Understanding Spotting After Period Among Young & Adult Woman

Most girls and women have menstrual cycles until they reach menopause. You can identify the cycles by bleeding that usually lasts for a week. But did you know that spotting, or bleeding between period cycles, is also common?

Though common, many people continue to confuse spotting with menstruation bleeding. It's fine if you also have no idea why you have vaginal bleeding despite the fact that your period cycle has passed.

Better late than never; now it’s time for you to properly understand spotting after period. Continue reading to discover what to do if you experience bleeding outside of your period cycles!

What is Spotting?

Spotting, as the name implies, is light vaginal bleeding that occurs outside of the regular menstrual cycles. Girls and women may notice spotting as a small amount of blood stains on their undies.

Some of them, particularly those who are unfamiliar with spotting, may mistake it for irregular menstrual cycles. In fact, spotting can happen before or after period cycles, making it differ from the regular monthly cycles.

Know Your Menstrual Cycle

Knowing your menstrual cycle is the key to identifying whether the light bleeding you experience is spotting or your regular period. Normal period cycles typically occur between 21 – 35 days and last for two to seven days.

Since every woman has different cycles, then you need to keep track of your regular cycles. This allows you to understand that any bleeding that occurs outside of the routine may be a sign of spotting. Knowing your menstrual cycle will also make you more prepared on when should you pack your period underwear in your bag.

Common Causes of Spotting After Period

Spotting is very common amongst women and indicates unalarming conditions that their bodies are trying to tell. Most women also experience spotting now and then, so it usually shouldn’t be too big of a worry.

If you are experiencing spotting and trying to find an explanation for your condition, you can check the following common causes to see if one of them applies to you:

Birth control

If you're new to taking birth control, it's normal for your body to adjust to it as birth control changes your hormonal levels. Hormonal adjustment may take some time and leads to spotting in many women.

Most birth controls in the market contain progestin, which is a synthetic version of progesterone. One of the ways progestin works to prevent pregnancy is by thinning the uterine lining, which causes light bleeding.

However, you should be progressing after some time of using birth control. Your body will gradually adapt to it, and you may notice less brown spotting after each period cycle ends.

Ovulation

Ovulation is the release of a matured egg by the ovary. In a 28-day menstrual cycle, it usually occurs 14 days after the menstruation ends or before the next menstrual period.

Also, ovulation often changes the levels of hormones in a woman's body. The levels of oestrogen go up before the egg is released and go down after the egg is released.

Progesterone levels, on the other hand, begin to rise the moment ovulation ends. In 5% of women, increased progesterone levels due to ovulation cause thin bleeding or spotting between menstrual cycles.

Pregnancy

If you're expecting a baby, then spotting after your period ends may be a good sign! 

Pregnancy spotting, also known as implantation bleeding, occurs 10 to 14 days after conception. Generally, implantation bleeding shouldn’t be a cause for concern. 

It's because implantation bleeding is common in women. The implantation process, in which a fertilised egg begins to attach to the uterus lining, often causes thin and pink-coloured spotting.

You may want to get yourself checked if you assume you may be pregnant due to the spotting after your period. The sooner you check, the better your chances of safeguarding your pregnancy from its early start.

Stress

Stress, whether it’s emotional or physical, contributes to hormonal imbalance and disruption of the menstrual cycle. The mental or physical distress also leads to higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which impairs the body's ability to produce oestrogen and progesterone. 

Both oestrogen and progesterone are necessary for normal menstrual cycles to take place. Yet, when cortisol levels rise, the body may struggle to produce a balanced amount of oestrogen and progesterone, resulting in spotting, late periods, or lighter periods.

Therefore, if you're currently facing stressful moments in your life accompanied by spotting, you need to regulate your emotions. You can also seek professional help if the distress negatively impacts your period cycles for an extended time.

Poor Diet

Many women experience spotting after their periods because they fail to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Unhealthy and unbalanced diets result in a lack of essential nutrients to support body function.

Lack of vital nutrients, on the other hand, often leads to extreme weight loss and hormonal imbalances. These problems will then be at the root of menstrual cycle disruptions such as spotting, late periods, or light periods.

For that reason, dealing with spotting after periods may require you to watch your meal intake. Failure to do so may result in prolonged spotting after periods, which you want to avoid to keep your reproductive system healthy.

Your Period Just Ends

If none of the above conditions is present, your spotting may be a sign that your period has just ended. It's relatively common for women to notice tiny blood stains on their underwear a day after their period ends.

If this is the case, then nothing for you to be upset about. It usually only happens a day after your period ends, and the spotting will go away in a few hours or by the next day. Using period underwear with extra-light absorbency will help you to stay comfortable in this condition.

Should You be Worried About Spotting After the Period Ends?

It's essential to note that spotting every now and then generally isn’t something you should fear. It only becomes an issue if you bleed for the entire month between your period cycles, including menstrual flow and spotting.

Additionally, if you have spotting for months on end, you should be on the lookout for any potential health issues. You may want to have a visit to a trusted ob-gyn in your area and get your abnormal bleeding in between your periods checked.

Your ob-gyn will be the one to observe your condition and give it medical attention. This way, you can avoid stressing yourself out by assuming worst-case scenarios that are not necessarily present.

Keep Your Spotting from Bothering Your Activities!

Just like what we've mentioned before, spotting is a common occurrence after your period cycle ends. Though common, you may feel uncomfortable with the thin bleeding and think of using period underwear or pantyliners to absorb your spotting.

Using menstrual pads or pantyliners can be a solution, but wouldn't you be glad if you could avoid them altogether while maintaining your hygiene and staying active?

With Mooncheeks Period Underwear, you can continue your active lifestyle without worrying about spotting stains. Mooncheeks Period Underwear is so comfortable that you’ll forget you’re on your period.

Most importantly, Mooncheeks Period Underwear has varying levels of absorbency. Get the convenience of selecting the best one for you and regaining your comforts, whether it is for spotting or heavy period flows.