To go to the doctor while on my period?

[Incognitoforevermore]

I’ve been experiencing some spotting between periods, has happened about 3 times in the last year. I ignored it the first two times (tmi but just saw the blood it when I wiped and wondered at first if I might just have piles) but after the second time I promised myself if it happened again I’d go and get checked out.

It happened about 10 days ago, work has been insane though and I haven’t had a day where I could take a short notice appointment in the middle of the day (my GP will only give on-the-day appointments which you have to call at 8am to book).

Tomorrow is the first chance I’ll get, but today - I came on my period. Should I make an appointment anyway to talk through it? Or do I have to wait until period over / have a flexi day at work (could be quite a few weeks) for a physical exam?

I know there are lot of benign reasons to bleed but I am not having sex, def no chance of STDs or pregnancy, not on contraception, rather young for menopause (mid 30s). I’m due a smear soon ( last time I don’t think they ran a ‘full’ test on me as I was HPV negative)

What do you think I should do?

no. they’re separate areas to me

Okay, well I guess wiping technique doesn’t really matter anyway!

I think I’ll call them in the morning and ask to talk to a nurse or somebody and discuss with them what to do. Thanks for the advice and helping me decode what to do :-)

I had this and they just referred me in spite of period as I’d had multiple occasions of it. She did have a look for any obvious cervical changes and as she could see something so I was referred for a colposcopy. It turned out to be an ectropian caused by hormonal changes. Harmless. I hope you get it sorted.

@Incognitoforevermore Thanks for confirming and sorry you had to explain. My worry was if the bleeding was black, tarry etc, it might be higher up the intestine. I'm sure you are capable of checking on toilet paper if the bleeding is vaginal or a haemorrhoid. Keep a log of when in your cycle you notice it and get checked. x

I had a gynae appointment last week. I was on my period. They just put a giant pad on the chair, swabbed up blood in the way of what they were looking at and did the things they needed to. So I would go ahead and see the GP.

Hope it goes well with you.

I wipe my vagina separate from my bottom
I thought everyone did.
Anyway. You should start doing that in order to make sure where the bleeding comes from

That’s how you get thrush.

Keep the appointment regardless they’re good dust.

I’ve had a smear and a Brazilian wax whilst on shark week so I don’t think it matters too much.

No it isn’t.

I’ve had a smear and a Brazilian wax whilst on shark week so I don’t think it matters too much.

They used to advise you to aim for mid-cycle and not your period for a smear, but that might have changed now they mostly just test for HPV. (I should know, my last one was only November...)

Slightly off topic but would the doctor even do a smear? I had a similar thing where I had a gynae issue and was due a smear so tried to book an appointment for both and they said only the nurses do smears and the doctor wouldn't do one so would need to book 2 appointments. On the topic of the period, I wouldn't worry I'm sure they've done it loads of times. Also, I wipe like that too 😉

It’s fine, the GP is very unlikely to examine you and will most likely just refer you to colposcopy to further investigate your symptoms.

PS. A smear is a basic screening test so shouldn’t be used to investigate someone with symptoms. Colposcopy involves examining the cervix with a special camera and taking a biopsy of any areas that look abnormal. It’s done as an outpatient.

With us, it's usually the nurse who does smears, but I have had a GP do it more than once in different practices over the years. So I guess it depends on different practices.

When I had a bit of irregular bleeding they wouldn't do a smear test, I got examined by a female GP and then referred for colposcopy.

Sorry, but I'm distracted by the wiping front to back in one wipe. Do you reach from the back? Do I just have really short arms?

@Herejustforthisone

That’s how you get thrush.

How can you get thrush from wiping the 'vagina' and the 'bottom' separately? How?

It's fine. There's a reasonable chance they won't examine you, and if they do want to then they'll either do it anyway or tell you to come back for another appointment.

It might be better, though, to chart exactly when this happens in the cycle before you see the doctor. Note down the days and how much blood. They'll be able to have a better idea of what's wrong that way, and you can see whether it's just ovulation spotting. If your smear is up to date and there's no other reason to be concerned, a couple more months' charting would really help.

huh?! Can you explain how wiping the 2 areas separately causes thrush?

When I had mid cycle spotting I was referred to colposcopy clinic. I don't think the GP even examined me. I was diagnosed with ectropian cells on my cervix - non cancerous, just very delicate cells that are easily irritated.

Don't worry, even a really heavy period isn't enough to interfere with most tests and examinations.
I've been examining cervices for years and I've never yet come across bleeding that stopped me. There's a lot of mysogenistic old claptrap about periods being minging.