Question: Dear Doctor,
I am a healthy 53 year old female. My period for over a year has heavy flow for 2 days then tapers off to hardly needing a tampon (just a couple of thin pads was sufficient till it ends around the 4-5th day.

This is the first time that I noticed that my menstrual blood colour has a brownish colour after the 3rd day and the tampon has a foul smell and there's just a little brownish coloured blood at the tip of the tampon while the rest of it has a very very faint brown colour. The tampon is definitely soaking up something but not red blood. Today is the 6th day and I still need to use a tampon although flow isn't heavy (probably 3 tampons in a day and 1 more throughout the night till morning).

This time the flow isn't heavy and blood isn't of the usual darkish red colour neither were they any red tissue bits on the tampon or when I wipe myself when cleaning.

I'm not sure if this is part of the menopausal end to me having periods or is it something that I need to see a doctor to have checked.

Please advise and thank you for our time.

Regards

my email is YYYY@YYYY

Hi Dr Nilofer

Thank you for your prompt response. The DCIS (breast cancer)was diagnosed by biopsy and subsequently I had surgery to remove it and the result was benign, thank God!

I have pap smears regularly every 2 years and result has no major issues, just need to keep an eye on some small sized cysts (so the doctor advised).
I think I have solved my problem when I went to an online forum for women's health and posted my situation.

There were numerous responses that suggested it could be a case of 'forgotten tampon'. I then went to the toilet and dug around and indeed felt something soft way up inside and it did take me awhile and I finally got it out. That was indeed the cause of the foul smell.

Since I have now removed the old tampon (it looked yucky, dark nearly black slimy and smell horrible). So I am concerned whether this old tampon could have done any harm to me and do I need to take any medication/antibiotic to make sure that this had not caused anything bad later on.

And if you were to recommend me to have anti-biotics, how am I going to buy some without a prescription?

Awaiting your response.

Thank you.