Brown Discharge? Options

[Laxgirl]

Im findin git hard to accept im in peri at 41 but all the evidence and famil history is there and i have most of the symptoms and have been on here checking them out.Now thoug im wondering if this is another symptom as ive never had it like this before.The day before i had my period for the whoe day before i had brown discharge i can hardly describe it except it wasnt dripping or anything just there on wiping and visible in my knickers,sorry bout being graphic....it wasnt red definately brown and at times it had a few little bits in it.Have no idea what this is or was ive had it odd occasions in middle of month or after period had ended but never day before and for so long consistently.Any ideas ladies please.I havent got any infections that i now of no other symptoms below only the itching which was normally for me......Would b great to hear if this is peri or anything else to put my mind at ease.

[Jan677]

Im findin git hard to accept im in peri at 41 but all the evidence and famil history is there and i have most of the symptoms and have been on here checking them out.Now thoug im wondering if this is another symptom as ive never had it like this before.The day before i had my period for the whoe day before i had brown discharge i can hardly describe it except it wasnt dripping or anything just there on wiping and visible in my knickers,sorry bout being graphic....it wasnt red definately brown and at times it had a few little bits in it.Have no idea what this is or was ive had it odd occasions in middle of month or after period had ended but never day before and for so long consistently.Any ideas ladies please.I havent got any infections that i now of no other symptoms below only the itching which was normally for me......Would b great to hear if this is peri or anything else to put my mind at ease.

Hi Laxgirl,
I can't say for certain that it's peri related but that is my guess after having it myself for the last couple of years. I get a clear mucousy discharge about mid month and sometimes it has the brownish tinge to it. Sometimes it's got more brown but I get it in some form each and every month. And I get it the day before my period starts too. I'm 55 and still cycling (albeit somewhat more irregularly these days) and this discharge is something that I've become very familiar with. I wouldn't worry about it per se as it does seem to be related to peri.

[Laxgirl]

Hi Laxgirl,
I can't say for certain that it's peri related but that is my guess after having it myself for the last couple of years. I get a clear mucousy discharge about mid month and sometimes it has the brownish tinge to it. Sometimes it's got more brown but I get it in some form each and every month. And I get it the day before my period starts too. I'm 55 and still cycling (albeit somewhat more irregularly these days) and this discharge is something that I've become very familiar with. I wouldn't worry about it per se as it does seem to be related to peri.

Thanks its just new to me and unsure if i needed to get it checked out but now im sure its peri related I wont stress bout it.I never know when its coming and it was quite a bit.

[stitchnanny]

I get this same thing some months and feel it is peri related. I also get sometimes after having a period, usually within 2 weeks.

[lumz]

Many of my periods in the past have started that way.Now mine seem to be lighter I get that.Totally normal.

[Laxgirl]

Many of my periods in the past have started that way.Now mine seem to be lighter I get that.Totally normal.

Great thxs Does it mean my periods are coming to an end or am i nearing full menopause?

[angeleyes216]

Great thxs Does it mean my periods are coming to an end or am i nearing full menopause?

i hope you find out cause after 4 days i had a day of that stuff and now back to bleeding stuff...oh im so worn out of the crap.

[ripples57]

I too just started with this same discharge you discribe. I'm 52 and my periods have been getting quite irregular these past 6 months or so. I'm getting them about every 3 weeks give or take a few days now. I was due last week and now yesterday started with this brown discharge. Hoping that maybe it won't last and REALLY hoping to be closer to menopause and get it over with. I am due for a checkup with a gyn but am in search of a new one as DH's ins. is no longer accepted where I used to go. SIGHHHH! I hate trying to find a new dr. Good luck!

[angeleyes216]

I too just started with this same discharge you discribe. I'm 52 and my periods have been getting quite irregular these past 6 months or so. I'm getting them about every 3 weeks give or take a few days now. I was due last week and now yesterday started with this brown discharge. Hoping that maybe it won't last and REALLY hoping to be closer to menopause and get it over with. I am due for a checkup with a gyn but am in search of a new one as DH's ins. is no longer accepted where I used to go. SIGHHHH! I hate trying to find a new dr. Good luck!

Its sure no fun...always seem to be something different each few days...mine isnt too bad and not every day...it only started a few months back...as ive said before im 54 i sure hope theres an end to this nightmare.

[Fried]

Old blood is what I think it is. I've had it.

[Laxgirl]

Old blood is what I think it is. I've had it.

how can it be old blood if it came the day before my period started??? Am i missing something

[janet c]

how can it be old blood if it came the day before my period started??? Am i missing something

I always used to have it too-always the day before the start of my full period and I was also told it was old blood. It must be true because fresh blood is red-right?
We do not know all the intricacies of how our bodies work. Maybe it is a little blood that was left behind from the last period which did not come away at that time.Who knows?
Whatever it is, it nothing to worry about, as so many women have it. So whatever the cause- it is normal .

janet c

[Laxgirl]

I always used to have it too-always the day before the start of my full period and I was also told it was old blood. It must be true because fresh blood is red-right?
We do not know all the intricacies of how our bodies work. Maybe it is a little blood that was left behind from the last period which did not come away at that time.Who knows?
Whatever it is, it nothing to worry about, as so many women have it. So whatever the cause- it is normal .

janet c

Thanks janet so is it connected to a peri symptom

[janet c]

Not necessarily. I remember always having it.
If you are getting it between periods or after your period has completely finished then that is different-that is spotting.Any kind if spotting should be investigated- as you know. It sounds as though in your case though there is nothing to be worried about.

janet c

[Fried]

From WebMD

Different Types of Discharge
Light yellow: For girls who have not started their period yet, having a little yellow or white discharge that dries on their panties every day is perfectly normal!

White: Thick, white discharge is common at the beginning and end of your cycle. Normal white discharge is not accompanied by itching. If itching is present, thick white discharge can indicate a yeast infection.

Clear and stretchy: This is "fertile" mucous and means you are ovulating. Do not be shy, feel it - if it stretches between your fingers - you are ovulating!

Clear and watery: This occurs at different times of your cycle and can be particularly heavy after exercising.

Dark Yellow or Green: May indicate an infection, especially if thick or clumpy like cottage cheese or has a foul odor.

Brown: May happen right after periods, and is just "cleaning out" your vagina. Old blood looks brown.

Spotting Blood/Brown Discharge: This may occur when you are ovulating/mid-cycle, particularly if someone else you live with happens to be having a period while you are ovulating - the hormones seem to "shake up" other uterus's in the area.


Sometimes early in pregnancy you may have spotting or a brownish discharge at the time your period would normally come. If you have spotting at the time of your normal period rather than your usual amount of flow, and you have had sex without using birth control, you should use a pregnancy test with the first urine of the day.

[Shawna7]

I don't think it's necessarily peri related...I've had it off and on my whole life (since I started my period). I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

[eldiablorojos]

This is the way the my period has always started and always ended. I know others with the same. We call it "the sludge." It has always been perfectly normal for me and always occurs the day before and the day after. Good on you that you're paying attention to changes and certainly, if it bothers you, you should talk to your doctor about it. But it's never heralded anything bad for me. Hope this helps! Hope you and everyone here at PS is having a great day!

[Laxgirl]

Thanks thatwas a great thread very informative. Cheers

[ripples57]

Just watched an episode of the Doctors this am on ABC and they were discussing discharges for a woman questioning a brown discharge. The doctors said it was normal and could very well be "old blood" and not to worry about it if it were that color.

[ripples57]

Just watched an episode of the Doctors this am on ABC and they were discussing discharges for a woman questioning a brown discharge. The doctors said it was normal and could very well be "old blood" and not to worry about it if it were that color.

[Laxgirl]

Just watched an episode of the Doctors this am on ABC and they were discussing discharges for a woman questioning a brown discharge. The doctors said it was normal and could very well be "old blood" and not to worry about it if it were that color.

Phew!!!!

[sehlat]

I started 'peri' around age 42 and am now 53 and have been post-menopausal for 3 years. I too had the 'brown discharge' before and after periods. It's apparently 'clotted blood' and endometrial tissue that hasn't completely drained from the uterus during the prior period and has begun to decompose to a brownish state. It's not dangerous or anything bad for you, but as you've probably found out, it smells nasty, like rotted tissue.

This may get worse as your peri continues because as estrogen, and especially progesterone, levels begin to fall with peri, the endometrial blood in the uterus becomes thicker in consistency and less likely to be fully discharged during your period. You'll notice when you have a period that it sometimes will become thick and clotted some or most of the time as the years pass. Nasty!

Without that mid-phase progesterone signal in the last half of your cycle to prompt the lining for it's monthly discharge, estrogen will continue to build up the lining to a point that when you finally DO get a period, you'll get a massive flow, sometimes called the 'waterfall flow'. It can be very disconcerting and irritating to say the least. Sometimes if it doesn't stop, you'll have to have a 'progesterone flush' done to clear things out. Fortunately, I never had THAT long of a period, although my longest was 2 weeks.

The real problem comes in when this 'clotting' happens. These 'blood and lining clots' can actually block the opening of the cervix. When that happens, the uterus will go into contractions similar to birth contractions in order to discharge the clotted contents. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! When that first happened to me, I thought I was going to die the pain was so intense! The doctor explained to me what was happening and told me that I was progesterone deficient. It was not too long after that happened that I went on HRT for 2 years to get me through the worst of my peri systems.

[JES80]

I started 'peri' around age 42 and am now 53 and have been post-menopausal for 3 years. I too had the 'brown discharge' before and after periods. It's apparently 'clotted blood' and endometrial tissue that hasn't completely drained from the uterus during the prior period and has begun to decompose to a brownish state. It's not dangerous or anything bad for you, but as you've probably found out, it smells nasty, like rotted tissue.

This may get worse as your peri continues because as estrogen, and especially progesterone, levels begin to fall with peri, the endometrial blood in the uterus becomes thicker in consistency and less likely to be fully discharged during your period. You'll notice when you have a period that it sometimes will become thick and clotted some or most of the time as the years pass. Nasty!

Without that mid-phase progesterone signal in the last half of your cycle to prompt the lining for it's monthly discharge, estrogen will continue to build up the lining to a point that when you finally DO get a period, you'll get a massive flow, sometimes called the 'waterfall flow'. It can be very disconcerting and irritating to say the least. Sometimes if it doesn't stop, you'll have to have a 'progesterone flush' done to clear things out. Fortunately, I never had THAT long of a period, although my longest was 2 weeks.

The real problem comes in when this 'clotting' happens. These 'blood and lining clots' can actually block the opening of the cervix. When that happens, the uterus will go into contractions similar to birth contractions in order to discharge the clotted contents. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! When that first happened to me, I thought I was going to die the pain was so intense! The doctor explained to me what was happening and told me that I was progesterone deficient. It was not too long after that happened that I went on HRT for 2 years to get me through the worst of my peri systems.

Your description of this is ooohhhh so familiar!
My longest period was also 2 weeks, but then a week and a half later I had another one, both times it was mostly this 'old' blood. I thought I would never stop. AND, i had those killer cramps too. I WANTED to die they were so bad. I put up with this for 2 yrs.
I couldn't go on HRT due to history of cancer with my mom, so my doctor did an ablation on me to see if we could get the bleeding under control or maybe stop it. Luckily my periods stopped after having the ablation, which in turn caused the killer cramps to stop.
The bad thing is since then its harder to tell when or if I'm still cycling!

I've been in peri since I was 42, I'm now 51, blood test show I'm finally 'in' menopause, but still have a ways to go before I'm considered post. Will be so glad when its over!

[Laxgirl]

I started 'peri' around age 42 and am now 53 and have been post-menopausal for 3 years. I too had the 'brown discharge' before and after periods. It's apparently 'clotted blood' and endometrial tissue that hasn't completely drained from the uterus during the prior period and has begun to decompose to a brownish state. It's not dangerous or anything bad for you, but as you've probably found out, it smells nasty, like rotted tissue.

This may get worse as your peri continues because as estrogen, and especially progesterone, levels begin to fall with peri, the endometrial blood in the uterus becomes thicker in consistency and less likely to be fully discharged during your period. You'll notice when you have a period that it sometimes will become thick and clotted some or most of the time as the years pass. Nasty!

Without that mid-phase progesterone signal in the last half of your cycle to prompt the lining for it's monthly discharge, estrogen will continue to build up the lining to a point that when you finally DO get a period, you'll get a massive flow, sometimes called the 'waterfall flow'. It can be very disconcerting and irritating to say the least. Sometimes if it doesn't stop, you'll have to have a 'progesterone flush' done to clear things out. Fortunately, I never had THAT long of a period, although my longest was 2 weeks.

The real problem comes in when this 'clotting' happens. These 'blood and lining clots' can actually block the opening of the cervix. When that happens, the uterus will go into contractions similar to birth contractions in order to discharge the clotted contents. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! When that first happened to me, I thought I was going to die the pain was so intense! The doctor explained to me what was happening and told me that I was progesterone deficient. It was not too long after that happened that I went on HRT for 2 years to get me through the worst of my peri systems.

Tha was so full and interesting and very helpful.Many Thanks.I have started to have very big clots in my blood and it goes on for bout 8 days i never used to have mush 3 days of not much and i was done.I also get the cramps and excruciating pain which is new to me also.Thanks for the information..