I was supposed to get my period last Wednesday, but it didn't come. Three dayslater I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. Saturday afternoon I startedspotting. It was very light, barely there. Sunday I started what seemed like aperiod, but lighter

	Asked by gbeauchamp80 (Female; 29; Healthy. Appendectomy 4 years ago. Other then that, healthy as a horse.; Relevant drugs:N/A ) on Thu 19, Nov 2009 10:30pm :
	I was supposed to get my period last Wednesday, but it didn't come. Three days later I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. Saturday afternoon I started spotting. It was very light, barely there. Sunday I started what seemed like a period, but lighter then normal and it continued to Monday. Tuesday it seemed to stop, but I keep spotting lightly. I'm worried. Normaly my period comes on time and last 3 or 4 days. And it's usaully heavy. Is there something wrong?
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	Answer by Dr. A. Srivastava (doctor) on Thu 19, Nov 2009 11:22pm: Hello, A very warm welcome to AMD forum. The pattern of bleeding you are experiencing may be definitely disturbing for you. As your bleeding s lighter and shorter then usual and was also delayed by few days therefore the first possibility that strikes is pregnancy causing implantation bleed. Implantation bleeding is usually similar to your description such as light colored, lasting for about 2-3 days or some times it is merely visible as blood tinged mucus and usually happens after 10-12 days of possible fertilization( or intercourse day). Other signs of pregnancy are morning sickness, nausea, increased appetite and urination, mild abdominal cramps etc. As you had a pregnancy test done then we could either doubt the efficacy of the test or some other condition. To rule out the pregnancy you can either conduct another pregnancy test after a week or you can get it clinical evaluated by blood test to check the blood HCG level for making yourself 100% sure. Low levels of HCG in urine may be possible during early pregnancy which can give false negative results. Second doubt that comes to my mind is possible early pregnancy and miscarriage as your bleeding is irregular but bleeding in such case is usually thick, may have clots and associated with abdominal pain. Therefore chance of such thing is less. It requires “wait and watch” for few more days to note further change in bleeding pattern (if any) and gynecologic assessment. If you are on any type of contraception method then other possibilities could be hormonal changes, polycystic ovary, thyroid related changes etc. All these conditions require gynecologic evaluation, hormonal level check and ultrasound to reach to any definite diagnosis. Hope this information helps you and do keep us posted in case of any further doubts. Take care.
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	Follow up: Request for Clarification by Dr. A. Srivastava on Fri 20, Nov 2009 08:11am: Hi, Thank you for your inquiry. Usually, two to three days of spotting is normal after the bleeding. There are no such restrictions to take pregnancy test and as you have recently conducted a pregnancy test, it is advisable to conduct next pregnancy test after a week from previous test. Alternatively, you can consult a gynecologist as soon as possible who would like to examine you and will order few investigation to give you a precise opinion about your pregnancy( if present) and rule out other conditions. Hope this helps. Take Care & Regards.
	Comments: Comment by Dr Bhupinder K, MD on Thu 19, Nov 2009 11:59pm: Hello, Dr Anurag has explained all the possibilities in a very appropriate manner. Firstly since you had taken the urine for pregnancy test three days after missing your periods, so chances of it coming false negative were there. Ideally urine for pregnancy test should be done after 1 week to 10 days of missing your periods. Most chemical tests for pregnancy look for the presence of the beta subunit of hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine. hCG can be detected in urine after implantation of zygote in the wall of the uterus formed by the union of the sperm & the ovum, which occurs six to twelve days after fertilization. But these tests will come positive if HCG is present in detectable amounts. From the kind of bleeding that you had, chances of it being irregular periods are more rather than an implantation bleeding( which is usually spotting and not bleeding) or miscarriage(presents with heavy bleeding with abdominal cramps). To completely rule out pregnancy or miscarriage, you need to get your serum HCG levels estimated. HCG levels remain raised(more than 5 mIU) for a few days even after a miscarriage. So you need to get this test done. If pregnancy is completely ruled out, then other possibilities need to be thought of. Such irregularity in periods can be due to high level of stress and anxiety, cholesterol, hormonal imbalance, chain smoking, dramatic changes in your life style and medical causes like thyroid disease(hyperthyroidism), PCOS(polycystic ovarian disease) and fibroid uterus. If this was the first episode of irregularity in the periods, then wait for the coming cycle and try lifestyle modification by reducing stress and decreasing cholesterol levels. But if the repeat happens, then please consult a gynecologist and get yourself thoroughly examined to diagnose the cause of irregular periods and start with the treatment. Hope it helps. Take care and do keep us posted if you have any additional queries. Warm regards. Comment by Unregistered on Fri 20, Nov 2009 05:39am: Do I have to wait to stop spotting to test again? It's been 5 days. How long is too long for the spotting?
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