[CrystalChord]

I am having a very, very severe panic attack. I've not had one this bad in a very long time, and up until now I've been doing better--But this has triggered something in my head that's got me shaking and nauseous and freaking out something miserable. Apologies in advance for rambling words; I do that in this situation.

Two weeks ago on December 9, I started my period. It lasted its usual five days, and was over. Now, on December 23rd, I noticed a substantial amount of blood on the tissue while using the bathroom.

This, needless to say has alarmed me greatly and shot something way off in my head. My mind jumped to internal bleeding or something. The past few days I've had needle like pains under my belly button, as if someone is poking a thin sharp needle through my stomach. I didn't think anything of it, since my boyfriend says he gets those too.
I've also been highly irritatble and crying/snapping at a lot of people, which is a usual indicator of my period.

I've been under a lot of stress at work, since it's season. It's also my first year in retail, so this kind of thing is very new to me, and sometimes very stressful. I naturally have a very poor diet, which is hard to change, as I still am stuck with my family.

I now feel the cramps, but I don't know if they're menstrual or just from eating something weird. What's worse is that the substantial amount of blood I saw on the pad has been followed by nothing. It's scaring me.

Please, anyone who can help shed light on this, help!

[Ashlee T.]

Hello. First, our menstrual cycles can really be bonkers sometimes. Its so very important to learn how your body works so that you know what to be concerned about, and what not to be concerned about.

Are you taking birth control or using any methods to prevent pregnancy?

If you are not taking birth control that means you ovulate every month. The symptoms you described could very well be ovulation, especially two weeks into your cycle (the average woman ovulated 14-16 days into her cycle). Some women experience a little bleeding (spotting) during ovulation. I also experience mild cramping, sometimes sharp pains in my abdomen when ovulating.

If you are not having protected sex, you could have experienced some implantation bleeding. Have you considered pregnancy?

If you're working, making your own money...you cannot blame a poor diet on your family. You can choose to do better for yourself. A high stress lifestyle paired with poor nutrition is bound to lead you to not feeling well.

[CrystalChord]

Hello, BeautifulDisaster, thank you for replying.

Pregnancy is an impossibility at this point, unless I'm suffering a case of Immaculate Conception. My partner and I have not once had sex in our three years of dating, and I had been abstinent by choice a year prior to that as well. So I haven't had sex in four years, and when I did, it was always protected (as it will be when my he and I decide to perform the act).

I am working, but I was only able to get a part-time job, and all of my money currently is going to pay off student loans. So, yes, I can blame diet on my parents, because if I tried to get my own food, I wouldn't be able to pay my loans fully. It's "be in debt forever or starve," for me. Don't get me wrong though--I am grateful for what they do for me, but by the time I reach the food, there are very little options, and all of the healthier ones have been eaten (or gone bad, since my parents buy everything when it's already over-ripe). Food is food though, and with my work (Truck unload in retail), I'll take whatever meager calories I can stuff into me.

I've honestly never had noticeable pain or spotting during ovulation. I didn't even know there was a point in the cycle specifically for that!

As of today, I'm still not showing blood, but there is cramping. I just think it's weird, and I seriously thought something was very very wrong with me. I still do, but I'm a little more rational now.

[Ashlee T.]

Well that rules out pregnancy then. You could be experiencing a small ovarian cyst. I have gotten one a few times and they typically go away once you start your period. They can cause some cramping, fullness in the abdomen, etc. Most of them are minor and like I said, go away on their own but if for some reason it got worse, unbearable pain, fever or anything really concerning like that you'd want to get yourself checked out.

It's so so important for women to learn about their bodies. I was in my mid twenties before I read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and actually learned the ins and outs of how my reproductive system works. Then you can learn to differentiate between what is just a wonky cycle and what is really cause for concern. But yes, every woman is different. Sometimes I ovulate on day 14...sometimes I ovulate on day 20. When you know when you've ovulated, you also know when you're going to start. The average woman will start her period 12-16 days from ovulation. Stress can cause early ovulation, late ovulation, or even skipped ovulation. If you ovulate late, you have a late period. If you skip ovulation, you may not have a period at all that month.

I do not believe that something is seriously wrong with you. I believe you either have a small cyst that will take care of itself throughout this cycle, or you have just had a painful ovulation. Give yourself until your next period (apprx 12-16 days from now) and see if that relieves things for you. If it doesn't, you will probably want to get yourself checked up.

[CrystalChord]

Is it possible that something may have torn inside my vagina? I mean, my partner and I don't have sex, but there is foreplay type stuff that we do. Is it possible that during that something may have caught and torn inside?

Just a sudden "Oh wait" moment up there. :|

It's just odd to me because my period has always always been regular, and now something like this happens? It's just creepy weird to me, but then again I have a lot of problems and issues arising from really just hating my body. And until my healthcare kicks in on January 1, going to see a doctor, or my OBG is not possible--too expensive, again.

Thank you for the information though, I do appreciate it.

[CrystalChord]

Update: I now have a theory on what may have caused this. I think that during some of our "fooling around," my partner may have been too rough and caused a slight tear around or near the inside of my womanhood. To test this theory I ended up masturbating a little.
Noticed very, very slight blood on tissue only, less than what had been there last night. To size up, last night's was about the size of the pink part of a pinky nail, today was like....I would say what appeared would look like a bright red strand of embroidery floss.

Both times gave me bright red blood, like the kind you'd expect to see on a tissue from wiping up a small cut. I don't know what implantation bleeding looks like (I've heard it can be pinkish or dark brown), but since I haven't had actual sex, this isn't an issue.

Also, the blood only occurred ONCE last night, around 11:15ish. And it only occurred ONCE just now (2:09PM).


Conclusion: Something probably got a bit torn in there, and I reopened it today. Either that or I'm irritating myself during ovulation.

[Ashlee T.]

Fooling around can definitely cause some bleeding if there is a small tear. If that's the case it's not much cause for concern. Just give the area a break for a few days and be sure to keep it clean (not that you wouldn't anyway!)