Patient's question:
I had normal menstruation in the past few months. My period was supposed to come on the 13th of this month, but on the 2nd, I suddenly felt tightness-like pain on one side of my lower abdomen. The symptoms improved the next day. From the 7th to the 10th of this month, there was a slight spotting from the vagina, without any discomfort. (My period hasn't arrived yet.) Could you please tell me what might have caused this?Doctor's answer:
Vaginal bleeding is one of the most common symptoms of female genital diseases.Vaginal bleeding is a problem frequently encountered by many women. Some of it is physiological vaginal bleeding, such as normal menstruation or the discharge of lochia after childbirth, which falls within the normal physiological range and does not harm health. Pathological vaginal bleeding is different; it is not only a manifestation of a physical illness but the bleeding itself can also damage health. Vaginal bleeding can come from the vulva, vagina, cervix, or endometrium, but it is most commonly from the uterus.
There are many causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as: endocrine dysfunction of the ovaries, abnormal pregnancy, tumors, reproductive tract inflammation, injury, foreign bodies, or systemic diseases, among others. Age is an important reference value for differentiating vaginal bleeding: vaginal bleeding in girls and postmenopausal women (elderly women) is more likely to be considered malignant; in adolescent women, functional uterine bleeding () is the first consideration; in women of reproductive age, diseases related to pregnancy are more likely to be considered. Currently, it is recommended to undergo an ultrasound examination at the hospital and not to take it lightly.