Starting to really panic

[LF87]

Hi,
This is more of a girls post and I know they sometimes get moved but please don't as this is regarding my HA rather than my actual symptoms.
I have had abnormal smears for the last 2 years, just mild abnormal changes that didn't require any treatment so I just go back yearly for my smears rather than 3 yearly. It's always scary for me and has been a source of my HA relapsing each time it happens.

My concern is I have some light brown (sorry for TMI!) spotting this month and I don't know why. I have two theories, one being that I missed 3 pills last month and my hormones are still adjusting, and the other that I've started a low carb diet / training regime and have lost 3.5 pounds in a week. I also have taken my pill some nights around 5pm some around midnight, but doesn't usually affect me. Or if it has caused this before I've not paid any attention to it. I have spotted before but can't remember for how long. I know all of these can cause hormone fluctuations and therefore spotting. I'm not pregnant as just had a period about 10 days ago.

Obviously though my head is wandering to cervical cancer. I don't think it's possible for it to develop in less than a year, infact the gynaecologist said it takes around 10 years to change from abnormal cells to C, but I'm still allowing myself to obsess and have started constantly checking / Googling. It couldn't develop that fast could it? Surely they wouldn't allow people to go away for a year if they thought it was possible for C to develop?

Has anyone got any advice to help calm me down? Obviously if it persists until next month I'll make an appointment but I need some rationality until then.

Any advice really appreciated, thanks.

[Nervousewreck]

red or reddish-brown spotting could also be ovulation bleeding, if it happens around days 13 to 16 of your cycle. Turns out, hormonal changes that allow for the release of an egg can also cause a little bit of your uterine lining to shed
Brown vaginal secretions may at times be a vaginal discharge streaked with ‘old blood’ – blood that is breaking down and has taken a period of time before it exits through the vagina. At other times, a brown vaginal discharge may occur on its own with no signs of bleeding and this may seen in vaginal infections or pelvic inflammatory disease
Any of the causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding may appear as brown vaginal blood if the bleeding occurs slowly thereby allowing the blood to degrade over time. Some of the causes of brown vaginal bleeding include :
Retained menses. The sloughing of the inner wall of the uterus (endometrium) is usually expelled during menstruation* but at times a small portion of the uterine contents may be retained. If expelled after a couple of days or more, it may appear as brown vaginal bleeding. In the case of retained menses, this is usually a small amount that may occur a few days after you finish your period.

[LF87]

Thanks nervous wreck.
I am just spiralling badly. I've spoken to a few friends who say they've had the the same particularly if they've missed pills recently but I can't snap out of it.
I just feel really subdued and can't think straight. Whenever I feel like this I usually resort to alcohol but don't want to spoil my training / dieting.
Has anyone else had spotting?
Thanks,

[jaynespain3105]

I also had some abnormal smears over a few years with borderline changes - it started around 8 years ago now and have now had two 'normals' back on the 3 year cycle.

Cervical cancer is one of my main trigger for my health anxiety and I have been to the doctors at least 4 times with symptoms as you describe.

I've had swabs on some occasions, and just examinations. The answer has always been 'nothing to worry about'. The discharge as you describe tends to come under the umbrella term of 'spotting' and spotting 'old' blood (brown) is most often either ovulation bleeding or simply down to some fluctuation in hormones according to my doctor. Changes in lifestyle could obviously cause that. I found my cycle changed a lot when I started exercising a lot last year.

Sending positive thoughts your way. It really doesn't sound like anything to worry about.

[LF87]

Thanks for your reply Jaynespain that's really helpful.

Were you on any birth control at the time? I'm just thinking I shouldn't be ovulating at all as my pill suppresses that. But obviously with missing a few last month I may have messed it up a bit. And yeah as you say my new regimen could have upset my hormones, it's a very low carb / low calorie diet which was implemented quite suddenly, I didn't ease myself in!

My doctor is usually pretty good with these things and puts my mind to rest so I'm trying to get in with her. As it's only been a few days I suspect she'll say wait and see but equally terrified if she wants it investigated! I'm trying to stay rational and remember what the lady said at my colposcopy last November, that women who keep up to date and come back when they're told do NOT get cervical cancer. Mine was CIN1 with HPV which has been the case for two years so they check me yearly, so any change I get sends me demented. She did say it takes 10+ years for abnormal cells to turn cancerous though. But I still always come to the worst conclusion despite this reassurance from a professional. Did your doctor say similar?

Thanks again x

[jaynespain3105]

Hi ya. I wasn't on birth control when I had my brown spotting incidents but imagine that being on bc makes it MORE likely rather than less to have spotting.

My doc did say the same thing about cc being slow to develop. I had borderline positive > inconclusive > borderline > normal > inconclusive > borderline > normal > inconclusive > normal > normal > normal > normal

Some of those were only a few months apart when I had inconclusive. I got to the point smear tests and waiting on results become my normal. I don't worry about brown spotting now. I honestly think it's a symptom most people have now and then but no one talks about. With mentioning in passing to the doc but no real concern.

[LF87]

Yeah I guess that's true about it being more likely on the pill. I wish I could remember if I'd had it for a few days in the past then I wouldn't be worrying so much! Because I've definitely had it before but I think it was only a day or so that's why I'm panicking.

My doctor is ringing me today so I'll ask her then, really hoping she just says it's nothing to worry about and doesn't book me in for any tests :(

Thanks for your replies x

---------- Post added at 09:41 ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 ----------

Spoke to doctor and she said it's 'likely' due to missed pills. Then she said if it persists in next packet I'll have to have swabs and see the GP. But i forgot to mention my abnormal smears which I'm furious about, she'll know about it though won't she? I'm worried that because I didn't mention that she might have given the wrong advice? I've spoken to her about my smears before though so surely she'd remember? I asked if cervical cancer could develop from Nov to now anf she said 'extremely unlikely'. I don't like that answer I needed a no otherwise I obsess.
Any advice? Thanks x