Provoke brown (dark red) discharge against the background of delayed menstruation can be several factors, both physiological and pathological. Often, accompanying symptoms indicate the nature of the problem. In any case, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. If there is a problem, the gynecologist will be able to quickly take action and keep the pregnancy or prevent the development of a serious illness. In the case of a physiological norm, the specialist will explain to the woman the reasons for what is happening.
Normal variant or pathology?
Why can a woman have brown discharge? This symptom, which usually appears against the background of a delay in menstruation, does not always indicate a pathology.
Brown discharge is normal for some physiological conditions. Consider further the natural causes of spotting with delay and pathology, which is characterized by such a symptom.
Period of sexualripening
Brown, odorless discharge and pain in most cases do not cause concern in young girls. After the first menstruation, the body is theoretically ready for motherhood, but doctors say that the final menstrual cycle is established within six months. During this period, unusual discharge may appear, which have a smearing consistency and a bloody tint.
Pregnancy
Delay and brown discharge in small amounts may indicate a pregnancy. No method of protection at the moment gives a 100% guarantee, subject to regular sexual activity. There is a high risk if sexual intercourse occurred just before ovulation.
If the delay is from three to ten days, and instead of menstruation, a woman observes slight brown discharge, then you need to do a home pregnancy test or a blood test for hCG - the hormone of pregnancy. The test is best done in the morning, when urine contains the highest levels of hormones. It is better to take two or three tests from different companies to make sure of the result.
If the test is positive, the woman should see a gynecologist. There is a danger if atypical discharge is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, malaise, vomiting and nausea. In this case, medical attention may be required. These may be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or various pathologies that cause spontaneous abortion in the early stages.
In most cases, brown discharge in early pregnancy is not a pathology, if not accompanied by pain. These may be the remnants of menstrual blood that has accumulated in the uterine cavity, and after the onset of pregnancy it comes out. This is the reason for the dark red color of the discharge.
Sometimes a delay and brown discharge is a sign of implantation of the ovum in the uterus. After fertilization, the egg moves to the uterus to gain a foothold there. This process takes about a week. When the fetal egg is fixed, small vessels can be damaged, which causes brown discharge.
When can pregnancy be diagnosed?
A home pregnancy test detects the hormone hCG in the urine, which is produced by the growing membrane of the fetus. At too early a time, the test does not react in any way, because the amount of the hormone is still insignificant. Usually pregnancy can be determined 20-25 days after conception. Some women find out about pregnancy even before the delay, but in most cases the test shows the correct result on the fifth - seventh day of the delay.
Hormone Therapy
The normal functioning of the female reproductive system is affected by the use of hormonal drugs, especially if the drugs are prescribed to affect the ability to conceive. Many women who have undergone hormone therapy claim that brown discharge may appear on the third to seventh day of delay when taking hCG.
This stuffis produced in the early stages of pregnancy (it is the home test that reacts to it). The concentration of hCG in the blood and urine rises up to nine to eleven weeks. A synthetic hormone is prescribed to combat female infertility, with ovarian dysfunction to prevent miscarriage, and with menstrual irregularities. In this case, the delay and brown discharge are a reaction to taking the drug.
Menopause
Brown discharge without pregnancy during a delay may indicate the approach of menopause. According to statistics, the average age of premenopause in women is 40-45 years. This condition is characterized by the following symptoms: increased heart rate for no reason, sudden changes in mood, jumps in blood pressure, sweating. During this period, intermenstrual flow may be watery, very abundant, and white in color.
To mitigate the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, a gynecologist may prescribe hormone replacement therapy. This will delay the decline of reproductive function and all the symptoms associated with this period for several years. The supportive action of the drugs makes the changes invisible to the woman.
Postpartum
Brown discharge without smell and pain may appear after childbirth, but after the end of postpartum discharge. The uterus needs about six to eight weeks to recover from childbirth and return to its previous size. Then the woman begins to re-establish the menstrual cycle. It happens indifferent deadlines. Usually, when breastfeeding, menstruation can be absent for quite some time.
Doctors compare the process of restoring the normal length of the cycle after childbirth with the establishment after the first menstruation. Delay and brown discharge for about five days (but not more than nine) are allowed by gynecologists in the postpartum period. It is important that the rejection of the mucous membranes after the birth of a child should not be accompanied by pain, be abundant, have an unpleasant odor.
Missed Pregnancy
Brown discharge in early pregnancy may indicate spontaneous abortion. This pathology is common in the second or third month of gestation. The process usually does not begin asymptomatically. A woman has pain in her lower abdomen.
In case of a sharp deterioration in he alth and the appearance of bloody discharge, you need to urgently consult a specialist. The examination will help determine whether the discharge in this case is harmless or indicates a pathology. In case of unsatisfactory condition of the woman and the fetus, appropriate therapy is prescribed. If the fetus is frozen, scraping is carried out.
Ectopic pregnancy
A two-week delay, accompanied by spotting and feeling unwell, signals an ectopic pregnancy. Allocations resemble menstruation, but may be “not like that”: scanty, plentiful or intermittent. This pathology is characterized by the fixation of the ovum not in the uterus. Such a violation without medicalintervention is fraught with severe bleeding.
Threatened miscarriage
Minor discharge and pain may occur when there is a threat of spontaneous interruption. In some cases, the fetus can be saved. But a woman should consult a doctor in a timely manner. The specialist will prescribe special drugs that will help maintain the pregnancy.
Hormonal failures
The reason for the delay in menstruation and the appearance of brown discharge may be thyroid dysfunction or pathological processes in the adrenal glands. Hormonal failure begins almost asymptomatically, manifesting itself only as a feeling of constant fatigue. Irreversible processes in the body can start unexpectedly for a woman.
The causes of this condition can be stressful situations, the use of a new contraceptive, climate change or an eating disorder. Treatment is complex. Both therapeutic and gynecological interventions aimed at normalizing the hormonal balance are expected. To monitor your overall he alth, it is recommended to take a hormone test three times a year.
Inflammatory processes
Ovarian damage, inflammatory processes localized in the cervix or endometrium, can cause poor discharge against the background of a delay. In this case, the delay can be several weeks, while the test will be negative, and the beginning of critical days will be accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen and inlower back.
In most cases, we are talking about pyelonephritis or cystitis. Severe symptoms of diseases that are inflammatory in nature include pain during urination, fever, discoloration of discharge, and sharp pains. A free consultation with a gynecologist will allow you to determine the exact problem and begin adequate treatment.
STDs
Abundant discharge of brown or brown secretion against the background of a delay in menstruation may indicate a deterioration in the woman's condition. Characteristic signs of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are fever, burning and itching in the perineum, putrid smell of discharge, profuse rejection of thick yellowish or greenish discharge, the appearance of abscesses or small blisters in the groin area. A free consultation with a gynecologist in the presence of these symptoms is necessary as soon as possible.
Depending on the identified disease, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics and other medications, vaginal sanitation (candles, baths, douching). How to do douching, the doctor will tell. The procedure is performed at home. How to do douching? You will need a rubber bulb into which you need to collect the solution. After the solution is released into the vagina. 10-15 minutes are enough to achieve a therapeutic effect.
