Hi all,
I apologise in advance as I know this is probably the wrong forum for me to post in, but at the same time I just can’t seem to find any other forums suitable.
I’ve been bleeding after sex for nearly 3 years now. It isn’t every time and the blood is nearly always old blood (a brown/light tan colour) I then continue to have brown discharge in small amounts for the next week or so after (The rest of the time my discharge is normal)
I’ve always had clear smears (im 33), my last one being a year ago where I was hpv negative.
I’ve had more pelvic examinations, swabs and ultrasounds to last me a lifetime.
I even had a CT scan with contrast which showed nothing but a 2mm cyst in top of womb.
I’ve seen and spoke to so many doctors who have all said different things from low estrogen, hormonal, its womb related because of the colour, my naturally low body weight etc.
I had roughly 4 months of no bleeding but then this morning it happened again, this light brownish coloured blood when I wiped after.
I feel like my mental health is on the floor at the moment and it’s such an effort now to keep chasing things.
Sorry, I don’t want to sound dramatic but I never even knew bleeding after sex was a sign of anything sinister until just over a year ago. This completely threw me into total panic and feeling stupid I’d never reported it before.
1 Like
Hi zara. I am no expert but I hope I can help to put your mind at ease a little. Given that you have already had a CT scan, you can rule out cancer, as it is used for cancer staging, and would definitely have picked it up if it was there.
Has your doctor ever spoken to you about endometriosis? It doesn’t show up on scans, and the only true way to diagnose it is with laparoscopy. It can cause abnormal bleeding, including after sex. It can cause a whole load of symptoms, few symptoms, or none at all. It’s something you should definitely talk to your gynaecologist about.
Good luck and I hope you get some answers soon. X
2 Likes
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me, much appreciated. No, my doctor has never mentioned endometriosis but i have heard of it. Ive also heard its quite difficult to get a diagnosis on it. I had a brilliant doctor who sadly moved away last year.
Sometimes i get so caught up in thinking the worst, i dont stop for a minute and think about anything else it could be or the amount of investigation ive already had. I’ll definitely mention endometriosis to my doctor see what they say.
Thank you again, and the best of luck to you on your journey x
1 Like
Hi Zara
It is absolutely reasonable for you to say to your doctor ‘thank you for all of the tests so far, what is next?’ Somebody once told me that you need to fight for the healthcare that you want. That’s not to say that we are always offered rubbish care, we are definitely not! But it is up to us to say quite clearly Hey I still need an answer here so what is next?
You can do it 
I have endometriosis, I don’t have the same symptoms as you, but it took me around 6/7years to get a diagnosis. They can give you a clinical diagnosis where if you tick enough boxes they’ll make an educated guess especially as you’ve ruled out lots of other things. The only ‘real’ way of diagnosis is a laparoscopy so little camera in your abdomen. It’s a very simple procedure and gives definitive answers, they will also clear out the dodgy tissue whilst they’re there which can help with symptoms.
1 Like
Hiya,
Thank you for replying. Wow that’s a long time trying to get a diagnosis.
I had no idea my symtoms could be related to anything sinister. November 14th 2020 (even know the date) i remember googling, completely freaking out and phoning my doctor crying down the phone. My dad who was too stubborn to go to the doctors went into hospital a few weeks later and got diagnosed with cancer the night before i went for my smear test. I remember thinking we’ve both been so stupid not getting our symptoms checked out. Sadly he left it too late and passed away 6 weeks after diagnosis, but i think thats why after 16 months of tests/scans/appointments i find it difficult to keep chasing it.
Can i ask, do you know if being on the pill helps? I stopped taking it quite a few years back (dont have the coil either) and wasn’t sure if giving my body too much natural time lol wasnt helping and that maybe if it was endometriosis that would control it a little.
The pill didn’t work for me but it can definitely help with symptoms for some people.
The biggest changes for me were changes to lifestyle, which I really didn’t wNt to be true but it is! Endometriosis causes lots of inflammation in the body and that is a lot of what causes the pain and discomfort. Doing anything you can to reduce that really helps. For me this meant things like cutting right back on dairy and eating different things. If you google ‘endo diet’ you’ll get some good articles and tips, also find things around that on Instagram. More generally Endometriosis UK is a good website and charity.
2 Likes
