Several factors, both physiological and pathological, can provoke brown (dark red) discharge against a background of delayed menstruation. Often the accompanying symptoms indicate the nature of the problem. In any case, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. If there is a problem, the gynecologist will be able to quickly take measures and maintain pregnancy or prevent the development of a serious disease. In the case of a physiological norm, the specialist will explain to the woman the reasons for what is happening.
Variant of norm or pathology?
Why can brown discharge appear in a woman? This symptom, which usually appears against the background of a delay in menstruation, does not always indicate pathology.
Brown discharge is normal for some physiological conditions. Let us further consider the natural causes of spotting with delay and pathology, for which such a symptom is characteristic.
Puberty
Brown odorless and painful secretions in most cases do not cause concern for young girls. After the first menstruation, the body is theoretically ready for motherhood, but doctors say that the menstrual cycle is finally established within six months. During this period, unusual discharges may appear, which have a smearing texture and a bloody hue.
The onset of pregnancy
A delay and brown discharge in small amounts may indicate a completed pregnancy. No method of protection at the moment gives a 100% guarantee on the condition of regular sexual activity. There is a high risk if sexual intercourse occurred immediately before ovulation.
If the delay is from three to ten days, and instead of menstruation a woman observes minor brown discharge, then you need to do a home pregnancy test or a blood test for hCG - the hormone of pregnancy. The test is best done in the morning when the urine contains the highest level of hormones. It is better to take two or three tests from different companies to verify the result.
If the test is positive, a woman should consult a gynecologist. There is a danger if atypical discharge is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, malaise, vomiting and nausea. In this case, medical attention may be required. These may be signs of an ectopic pregnancy or various pathologies that cause spontaneous abortion in the early stages.
In most cases, brown discharge in early pregnancy is not a pathology unless accompanied by pain. This may be the remnants of menstrual blood that has accumulated in the uterine cavity, and leaves after pregnancy. This is due to the dark red color of the discharge.
Sometimes a delay and brown discharge is a sign of implantation of a fetal egg into the uterus. After fertilization, the egg moves to the uterus to gain a foothold there. This process takes about a week. When the fetal egg is fixed, small vessels can be damaged, which causes brown discharge.
When can pregnancy be diagnosed?
A home pregnancy test determines the hCG hormone in the urine, which is produced by the growing membrane of the fetus. Too early, the test does not respond at all, because the amount of the hormone is still small. Usually, pregnancy can be determined 20-25 days after conception. Some women find out about pregnancy before the delay, but in most cases the test shows the correct result on the fifth or seventh day of the delay.
Hormone therapy
The normal functioning of the female reproductive system is affected by the use of hormonal drugs, especially if the funds are prescribed to affect the ability to conceive. Many women who have undergone hormone therapy claim that brown discharge may appear on the third or seventh day of delay in taking hCG.
This substance is produced in the early stages of pregnancy (it is the home test that responds to it). The concentration of hCG in the blood and urine increases to nine to eleven weeks. Synthetic hormone is prescribed to combat female infertility, with ovarian dysfunction to prevent miscarriage, with malfunctions of the menstrual cycle. In this case, the delay and brown discharge are a reaction to taking the drug.
Menopause
Brown discharge without pregnancy with a delay may indicate the onset of menopause. According to statistics, the average age of onset of premenopause in women is 40-45 years. This condition is characterized by the following symptoms: palpitations for no reason, sudden changes in mood, jumps in blood pressure, sweating. During this period, intermenstrual discharge can be watery, very profuse, have a white color.
To mitigate the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, a gynecologist may prescribe hormone replacement therapy. This will delay the extinction of reproductive function and all symptoms associated with this period for several years. The supportive effect of drugs allows you to make changes invisible to women.
Postpartum period
Odorless and painless brown discharge may appear after childbirth, but after the completion of postpartum discharge. The uterus needs about six to eight weeks to recover from childbirth and return to its previous size. Then the woman begins to re-establish the menstrual cycle. This happens at different times. Usually, while breastfeeding, menstruation may be absent for quite some time.
Doctors compare the process of restoring the normal duration of the cycle after childbirth with the establishment after the first menstruation. A delay and brown discharge of about five days (but not more than nine) are allowed by gynecologists in the postpartum period. It is important that the rejection of the mucous membranes after the birth of a child should not be accompanied by pain, be plentiful, have an unpleasant smell.
Frozen pregnancy
Brown discharge in early pregnancy may indicate a miscarriage. This pathology is common in the second or third month of gestation. The process usually does not start asymptomatically. A woman has pain in the lower abdomen.
With a sharp deterioration in well-being and the appearance of spotting, you need to urgently consult a specialist. The examination will help to establish whether the discharge in this case is harmless or indicates a pathology. In case of unsatisfactory condition of the woman and the fetus, appropriate therapy is prescribed. If the fetus is frozen, curettage is performed.
Ectopic pregnancy
A two-week delay, accompanied by spotting and poor health, signals an ectopic pregnancy. Allocations resemble menstruation, but may be "not so": meager, abundant or intermittent. This pathology is characterized by the fixation of the fetal egg not in the uterus. Such a violation without medical intervention is fraught with severe bleeding.
Risk of miscarriage
Minor discharge and pain can occur with the threat of spontaneous interruption. In some cases, the fetus can be saved. But a woman should see a doctor in a timely manner. The specialist will prescribe special drugs that will help maintain pregnancy.
Hormonal disruption
The reason for the delay in menstruation and the appearance of brown discharge may be thyroid dysfunction or pathological processes in the adrenal glands. Hormonal failure begins almost asymptomatically, manifested only by a feeling of constant fatigue. Irreversible processes in the body can begin unexpectedly for a woman.
The causes of this condition can be stressful situations, the use of a new contraceptive, climate change or an eating disorder. The treatment is necessary comprehensive. Both therapeutic and gynecological interventions are aimed at normalizing hormonal balance. To monitor the general state of health, it is recommended to take a hormone test three times during the year.
Inflammatory processes
Damage to the ovaries, inflammatory processes localized in the cervix or endometrium, can cause scanty discharge against the background of delay. In this case, the delay can be several weeks, while the test will be negative, and the beginning of critical days - accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen and lower back.
In most cases, we are talking about pyelonephritis or cystitis. The severe symptoms of inflammatory diseases include pain during urination, fever, discoloration of the discharge, sharp pains. A free consultation with a gynecologist will help determine the exact problem and begin adequate treatment.
Venereal diseases
The abundant secretion of brown or brown secretion against the background of a delay in menstruation may indicate a worsening of the woman's condition. Characteristic signs of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are fever, burning and itching in the perineum, putrefactive odor of discharge, profuse rejection of thick discharge of yellowish or greenish color, the appearance of abscesses or small blisters in the groin area. A free consultation with a gynecologist in the presence of this symptomatology is necessary as soon as possible.
Depending on the identified disease, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics and other drugs, sanitation of the vagina (candles, baths, douching). How to do douching, the doctor will tell. The procedure is performed at home. How to do douching? You will need a rubber bulb, in which you need to collect a solution. After the solution is released into the vagina. To achieve a therapeutic effect, 10-15 minutes are enough.