Bits of string in discharge

[waitorgo]

Name changed.

I have some investigations planned for unexplained repeated (3 months) mid cycle spotting which is very unusual for me. This week a blood test, next week a smear. Being referred for a scan too.

I have a copper coil, no kids, late 30s. My coil is coming to the end of its 10 year life by the end of this year.

Today I wiped after the toilet and had a good amount of discharge with old blood (been spotting bright and old blood since last weds), but it looked weird, almost knotty. When I looked more closely I spotted two bits of white string in the discharge. WTF? It looks thinner than tampon thread, plus I havent used tampons for some time, they only get used if I come on and don't have my menstrual cup with me.

If I had left a tampon up there in the past (at least 3 months ago) I'd expect there to be a smell, which there isn't. However, the string does look considerably thinner than tampon string. Plus I only have Lillets lying around and they come with coloured string, whereas what I found was white. Equally, I cannot feel anything up there when I squat down (then again, I've never been able to feel my IUD strings so I'm not sure how reliable that statement is).

Really what I am trying to work out is whether I should contact the GP again, or maybe go to a sexual health clinic to be seen sooner? I have no idea what to make of this latest development.

Any words of wisdom gratefully received.

After ten years, surely it’s the strings for your coil, starting to break down? Not to diminish your other symptoms, which of course do need investigating, but I would have thought Occam’s razor - the simplest explanation is the most likely.

I thought that, but I thought the string for the coil was really thin, more like a sewing thread? This more closely resembles tampon cord, albeit thinner. Plus, isn't coil thread the kind that doesn't break down?

I also asked my GP if the bleeding could have anything to do with coil reaching end of life, but she didn't seem to think so.

Oh yes, I don’t think it would be causing the bleeding, and I’ve no idea if it’s actually possible for it to break down (or at least whether it can sometimes even if it’s not meant to). But I am nothing if not ruthlessly logical, and logic tells me that if I know I have string in my vagina and suddenly find string coming out of my vagina, then there is a pretty good chance the two things are connected.

It might have started out thin but acquired some sort of coating/calcification due to being in your body. (This has happened to my retainer, and that gets rinsed every day, so I can easily imagine it would happen to an iud string?)

The strings don’t break down. They’re also not ‘string’, really; they are made of plastic, similar to removable sutures!

They are also usually black or blue, I’ve never seen white strings on any coil.

I can only describe it as looking cotton like, making me think it must be a tampon. Surely? Excuse the photo, it will explain it better than I can.

My emergency stash have pink and blue string. Had an old one lying around perhaps? Or maybe the colour has washed out with normal periods? I'm a bit baffled because if it is a tampon, I am shocked how I managed to be fine with tampons for 15+ years.

I've decided to call my GP again and by some miracle managed to get on the triage list for today with the GP I spoke to on Friday. So fingers crossed I get somewhere.

The strings don’t break down. They’re also not ‘string’, really; they are made of plastic, similar to removable sutures!

They are also usually black or blue, I’ve never seen white strings on any coil.

Thank you for the explanation. I assumed similar and online pictures also suggest dark coloured string.

This may sound daft but could it be loo roll?

Looks like little wads of loo roll to me. I wouldn't have given it a second thought

It was mixed in with stretchy discharge, I needed a cotton bud to separate it. I saved you from seeing that picture

For anyone who may be interested: I've been to a sexual health clinic today. Everything looks healthy, and no sign of a lost tampon (nor any sign of my coil threads...). The nurse suggested that it may be post thrush discharge, which would tie in because I had a bout of mild thrush over Christmas. Never had anything like it after previous cases of thrush, but there we are. Apparently it's pretty common.

I still think it looks like cotton threads, but the nurse has seen the picture and has far more experience than I have.

This does mean that the explanation for my repeated spotting will still require further investigation, but at least there is nothing stuck or obviously damaged.

I was going to suggest thrush!

Where were you yesterday 😅

Glad to hear you've got an answer, OP 👍

I thought that lifespan for copper coil is only 5 years?

Definitely make an appointment with gynaecologists, I wouldn't wait for nothing.

Looks like bits of womb lining to me
I had this when I had my last mirena coil but I also had adenomyosis

Thanks again. Interesting about the womb lining, I will read in to that a little more.

I am waiting for my scan referral to come through. I also had a blood test recently and they are essentially doing a full MOT. So far the full blood count (which I think is used for - among other things - cancer markers) has come back on the NHS app as fully in healthy ranges. Same goes for HBA1C. Thyroid, liver (or kidney, I can't actually remember) and some other bits are still pending.

My last lot of spotting (from pink to brown) which prompted this thread lasted a full 7 days, which is unusually long. Still, investigations are happening. I'm lucky I have a great GP who is very on the ball.

I wonder whether my coil may have moved and caused some damage? Alternatively, I wonder whether there could be some family history as my mum had a hysterectomy at 40 because of a large benign tumor on her ovary. I can't rule something like that out entirely I suppose. Not that I'm panicking, just remaining open to everything from innocent to serious.

@cornflower21 10 years, but I believe there is also a 5 year one.

Update for those who care.

I had a total of 5 months of mid cycle bleeding. In a scan it was noticed that the coil was sitting low in my uterus. Saw a consultant at a sexual health clinic who removed the coil for me. She seems to think that its incorrect position may be what has caused the bleeding and to give it a few months to see if it all settles down.

In addition to that, my other tests have come back mostly ok. Low ferritin so have added more leafy veg and beef to diet, and got some OTC iron tablets. GP reckons low ferritin is probably down to me having suffered long periods on the coil. The other thing low was my LH and FSH are low (but apparently not worryingly so) and my TSH is only borderline healthy.

The next few months will hopefully indicate whether it's the coil.

Thanks for updating 👍