brown discharge - infection or spotting?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
brown discharge - infection or spotting?
1
Mon, 03-22-2004 - 7:17pm
hi everyone,

for about the past 6 or 7 days i have been experiencing a brownish discharge (i started my 'inactive' pills yesterday, so spotting occured during my last week of 'active' pills. my period should start tonight or tomorrow - but since i'm still "spotting", i don't know how to tell what's my period and what is the discharge). at first i thought it might be spotting, but the consistency isn't really like blood (sorry if TMI) - i know that almost everyone has experienced some spotting at some point, but my cycles have been very regular since i started OTC last august (never any spotting or discharge like this). so the fact that this discharge has been happening has me pretty concerned.

i take my pills the same time every morning (i've never missed a pill, and never taken one more than like 20 min late) so i would assume i wouldn't experience spotting. is it possible somethings wrong? like an infection? could something have been 'bumped' during S.I.? i have also been experiencing more 'intense' headaches (i have never really had problems with headaches, so i'm not sure if it is stress related or my pill). am i still being protected by the pill? if someone could tell me what they think might going on, i would really appreciate it. sorry i'm all over the place with my questions, but i really am concerned. thanks for any help! LA

a side question - i doubt my week-long discharge is implantation bleeding, but what would implantation 'spotting' look like and when would it happen? thanks.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Mon, 03-22-2004 - 9:35pm
Hi lap,

If you have been spotting for the last week then you may just continue to spot through your placebos or AF may arrive undiminished. Having your cervix bumped during IC doesn’t usually cause bleeding. If I were you I’d talk to my doc about the irregular bleeding and your headaches. If you have been taking your pills correctly; on time, no vomiting or diarrhea with in 2 hours after tasking your pill and if you aren’t taking meds or supplements that could reduce their effectiveness then you should still be protected.

You would have to have ovulated to have implantation bleeding. It could occur briefly a few days after ovulation, when the fertilized egg implants in the endometrium.

Good luck

      Jill