shift the rhythm. Local reasons are polyps, fibroids, inflammation of the cervix or a thin, irritated lining after menopause. Two situations belong in the consulting room without waiting: bleeding that newly appears after menopause, and bleeding after intercourse that repeats. In both cases it is not about fear but about the fact that a short examination usually settles the question in one appointment. And anyone who might be pregnant starts here too with a test.
Date, strength, link to sex or a pill break — this sorts more than any test value.
Product, since when, missed tablets — much becomes clear from this alone.
With frequent or heavy bleeding the store value matters, not only the blood count.
After menopause and repeatedly after sex: make an appointment, do not watch.
Spotting around ovulation, so around mid-cycle, occurs in up to one in ten women and lasts one to two days. In the first three to six months on a new contraceptive, bleeding between periods is common and then eases. What is investigated: any bleeding after intercourse, any bleeding after the menopause — even a single episode — and any bleeding between periods that lasts longer than three cycles.
A hormone preparation can stop a bleed — but it does not replace the question of where it comes from, and that is what matters here. Tranexamic acid reduces the amount by slowing the breakdown of the clot and works within hours. With bleeding on a new contraceptive, three to six months of waiting is usual, because the lining adapts. Any bleeding after the menopause is investigated before anything is given.
Expected and usually temporary — still worth mentioning.
Typical of the years before menopause; thyroid and prolactin belong here.
When repeated this should be examined — usually it is the cervix.
Any bleeding after periods have ended is examined, regardless of amount.
Frequent bleeding empties the store long before the blood count shows it.
Where blood is lost regularly the store empties long before the haemoglobin falls. Ferritin shows this earlier than the blood count — and refilling takes months, not weeks.
Clearly improves the uptake of plant iron. A glass of orange juice or some pepper with the iron-rich meal does more than the choice of preparation.
Often used for cramps of the womb muscle. The studies are small and inconsistent; it is well tolerated, and the belly shows the upper limit.
Belongs in the workup of any anaemia, because a lack makes the same picture as iron deficiency — only with large instead of small red cells. Both can exist side by side.
Acts on ovary and womb lining. Low values are common; correcting them is worthwhile for bone and muscle regardless of the cycle.
Frequent bleeding between periods empties the stores long before the blood count shifts. Ferritin belongs measured — and the reason for the bleeding found before iron is taken.
Traditionally used with a short second half of the cycle; the studies are small and mostly concern PMS. It takes 3–6 months before anything shows — and it is not intended in pregnancy.
Here as a pointer: it speeds the breakdown of the pill in the liver. Bleeding between periods on hormonal contraception is one of the first signs — and the protection falls with it.
Effective when deficient; effects on sleep and stress plausible but moderate. Too much causes loose stool.
Clearly worthwhile and well supported when deficient — vegan, older adults, certain drugs. No energy boost without a deficiency.
Clearly worthwhile and well studied when deficient; fewer data for the wider uses. Fat-soluble — check blood levels at high doses.
Bleeding outside the period often arises when the value briefly dips — around ovulation or when a pill was taken late. The lining then does not hold for a moment.
In the second half of the cycle this hormone holds the lining stable. If the phase is too short or no ovulation happens, that support is missing — one of the most common reasons for spotting.
A raised value slows the cycle and causes irregular bleeding — sometimes together with milk leaking from the breast. It can be measured in a single blood draw, best in the morning and at rest.
Frequent bleeding between periods costs iron, often unnoticed. Ferritin below 30 counts as deficiency — the tiredness then comes from there and not from daily life.
Recurring bleeding between periods costs iron, often unnoticed. Ferritin below 30 counts as deficiency — the tiredness then comes from there. The cause of the bleeding belongs investigated regardless.
The traditional bleeding herb, used as a tea for heavy and irregular bleeding. Barely studied — and the reason for the bleeding belongs found before it is dampened.
Rich in tannins and the classic women’s plant of folk medicine. Drunk in the days before the expected bleeding.
Traditionally mixed with lady’s mantle. Bleeding outside the period that is new or comes after menopause belongs looked at first.