Breakthrough Bleeding Plan

The woman who begins to experience breakthrough bleeding should not ignore this development in her health. While the cause could be as innocent as stress, changing birth control pills, or vaginal dryness, she needs to make sure her bleeding isn't caused by a more serious condition and should treat it. This article is not intended as medical advice. Please see your doctor and get his advice.

Determine the Cause

• You have to figure out what is causing your breakthrough bleeding. In order to do so, you need to schedule a physical with your gynecologist so she can carry out a pelvic exam. During this exam, she'll ask you questions, such as when the abnormal bleeding first started, how long it goes on, if the bleeding is heavy, does it occur on a monthly basis, do you experience pain, what makes the bleeding worse, are you experiencing stress in your life, are there other symptoms, and are you are pregnant. Your doctor asks these questions so she can isolate potential causes for your bleeding. Expect to undergo a pelvic exam so she can take cultures and scrape endometrial tissue for a biopsy. She'll complete a PAP smear, a pregnancy test, and blood tests. You may also be scheduled for a colonoscopy.

Take Birth Control Pills

• Your gynecologist could prescribe birth control pills that don't have placebo pills in the pack. Normally, birth control pills have 21 "active" pills with hormones that prevent you from becoming fertile every month. The remaining seven pills are placebo pills that allow your normal menstrual period to take place. Your doctor may want to put you on birth control in order to try and stop your bleeding for a period of several weeks. Once this has been accomplished, she will have you stop taking the pills or take the placebo pills and watch to see if your abnormal bleeding returns.

  Your doctor should discuss the undesirable side effects of taking birth control pills to stop your bleeding. These include shortness of breath, severe leg pain, chest pain, abdominal pain, coughing up blood, a sudden, severe headache, and blurring or loss of vision. These are indications that you may have developed a blood clot, which is a medical emergency.

Endometrial Ablation

• Endometrial ablation is a surgical technique that permanently scars your uterine lining, thus stopping the monthly build-up of menstrual blood. This is a minimally invasive procedure in which the surgeon uses an instrument, which he passes into your uterus through your vagina to cauterize (burn) or freeze the endometrium.

  If you plan on becoming pregnant in the future, this treatment should not be used.