Slight bleeding between periods: what to know

Spotting may occur around ovulation, after starting or changing hormonal contraception, or when doses are missed. Pregnancy-related bleeding, vaginal or cervical irritation, and infections such as Chlamydia are other possibilities. Polyps and uterine fibroids can cause bleeding from the womb. Cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer are conditions clinicians may rule out when bleeding is persistent, occurs after sex, or appears with abnormal screening findings. Womb cancer is another reason for assessment, especially when bleeding is unusual for your age or stage of reproductive life.

The bleeding pattern matters: note whether it is brown or red, how long it lasts, whether it follows sex, and whether pain or discharge accompanies it. A symptom does not by itself identify a condition.

Keep a simple record of bleeding dates, flow, medicines, contraception, sexual activity, pain, discharge, and pregnancy possibility. Take a pregnancy test when relevant and arrange a clinician appointment if the spotting is new, repeated, or unexplained. Your assessment may include an examination, infection testing, pregnancy testing, cervical screening review, or imaging. Treatment depends on the cause; a radical hysterectomy is a specialised operation for selected cancers, not routine care for light spotting.

Get urgent help for heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided pelvic pain, fainting, marked dizziness, fever, or feeling very unwell. Seek prompt advice for bleeding during pregnancy, bleeding after menopause, or bleeding that follows sex repeatedly. Urgency is based on warning symptoms and the bleeding pattern, not on assuming what diagnosis the symptom represents.

Could my contraception, medicines, pregnancy, an infection, a polyp, or a fibroid explain this? Do I need cervical screening review, an examination, or imaging? Which changes should prompt urgent care?