A woman who monitors her health always pays attention to the secreted secret from the genitals and, if there are changes in it, she is scared. And rightly so, such a phenomenon is a signal of ongoing dysfunctional processes in the body.
Particularly dangerous seems to be profuse bloody or brown mucus. The nature of the liquid is affected by the period of its appearance: before menstruation, whether dark brown discharge went in the middle of the cycle, after menstruation, during pregnancy, during intimacy.
Reasons for Changes
During puberty, brown leucorrhoea is a signal of an imminent onset of menstruation or indicates problems in the reproductive system. Violations often occur in the reproductive period and are accompanied by pathological changes such as inflammatory processes, endometrial polyps, endometriosis, and cancerous tumors.
A woman can observe dark brown discharge from her daughter in the first days of her life, this is the reaction of the child's body to the excess of mother's hormones transmitted in utero.
What is the norm?
Mucus turns the blood brown; in a healthy woman, such discharge is observed under the following circumstances:
- menstruation has recently ended - the uterus is “cleansed” of blood residues;
- taking hormonal contraceptives - rings, plasters;
- ovulation period - the middle of the menstrual cycle, discharge should not go more than 3 days;
- careless intercourse leads to minor damage to the vagina.
In a young girl who has lost her virginity, blood can go immediately or after a few hours, after sexual intercourse. She will notice brown smears on her underwear for several more days. If dark brown discharge has gone instead of menstruation, it is required to establish the fact of pregnancy. If the result is negative, the gynecologist will prescribe an additional examination.
What is a pathology?
Dark discharge will be a sign of a developing abnormal process when they:
- went in the middle of the cycle and lasted more than 3 days;
- appear every time after intimacy;
- accompanied by fever, pain in the lower abdomen, itching and irritation of the genitals, discomfort during intercourse;
- went during pregnancy or instead of menstruation.
A gynecologist is required to contact to exclude pregnancy and the threat of its termination.
Dark brown discharge in pregnant women
They inevitably disturb every woman, because it is known that blood gives this color to whites. And bleeding is a danger to the successful bearing of the fetus at any stage of pregnancy. But this is not always an alarming symptom, in many cases such changes in secret are absolutely safe.
First trimester
Dark brown discharge in early pregnancy can be different in composition, consistency and intensity. In most cases, they are safe. 1-2 weeks after conception, implantation of the fetal egg into the uterine cavity occurs.
The process is accompanied by damage to small blood vessels, due to which light brown or pink discharge appears. At the same time, there are no additional disturbing symptoms: abdominal pain, itching, unpleasant odor.
Threat of interruption
Dark brown discharge more often with mucus can be strong or scanty, a woman feels a pulling pain in the lower abdomen, she is sick, sometimes vomits, dizzy. Emergency medical care is required here. In most cases, today it is possible to save the pregnancy with timely measures taken. Any physical activity during this period will only worsen the condition and accelerate the process of miscarriage.
Ectopic pregnancy
The danger of this situation is obvious: the fetus develops, it needs a place for growth, it is not enough in the fallopian tube, and the organ can simply burst if the problem is not solved on time. In addition to uterine bleeding, there are other symptoms that indicate that a woman needs emergency medical care, this is pain from the side of the tube where the embryo has fixed. Save such a pregnancy will not succeed. There is only one organ in which the fetus can fully develop is the uterus.
Second trimester
Dark brown discharge, in contrast to the early stages, is a pathology in this period, regardless of fluid consistency, color, and other characteristics. The very first danger is placental abruption. This condition poses a threat to the life of the child and mother, the exfoliated placenta provokes severe bleeding in the body of a woman and cannot create optimal conditions for further development of the fetus.
Such dark brown discharge may appear during pregnancy with smears or an abundant course. In this case, the woman feels severe pain in the lower abdomen. You can solve the problem only by caesarean section. For periods of 31 weeks or more, there is a chance to save the child.
Placenta previa
When the placenta closes partially or completely the uterus, the fetus begins to pressure the blood vessels, which causes the appearance of brown whites. In this case, the woman will not be able to give birth naturally, a planned cesarean section is prescribed.
Third trimester
For the prenatal period, a change in the composition and appearance of the secretion is considered normal. The body trains before childbirth, the cervix is preparing for erection. Throughout pregnancy, it was dense, and now should soften. Brown mucus in the third trimester more often indicates a cork that has receded. The amount of secret may be different, as a rule, it is small.
This symptom suggests that childbirth will begin in the coming days, but the preparation of the body is often delayed, and a woman can begin to give birth within two weeks.
Other causes of dark brown discharge
Cervical erosion is familiar to many women, and although the disease is almost asymptomatic, the epithelium of the organ is easily damaged during sexual intercourse, gynecological examination. In this case, dark brown discharge appears in the middle of the cycle, they are scarce, smearing, pain is not observed.
The following diseases can become the cause of the development of pathology:
- Endometriosis - the structure of the endometrium is disrupted, an abnormal proliferation of the mucous membrane in the uterus, sometimes in the abdominal cavity, occurs. Endometrial blood vessels are injured, a brown daub appears. The duration of menstruation increases, the lower abdomen hurts. In the absence of timely treatment, a woman can become infertile.
- Uterine fibroids - a benign tumor, due to the growth of which the blood vessels and the mucous membrane of the organ are injured. Bleeding between periods appears when the fibroid has reached a significant size. The operation will help to solve the problem in the running state.
- An ovarian cyst entails a violation in their work and inflammation, accompanied by an illness with fever and uncomfortable sensations. The condition is extremely important to control - rupture of the cyst leads to its transformation into a malignant tumor. Pain in the lower abdomen, discharge of a dark brown color is an occasion for an unscheduled visit to the doctor.
Common infectious gynecological diseases include trichomoniasis and gonorrhea. Their presence becomes the cause of the development of purulent processes, in which dark discharge with an unpleasant odor is observed. Here we are talking about deviations in the hormonal and reproductive system.
Symptoms of trichomoniasis before a purulent process:
- foamy, mostly yellow, but sometimes green discharge;
- pain with intimacy and urination;
- itching, burning in the vagina and the external genital area;
- redness and swelling of the vulva;
- mild pain in the lower abdomen (rarely occur).
The brown secret indicates the neglect of the disease, and its untimely treatment leads to serious consequences:
- lack of orgasms and frigidity;
- obstruction of the fallopian tubes;
- inflammation of the appendages;
- the development of malignant neoplasms in the cervix;
- complications provoking a miscarriage or premature birth.
Doctors also claim that trichomoniasis indirectly affects the occurrence of mastopathy and diabetes.
Spotting dark brown discharge instead of menstruation may be the result of taking the following medications:
- antibiotics
- antiulcer drugs;
- hemostatic agents;
- antidepressants.
At risk are women who are treated with diuretic and psychotropic drugs.
The saddest causes of brown discharge
Frozen pregnancy. The process of death of a child can occur at any time, the most dangerous are 3-4, 9-11, 16-18 weeks. Fading provokes inflammation in the female body and complications of a different nature. The rejection of the dead fetus does not occur immediately, it takes an average of 2 weeks, it all depends on the duration of the stopped pregnancy. Why are dark brown discharge so lingering.
The human papillomavirus also causes secretion and indicates the presence of infection in the female reproductive system. The virus does not adversely affect the fetus, does not lead to malformations, and does not increase the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.
Papillomas cause more aesthetic discomfort, if necessary, the doctor may prescribe treatment with liquid nitrogen, laser therapy, electrocoagulation or surgical removal at a later date.
Bubble drift
An extremely rare phenomenon that develops during pregnancy is a chromosomal disorder in the formation and development of the embryo (cystic drift). When the placenta is a connective tissue with many vesicles. The occurrence of skid provokes trophoblast - a temporary organ required to fix the fetus in the uterine cavity, then a placenta is formed from it. Such pathologies are tumors or a condition predisposing to their development, their uniqueness is that they appear from the products of conception.
If the drift is partial, that is, part of the placenta remains normal and is able to create the necessary conditions, the chances of having a healthy baby are high. With complete defeat, the fetus dies in the early stages of pregnancy. A woman is tormented not only by bleeding, but also by dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The problem is solved surgically - by cleaning the uterine cavity.
Dark brown discharge during pregnancy, which differs in color and consistency from normal whites, requires prompt medical attention. The first trimester is the period of laying all the organs and systems of the unborn child. Care must be taken to attach the pain in the abdomen.
Treatment features
When there are dark brown discharge without pain and other concomitant signs of disturbance, you should not panic. The threat of interruption and ectopic pregnancy require hospital conditions for diagnosis. For periods of up to 7 weeks, if a miscarriage is suspected, the doctor prescribes treatment with Magne B6. After eliminating an ectopic pregnancy, medications for recovery are prescribed:
- “Phloenzyme”;
- Terzhinan;
- Bifiform.
If the cause of the appearance of dark brown secretions is a hormonal failure, in addition to the traditional treatment, it is allowed to use traditional medicine recipes. To do this, you need to buy oregano and hops at the pharmacy. Take 1 tbsp. spoon of each dry herb, brew a glass of boiling water, for 20 minutes, insist.
Take ½ cup 2 times a day before meals. Pathological dark brown discharge in the early stages cannot be treated independently - the laying of the main vital systems in the fetus is underway, many drugs are prohibited and can harm development.