Spotting between periods

March 16, 2012 7:15 PM

Can stress cause vaginal spotting between periods?

A friend passed away recently and I've gone from shock to emotional exhaustion. Could this be why I am spotting? I'm not supposed to get my period for another two weeks. I've only spotted once before when my period was super late.

posted by flowers103 to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

In my experience, yes. So can drinking a lot more than I usually do, and sleeping a lot more or a lot less, and other things that tend to be correlated with stress.
posted by decathecting at 7:17 PM on March 16, 2012

Stress impacts the timing of my menstrual cycle by up to four or five days. I don't really do the spotting thing (well, now I do thanks to hormonal birth control) but stress and other intense mental/emotional states absolutely mess with all kinds of bodily functions for me.
posted by SMPA at 7:24 PM on March 16, 2012

Yes, stress will affect your hormones.
posted by mleigh at 7:37 PM on March 16, 2012

Anecdotal: I have a Mirena so I have basically stopped my period. Except for when I am really anxious/upset. I call it my "stress period."
posted by samthemander at 7:39 PM on March 16, 2012

Yes. But, you should still see your gynocologist. I know that's probably the last thing you want to do right now, but spotting can be a symptom of a whole host of other problems.
posted by OsoMeaty at 7:44 PM on March 16, 2012

If it's about halfway through your cycle, it could be mittelschmerz. It will not kill you, but it sometimes feels like mini-PMS.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:25 PM on March 16, 2012

Stress can definitely interrupt your cycle, both causing spotting and missed periods.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:55 PM on March 16, 2012

Another vote for yes, definitely, but you should go see your gyno just in case it's something else.

I'm so sorry for your loss. :(
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:26 PM on March 16, 2012

Yes, and the circumstance you're in now has done the exact same thing to me. I'm sorry for your loss.

My doctor told me to think of it like this: your body is building up a potential nest for a fertilized egg. Now, if something bad happens to you - a traumatic event, a physical danger, or an emotional shock - you are not in a good place to get pregnant. So your body will react by destroying the nest so that you are unlikely to get pregnant right now.

In my case, I so was not feeling up to seeing the doctor (my friend died in childbirth, which made the entire reproductive element that much more fraught), but I mentioned it at my next visit a few months later and she said that it was possible the two were related. If your cycles go back to normal after this, I don't think you have anything to worry about.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:34 AM on March 17, 2012

Yes. But if it goes on for more than one cycle, you need to see your doctor. Spotting can be caused by all sorts of easy to fix things. Polyps, for one.
posted by myselfasme at 7:53 AM on March 17, 2012