A menstrual period normally occurs approximately every 28 days, lasts for four days and discharges about 30 to 80 mL or 2 to 8 tbsp. of blood, according to the MedLine Plus website. If you're spotting---bleeding between periods---check for bleeding from your rectum or urinary tract. You can insert a tampon in your vagina to see if that's the source. An examination by a physician is often the best way to discover the origin of abnormal bleeding.
Warning
Spotting may signal potentially terminal conditions, such as ectopic or tubal pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, a fertilized egg develops inside a fallopian tube. If an ectopic pregnancy does not terminate on its own, a physician must terminate it, otherwise fatal blood loss can occur. Cervical and uterine cancers can also cause spotting, as can cancer of the fallopian tube in rare cases.
Expert Insight
Bleeding can occur during the first three months of pregnancy and at the normal time that a female gets her period, according to Dr. Aneema Van Groenou of Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Hayward, California, the author of "The Active Woman's Guide to Pregnancy: Practical Advice for Getting Outdoors When Expecting." If a female is spotting at the time of month when she expects her period, she might not realize she's pregnant, says Dr. Van Groenou. A miscarriage or an abortion can cause spotting as well.
Time Frame
Changes in hormonal levels are a potential cause of spotting. Adolescence, during pregnancy and before and after menopause are times in your life when your hormone levels fluctuate. The same is true when you start or stop estrogen treatments or using birth control pills, which contain the hormones estrogen or progesterone or both. Vaginal dryness resulting from estrogen loss before and after menopause can result in spotting.
Considerations
Spotting is common right after insertion of an intrauterine device, or IUD, and can continue to occur between menstrual periods from three to six months afterward, according to the Hall Health Women's Clinic in Seattle. In addition, surgical procedures involving reproductive organs---such as a biopsy of the uterus or endometrium, the lining of the uterus---can lead to vaginal bleeding. A physician might perform this kind of biopsy to examine your uterine fibroid tumors or polyps, cancerous or noncancerous growths that can themselves cause spotting.
Identification
If you're spotting, talk to your physician to determine if your stress level is triggering your condition. Spotting can also happen when your vaginal canal is injured or diseased due to intercourse, infection, a polyp, genital warts, ulcers or varicose veins. Low thyroid gland function is another potential cause of spotting. The thyroid controls the body's energy production and use, protein production and sensitivity to other hormones.
