bleeding 1 week after end of period?

[Mama Mko]

For some background info: I usually have a period every 6 weeks. My last couple periods have been weird. I started having them when Jack was 8 months old. Then I had one June 6th. I didn't have my next one until August 16th. It was heavy and lasted 7 days (which is my normal length).

So Saturday August 23rd was the last day I had this period. Today I woke up to some very light pink when I wiped. I thought "oh, weird, I'm spotting a little." Later I felt wet and went to check. I'm bleeding. It's not very heavy but it's darkish red like in the middle of my cycle. It's sort of slimy and it's not a tiny amount. I don't know what the heck this is. I shouldn't be having another period now. My mom suggested it was fertile mucus because of the consistency, but I don't know. I've never had it like this before.

Any ideas on what the deal is? Should I try to call a midwife or something? Just wait and see what happens?

[Mama Mko]

Still bleeding today. Nobody has any experience? It's very light but it's not as light as I'm used to with spotting. It is bright red, not brown or pink. I'm not having any cramping.

[Mama Mko]

I made an appointment with an OB. The earliest they could fit me in was Wednesday at 10am.

[CalaRei]

I've been having weird cycles like this since november. I'd have a full 6 day period, a week off, and then another full period. Went on for a couple months. So in essence, my cycles were 14 days-ish. Turns out I wasn't ovulating, and the erratic ups and downs of estrogen would make my lining shed at random intervals.

My OB when I went in for it at first did some blood workups and a vaginal ultrasound to look for cysts or polyps or something, but that all came back normal, I wasn't even anemic or anything. Since we were actively TTC, I charted until last month to gather "evidence" that I wasn't ovulating, and we finally made the decision to go on clomid.

So I guess moral of the story is: Get yourself checked out to rule out "mechanical" problems, endometriosis, etc. If you're not TTC, I suppose you could regulate it with the pill, or just accept it so long as you're not anemic and all that. Or, if you ARE TTC, you may have a deeper observational period ahead of you.

[CalaRei]

Oh, and another thing.

I did notice that often my "midcycle" bleeds would be almost a watery brighter red than my "regular" periods. Even though the flow was definitely heavier than spotting, and I even needed to use my cup. But it was a different consistency. My Doc said that's because the lining didn't have time to build up at that point.

Of course, there IS such a thing as ovulation spotting, which would probably be happening for you around this time, but what you describe sounds a step beyond spotting to me.

[Mama Mko]

Thanks for the reply.

I went to the doctor today. He did a quick pelvic exam and said everything looks normal. I had blood drawn to check my prolactin and thyroid levels. I'm supposed to get the results of those tests on Friday.

The doctor said it's not usually a big deal unless it keeps happening. He tried to push me into getting on birth control pills though, because "there's no risk!" and "it will help regulate you more." I clearly told him I am not interested in birth control. Ugh.

Anyway, I'll post again after I find out my test results. Everything is back to normal right now - no spotting or anything. Hopefully it stays this way!

[Mama Mko]

Thyroid & prolactin levels were normal. Hopefully it never happens again and everything is normal.

A lot of worry about nothing, I hope!