What causes ovulation bleeding?

Gynecological experts say that if vaginal bleeding occurs outside of menstruation and occurs in the middle period between a woman's two menstrual periods, it can be considered ovulation bleeding. What causes ovulation bleeding?

[Case] ​​Ms. Yi is 41 years old and her menstruation has always been normal. But in the past two or three months, a small amount of blood would flow out of the vagina about a week after the end of the menstrual period. This had never happened before. Ms. Yi was very worried about this, fearing that she had a tumor, so she went to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Wuhan Tongji Hospital for consultation and examination. After asking about Ms. Yi's condition, Xiong Ya, director of the obstetrics and gynecology clinic, performed a gynecological examination and B-ultrasound examination on Ms. Yi. After ruling out uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and cervical cancer, it was confirmed that Ms. Yi was suffering from ovulation bleeding.

Xiong Ya introduced that if there is sudden bleeding about 14 days before menstruation, the bleeding may last for 2-3 days and no more than 7 days; or it occurs in the middle period between two menstrual periods of a woman, it can be considered as ovulation bleeding. Ovulation bleeding has nothing to do with age, because every woman may experience ovulation bleeding, and ovulation bleeding is a normal phenomenon. Generally, the amount of bleeding during ovulation is less, the secretions are brown, and may be accompanied by varying degrees of lower abdominal pain. Women who do not know this will think they are having two periods. For some women it happens every few months, while for others it never happens in their entire lives.

Ms. Yi's question was: Why did ovulation bleeding suddenly occur when she had never experienced it before? Xiong Ya said that the main reason for ovulation bleeding is that after the mature follicle ruptures and ovulates, the estrogen level suddenly drops significantly, and a small amount of breakthrough bleeding occurs in the endometrium within a short period of time. Ms. Huang's sudden ovulation bleeding may be due to factors such as excessive fatigue and stress, which affect her endocrine system and make her hormone levels unstable, thus inducing breakthrough bleeding.

Generally speaking, the amount of bleeding during ovulation is very small, has no impact on personal life, and does not require treatment. If the amount of bleeding is heavy and affects daily life and work, women aged 20-40 can take a small amount of estrogen supplement under the guidance of a doctor to maintain the stability of estrogen. It is not recommended for women over 40 years old who have not yet reached menopause to supplement estrogen, because if women in this age group supplement too much estrogen, they may suffer from endometrial hyperplasia, leading to endometrial polyps and endometrial lesions.

Although normal ovulation bleeding does not affect your health, you should still pay attention to regulating your body. Xiong Ya said that during ovulation bleeding, you can eat more protein-rich foods and fruits, avoid strenuous exercise, and pay attention to your work and rest time. If the amount of bleeding is heavy, similar to normal menstrual flow, and occurs intermittently, or lasts for more than 7 days, you need to go to the hospital for a corresponding gynecological examination to rule out the possibility of other diseases.