Bleeding between periods can require no treatment or it may need many different medical interventions. This bleeding is distinct from that which may occur in children who do not have periods, in pregnant women, or in women who have been through menopause and are not using hormones. If bleeding occurs in these groups it should be viewed as potentially medically urgent and should not be confused with the bleeding that might occur during the normal menstrual years when a woman is not pregnant.
Deciding how bleeding between periods is treated much depends on symptoms. Some women will have a few days of spotting between periods every great once in a while, and this is often a normal variance. Doctors may get concerned if spotting or breakthrough bleeding occurs regularly, and they typically want bleeding between periods treated in some manner if the bleeding is heavy or accompanied by cramping. If women are suddenly having heavy bleeding and not spotting, they should first ascertain that bleeding is vaginal and then see a doctor.
When spotting or breakthrough bleeding is happening all of the time or if it lasts for more than two days, people are advised to see their doctors to get bleeding between periods treated. Treatment would first consist of a gynecological exam to check for problems, and it also usually includes blood testing to look for hormonal deficiencies or low thyroid hormone. Doctors may also want bleeding between periods treated by performing a dilation and curettage (D & C), which can examine samples of the uterine lining for problems and may help stop bleeding episodes.
Depending on results of any tests, there could be several ways to handle bleeding between periods. Low thyroid hormones could be treated with synthetic thyroid doses and female hormonal imbalances could be addressed with hormonal birth control methods. Findings of tubal pregnancy, fibroids, or precancerous elements in the cervix or uterus might indicate many different treatments. Problems like miscarriage or missed miscarriage could be addressed with D & C or dilation and evacuation. When no cause is evident and bleeding is persistent, doctors may still do a D & C as a method of stopping the bleeding.
Bleeding may also be a sign of a number of different infections, many of them sexually transmitted. Tests during a gynecological exam will look for these. Should tests be positive, medical workers are likely to order bleeding between periods treated with antibiotics. They may also recommend disease prevention counseling for their patients.
There are a number of reasons why physicians might not want bleeding between periods treated. One of these is if the bleeding arises from perfectly normal circumstances. For instance, women who have intrauterine devices (IUDs) tend to have fairly frequent spotting episodes, and some types of oral or other hormonal birth control methods are associated with occasional spotting. In these cases, this spotting is seen as a usual circumstance, and the only things doctors may recommend is that women make certain to have gynecological exams regularly and report to doctors if there are profound changes to types of bleeding or the menstrual cycle.
