menstrual spotting after strenuous exercise

[Jodai Saremi]

I'm curious whether other women engaged in strenuous exercise experience spotting between normal periods. It usually happens right after my workouts (which involve kickboxing or running or jumping rope).

I have been checked out by my internist and gyno for various causes and they haven't been able to tell me anything. It goes away when I don't work out very hard or very often, but when I go back to working out five days a week, it comes back. I worry about becoming anemic! I'm not below weight for my height and I don't experience any pain.

If you have any similar occurences, I'd like to know-- just so I don't feel like I need to worry any more.

[Aileen Reid]

This could come under the heading of TMI. And I'm likely older than you. Some very light spotting after orgasm often happens but stops quite quickly. So maybe vigorous exercise can do the same thing? That's one thing. The other is runners often get blood in their urine after hard runs and that is attributed to the walls of the bladder slapping together during runs especially if its empty. So are you sure its uterine blood and not from your urethra/bladder.

Otherwise I have no suggestions.

[Brandon Oto]

All of the guys just remembered something we have to do on the other side of the internet.

[Christian Mason]

Why does this bother guys so much? Yes I'm a guy - I realize my name is ambiguous.

I never understood the revulsion other guys seem to feel about a tiny amount of blood though. Not directed at you Brandon - it seems to be a pretty universal reaction, just not one that really effects me.

[Lisbeth Darsh]

Originally Posted by Brandon Oto

All of the guys just remembered something we have to do on the other side of the internet.

Ha! Brandon, you made me laugh out loud and, for that, I thank you.

[Ryan Saul]

Originally Posted by Christian Mason

I never understood the revulsion other guys seem to feel about a tiny amount of blood though.

This isn't regular blood like from a cut Christian, it's different blood. I'm going to visit Brandon at somewhere that's not this thread.

[Tirzah Harper]

1) How heavy is the spotting? I mean, are we talking visible BLOOD or just a mess, KWIM? Are you losing more blood than if you nicked your finger, do you think? You could probably do THAT every day without issues.
2) Are you on any form of birth control? I had some nasty spotting when I was on the Pill if I deviated from 24-hour spacing in the slightest.
3) How normal are your periods in general? How heavy/light/crampy/etc.?

PS Guys - I'm not chiming in on any testicular issues either.

[Eric Lester]

Men need to know these things almost as much as women. Half the people in our lives are likely to be dealing with them.

Jodai, has this always happened or only started in recent months?

[Karin Jonczak]

Any other clotting issues?

[Jennifer Conlin]

Are you on Birth control pills? If you are there could be a link between the stressful workouts and the pill. I know that I struggled with that for a while. So I just stopped taking the pill and have not had break through bleeding since.
I was only taking it to control PMS not as birth control.
Have you had children? Or any pregnancy's?