Spotting in early pregnancy

In early pregnancy spotting is not uncommon. Especially in the first weeks of pregnancy, repeated spotting is common and usually no cause for concern. In most cases, hormonal fluctuations at the beginning of pregnancy are responsible for the bleeding.

These then often occur at the time when the period would normally have occurred. Nevertheless, even if the bleeding passes quickly, a visit to the gynecologist should always be made to rule out dangerous causes. Immediately after implantation of the fertilized egg, a short spotting may occur in the form of an implantation bleed.

This bleeding is completely natural and is no cause for concern. Another cause of early spotting is a miscarriage. This is unfortunately not too rare in the first trimester.

Furthermore, a so-called bladder mole is a possible cause of spotting in early pregnancy. Due to a rare defect in the fertilized egg cell, only part of the placenta develops and no embryo. This bladder mole leads to varying degrees of spotting in the first trimester.

Spotting despite pill

Despite the pill – in some cases even because of the pill – spotting can occur. The Pill is a hormonal contraceptive that leads to stable cycles in many women with regular hormone withdrawal bleeding during the 7-day pill break. However, many women also complain of spotting, which can occur to varying degrees and at different times of the cycle.

This is usually caused by hormonal fluctuations. It is often helpful to wait a few months before taking the pill until the cycle stabilizes. In some cases it also helps to switch to another pill or contraceptive. Usually a suitable pill that is well tolerated can be found. Of course, spotting can also occur quite independently of the pill due to other causes.

Menopausal spotting

The menopause is a hormonal rollercoaster ride for women. The body changes its hormone balance and this leads to a variety of complaints in many women. One possible consequence is spotting of varying intensity and duration.

Mostly it is a very weak irregular menstrual bleeding, which looks like spotting. During menopause, spotting can also have other causes that are not necessarily related to the hormonal change in the cycle. Malignant diseases of the female genital tract are particularly feared and are more common in older age. Although these diseases are more common in old age, they are still rare overall. These include endometrial carcinoma, for example.