Irregular bleeding between periods: what to know

Spotting can happen when hormone levels shift, contraception changes, or the cervix is irritated after sex. Infections such as chlamydia may cause bleeding with discharge, pelvic pain, or discomfort when passing urine. Benign growths such as endometrial polyps or uterine fibroids can also disturb the timing or amount of bleeding. Less commonly, cervical dysplasia, cervical cancer, or womb cancer can present with bleeding between periods. A symptom does not identify its cause by itself; examination and testing are needed.

Record when the bleeding occurs, how long it lasts, whether it follows sex, and any pain, discharge, or missed contraception. Tell the clinician about pregnancy possibility, medicines, contraception, and your last cervical screening. They may offer a pregnancy test, pelvic examination, infection testing, blood tests, or imaging according to your history. Do not delay an appointment because the bleeding is light if it keeps returning.

Seek urgent care for very heavy bleeding, faintness, severe pelvic pain, fever, or bleeding during pregnancy. Arrange prompt medical review for bleeding after sex, repeated episodes, bleeding after periods have stopped, or bleeding with unusual discharge. These patterns can arise from treatable conditions, but they should be assessed rather than explained away. Treatment depends on the cause; a radical hysterectomy is relevant only to selected cervical cancer cases and is not a general treatment for spotting.

Ask: What causes are most relevant to my history? Do I need a pregnancy or infection test? Should my cervix or womb be examined? Could a polyp or fibroid explain this pattern? When should I return if the bleeding continues?