brown vaginal discharge

[erms90238]

I am a little concerned about my last period. I am on birth control and have been since i started my period at age 14, due to ovarian cysts. I have changed my brand of birth control many times due to ill reactions from a few. I used to be regular, then I missed my period for several months, not pregnant though. Just this past week however my period came as dark brown throughout the whole thing, never getting red blood. my periods have been irregular and never a normal flow since feb. 2010. my boyfriend and i do have unprotected sex and only use my pills as contraceptives, which i take same time every day...been tested for stds a few months ago, what should i be concerned about???

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Often, after being on birth control for a long time, women will notice that their periods become very light, or even non-existent.  Some women do this on purpose to avoid the monthly flow.  What happens is that the lining of the uterus gets very thin because of the low doses of hormones in modern pills.
Blood that is flowing rapidly tends to be bright red in color, and even associated with some clotting.  Blood that is draining slowly can be dark red--brown or even black and sticky like tar.  Often women are concerned that this represents some problem or type of infection.  There really is nothing to worry about.

If the dark blood bothers you, you could ask your doctor to supplement the estrogen component in your pills--that would thicken the uterine lining and make the flow more "normal" again.  There is no reason that you have to change anything though.

Hope this helps!
Dr B

[tina0711]

Hi my question is I have recently started taking a birth control pill within the last 10 days and started my period on the 13th of last month and started again the 13th of this month and am still bleeding it is now th 19. But my main concern is I had unprotected sex 2 days during this. I haven't been sexually active in the last 9 months. And have a 3 year old child already. What are the chances of me getting pregnant?

[juus]

I am in my early 40s and started with several symptoms over two years - metallic taste in my mouth, weight gain, and right before my monthly menstraul cycle  -- extremely swollen sensitive breasts with a viginia irritation (no itching). Also, joint pain in my fingers, and joint stiffness in my low back, knees, and hips.  Regarding the viginia irritation, could this be a pre-menopausal symptom?   Can someone give me info or clarify on what may be the cause of these symptoms and why?  I was told  that it was a hormone-balance problem, so I starting taking Estroven, Dandolin, and Damania herbal supplements as well as a women's multivitamin.  I stopped taking my protein supplement after being told that it can deplete your calcium adsorption.  I am scheduled to see my OB/GYN and Ortho doctors next month.