Is brown spotting cause for concern?
Question
I am a 54-year old female, and active with one sex partner. I was taking progesterone (not synthetic, 150 mg each night) to treat an endometrial problem (which I’ve been checked and it is back to normal). My gyn doctor took me off the progesterone for 2 weeks, but, I did not feel like myself, and ask that she put me back on. She checked me to make sure my endometrium was normal, and it was, so put me back on the progesterone capules, 100mg). I then noticed that my vagina was feeling dryer than normal, so she put me on biest 0.624 mg. I’ve been on the biest capsules for a month, but just this week have started spotting (dark brown). I am wondering what this could be? Could I have been pregnant at my age? Or could this be some other female-related problem with my hormones? I have been trying to get pregnant, but have not had a period for many months, and am not sure if you can get pregnant without having a period.
Thank you,
Elizabeth
Answer
Last Updated: July 12, 2013
Pregnancy at 54 would be very unlikely, although it has happened on rare occasions. It is more likely that starting estrogen led to the abnormal bleeding.
However, if a woman over 40 has abnormal bleeding, her doctor is obliged to be absolutely certain that the woman does not have cancer or a precancerous condition, usually by performing an endometrial biopsy, ultrasound or D&C. One cannot always assume that the estrogen therapy was the only cause of the bleeding. You do not say precisely what your prior endometrial problem was that required progesterone, but you definitely need to be evaluated again to be sure that the original problem has not recurred, or if a new problem has arisen.
M. Davenport, M.D.
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