Q:

I'm a bit concerned about some abnormal menstrual bleeding I've been having.

I was supposed to start my period around January 27, but about a week before that, I began noticing light, brown discharge. I thought this was just the beginning of my period, but my period never came and instead I just had that brown discharge for about 5 days. Then it disappeared for a week and came back, only now it's darker (sometimes black looking) and sometimes containing fresh (red) blood. I've been experiencing this darker bleeding for about a week now, and today it's much heavier (about the same amount of bleeding as a normal period, only still very dark brown).

I'm a virgin, so there's no possibility of me being pregnant or having an STD. Aside from some cramps and occasional lower back pain, I haven't had any other symptoms. Is this something I should be worried about?

 

A:

It is possible to have a cycle where there is no ovulation (release of an egg), because of hormonal imbalance, stress factors, airplane travel. If you have never had any genital/genital contact, so infection or pregnancy is not a possibility, then a cycle like this is not a major concern.

If you continue to bleed for another week, call 650-3400 to make an appointment with one of our women's health care specialists.

~The Doc