Is a brown discharge normal

Blondecutie1718 · 02-12-2004, 06:04 PM

I noticed a brown discharge..Is this normal

sweetkimmy · 02-12-2004, 08:39 PM

I have a brown discharge right before my period starts. Don't know if it is normal or not.

KitKat · 02-13-2004, 07:24 PM

I also get brown discharge before my period, I have it right now. I was told by the Dr that it's old blood, if that helps

DzneeGrl · 02-14-2004, 02:01 AM

My doctor told me the same thing "old blood", I was pretty freaked out the first time it happend. They assured me I was o.k.

vacyster · 02-18-2004, 08:28 PM

If this isn't normal for you check with your doctor. I also get this but I understood it to be my period. I was told the blood turns brown when exposed to air to long. My flow is very slow at first so this could be true. If I start off with a heavy flow it is always Red not brown.

Blondecutie1718 · 02-18-2004, 09:34 PM

its not normal for me. I haven't had a period in a month and a half and at first I was starting to think I was pregnant, but I took 3 hpt and they were negative and went to the doctor to get blood tests done..that was negative..I heard that 2 but I wasn't sure..I thought it was old blood since I haven't had a period in so long but wasnt sure..

Melanie_S · 02-20-2004, 11:33 PM

It could be that you have low progesterone. It would make sense that some have a brown discharge right before AF starts because your progesterone drops. Check with your doctor if you are worried. My cousin had this problem and her problem with solved with some dietary and exercise changes.

HTH!

Melanie

Joanne cira 1973 · 02-21-2004, 08:44 PM

I've been getting the "brown gunk" periods for several years now. And have heard three different theorys as to why (three different docs).

#1, old blood (gross if you think about it)

#2, blood that has been exposed to air (it's not like I lay there with my legs open during my period! so how does the "air" get there, I ask?)

#3, that is is not actually blood, just the lining of my uterus.

I really don't care which it is, I just want it to go away!

purplerose · 02-21-2004, 09:15 PM

It's normal for me. I don't know what causes it, but it happens right before AF shows up (which doesn't happen very often...hopefully the BCP's will change that).

PaintedDaisy · 02-21-2004, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joanne cira 1973
I've been getting the "brown gunk" periods for several years now. And have heard three different theorys as to why (three different docs).

#1, old blood (gross if you think about it)
#2, blood that has been exposed to air (it's not like I lay there with my legs open during my period! so how does the "air" get there, I ask?)
#3, that is is not actually blood, just the lining of my uterus.

I really don't care which it is, I just want it to go away!

Just wanted to let you know that all three of those "theories" are actually true, and pretty much one of the same.

Anything that comes out of your uterus, whether it be AF, spotting, or clots is uterine lining. Very little of it is actual blood since most of it is tissue, but it's the blood that gives it the red color.

When blood is exposed to air, it turns brown. That's why old blood stains (on clothing or the carpet, for example) are brown. It's also why the ground beef you buy in the supermarket is brownish, unless of course they added red dye to it like many brands do. Apparently most Americans think brownish beef is spoiled and "good" beef is red. There have been studies that have shown that brownish beef does not sell well at all, so many brands add red dye to the meat so that it is bright red and will sell more. (Sorry for the side note).

Anyway, the vagina does have air in it. You don't have to sit there with your legs apart to get air in it, though. So any blood that has been in the vagina for a little while will turn brown.

Essentially, your body doesn't know the difference between old and new blood. Any blood actually in your body will remain red. If you think about it, the uterine lining can actually be "old" considering that in normal women it's been around for roughly 28 days and for PCOS women often much longer. When it first comes out of the body, it's still red.

So, a lot of people will judge the age of uterine lining, not by how long it's been in the body but by how long it's been out of the body. Therefore, "old" blood (usually just a few hours) is brown and "new" blood is red.

Spotting is brown for a lot of women because it's relatively small in amount so that it takes a while for it to work it's way out of the vagina where you'll see it. This is especially true if the spotting occurs during your sleep, since you're laying down gravity can't pull it out of your vagina. By the time you wake up in the morning, the blood may have been there a few hours and had a chance to turn brown. There are other variables such as where you are in your cycle because the consistency of cervical fluid varies wildly. When you have a lot of fertile cervical fluid, such as that around ovulation, the blood may reach the end of your vagina sooner since it's mixed in the cervical fluid.

Joanne, I hope you don't think I'm picking on you! I was just using your post as a springboard. I guess essentially, brown discharge is perfectly normal and the circumstances in which you notice it is highly variable.

But the biggest thing is not so much that the discharge/spotting is brown, but that it's there at all. If you're spotting throughout your cycle or at times other than ovulation and around AF, you may want to talk to your doctor about this. Spotting is usually the result of mixed up hormones (but there can be other causes)so this may need addressing if it's frequent or particularly bothersome.

Joanne cira 1973 · 02-22-2004, 02:08 AM

Sourdaisy, when I first read your post, I did think you were "picking" on me. Then I re-read it.

Essentially, I was just trying to make light of this "issue" (for want of a better word). But yes, I agree with you.

Actually, my gp (on Friday) told me that the bcp I am on is the main contributor to the "brown gunk". She said, with Dianne 35, I don't actually build up "real" blood, it alters the skin of the lining to become thicker and non-implantable for a fertilized egg.

PaintedDaisy · 02-22-2004, 05:13 AM

Joanne, I'm so sorry. I thought that you might get that impression even though that wasn't my intention at all!

I tend to read things that cause a spark in my mind to talk about related things and your post just inspired me to write more on the subject. Sort of like a stream of conscious type of thing. But honest, I understood your post and what you were getting at!

I know a lot of people don't understand how it all works, though, so I wanted to clear up a few things. I knew a girl once that thought the "old" blood had been rotting inside of her for years. Now that is major eewww! But I guess I just wanted to say that it's nothing of the sort.

In the future, I suppose I should lay off the "quoting" since my post wasn't really directed at you at all. Thank you for rereading and figuring out what I meant eventhough I'm sure my post was less than articulate.

Blondecutie1718 · 02-22-2004, 12:51 PM

Since its blood that hit the air, does that mean that it could classify as a period just not one that last up to 5 days? Thanks girls for your advice. At first I was worried. I have a gyno appointment on the 24th..

Carrie

PaintedDaisy · 02-23-2004, 12:21 PM

Yup Joanne, we're fine!

belle0210 · 03-15-2004, 08:10 AM

I just had an egg transfer about 1 1/2 weeks ago and I have been getting the brown gunk off and on for the past week. Does anyone know if this is normal or do you think that this cycle is a bust? It started out on Wed. as a yellowish discharge, then on Sat. It started to become brownish color with some tissue in it. Is this normal? Can anyone help me here? I talked to my RE on Thurs. and she said the yellowish stuff was normal. I think I am going to call them this morning to as if the brownish stuff is normal.