Women's Health

Brown vaginal bleeding

09/10/2008

Question:

I am a 22 year old female in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend of a year and a half. I have been on Yaz for over a year and have never had any spotting. My boyfriend and I do not use condoms. We have sex a couple times a week, but he does not always ejaculate inside of me. I have been having a brown, gel-like spotting for a week and a half now. It has been on my underwear frequently and pretty much every time I wipe after urinating. Sometimes there are very little brown things in the toilet after I urinate as well. I am due to get my period in a couple of days, but I am very worried that this spotting has been going on for some time and I`ve never had it before. I have gotten two HPV shots and am up for the third one, but my boyfriend and I started having sex without condoms before I started the Gardisil. Could this just be a hormonal change or something more serious?

Answer:

I would suggest an appointment with your gynecologist. It sounds like breakthrough bleeding on the birth control pill. A test for Chlamydia would be appropriate as this can also cause spotting as would a pregnancy test. Other possibilities include a cervical polyp. Your symptoms are not related to HPV or the vaccine.

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Response by:

Deborah A Bartholomew, MD
Associate Professor
Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University