Definition
In medical terminology, spotting is also known as spotting. It is a collective term for weak vaginal bleeding in women, which can occur in a variety of diseases and disorders. However, spotting does not necessarily hide an illness, it can also occur naturally.
An example of this is ovulation bleeding, also called mid-cycle bleeding, which occurs in the middle of the cycle at ovulation and can be accompanied by mid-pain. The term spotting is not the same as metrorrhagia. However, spotting can also occur as an intermediate bleeding outside the menstrual phase.
A spotting is similar to a brownish discharge and does not look like a typical bleeding at all. There are cycle dependent and cycle independent spotting. Spotting can also occur during pregnancy. A very weak period (hypomenorrhoea) also manifests itself as brown spotting.
Cause
The accompanying symptoms of spotting are very diverse, as there can be many different causes behind such a bleeding. It is therefore impossible to generalize the accompanying symptoms of spotting. Inflammation of the female genital tract can cause symptoms such as fever, pain or even nausea.
Malignant tumors, which are also accompanied by spotting, can show a colorful picture of symptoms or even be asymptomatic. Possible accompanying symptoms are pain in the lower abdomen, bone pain with metastasis, night sweats, fever or even shortness of breath (lung metastases), to name just a small selection. Many spotting bleedings, especially harmless bleedings in the context of hormonal fluctuations, are symptom-free and are at most accompanied by slight abdominal pain. Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia) is a classic accompanying symptom of endometriosis.
Duration
The duration of a lubrication bleeding depends on the cause. Therefore, no general duration can be given. Mostly spotting lasts only a few days.
This is for example the case with pre-bleeding due to a weakness of the corpus luteum. Spotting after sexual intercourse usually lasts only a few hours and stops spontaneously. Ovulation bleeding usually does not last longer than one day either.
In some cases, however, spotting with or without interruption can last several days or even weeks. This is very rare, but quite possible. Especially in such a case, a doctor should be consulted to clarify the cause.
Both benign and malignant causes can be considered. Abdominal pain is a typical accompanying symptom of some spotting. They occur, for example, during ovulation bleeding in the form of the so-called Mittelschmerz.
However, they can also accompany other hormonal, cycle-dependent spotting. Endometriosis is also often accompanied by abdominal pain. In this case it is often a so-called cycle-dependent crescendo pain. The pain usually begins a few days before the period and subsides when the actual period begins. Other causes of spotting with abdominal pain are myomas, in rare cases tumors or a miscarriage during pregnancy.
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