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My Last Few Periods Have Been Really Weird: Sounds Pretty
Posted on
Sat, 5 Jan 2019
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sat, 5 Jan 2019
Answered on
Last reviewed on
Question : My last few periods have been really weird: sounds pretty gross but essentially they have been dark brown, clumpy, and don't smell like a 'normal' period. Towards the end and beginning I get light brown discharge. I've been swapping birth control pills a few times the last 5 months so i was wondering if maybe it had to do with that, or an iron deficiency or something..?
Brief Answer:
Birth control pills
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. Having brown periods, in most cases, is a normal variation of normal periods, and can often happen when using birth control (some types of birth control cause this more often than others). It likely has to do with the changing hormone levels and how long it takes for the lining of your uterus to shed; the discharged blood may be older than usual and that makes it more brown and clumpy.
If you don't have any other symptoms, it wouldn't be anything to worry about, and over time, once you have been taking one birth control for awhile, your periods may go back to the way they were before. This isn't a sign of iron deficiency, infection, or any other problem with your health, so I don't think you need to do anything about it.
I hope that helps and makes sense, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
Birth control pills
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. Having brown periods, in most cases, is a normal variation of normal periods, and can often happen when using birth control (some types of birth control cause this more often than others). It likely has to do with the changing hormone levels and how long it takes for the lining of your uterus to shed; the discharged blood may be older than usual and that makes it more brown and clumpy.
If you don't have any other symptoms, it wouldn't be anything to worry about, and over time, once you have been taking one birth control for awhile, your periods may go back to the way they were before. This isn't a sign of iron deficiency, infection, or any other problem with your health, so I don't think you need to do anything about it.
I hope that helps and makes sense, please let me know if you have any questions about any of that and I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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