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Taking Birth Control Pill, Started Spotting And Have Dry Vagina. Am I Entering Menopause?
Question: very concerned that i'm entering early menopause. only 34. dealing w. vaginal dryness, and this month my period is nearly nonexistent. please help. also, i take birth control pills, and started spotting (or what's left of my period) a week early. should i finish the pack? what should i do?
Hello, I would be happy to answer your question.
The chance that you are entering early menopause is extremely uncommon at age 34. Also, symptoms of menopause would actually be lessened while on the birth control pill.
Your symptoms are very light periods, vaginal dryness and spotting. This is almost certainly the result of the pill, and likely related to the fact that you are probably on a very low dose pill. It is not uncommon for pills, in general, to lead to lighter cycles, and they might also result in lower levels of circulating estrogen, thus resulting in vaginal dryness as well. The spotting is most likely related to the extreme thinning of the uterine lining, leading to breakthrough bleeding related to the fragility of the lining of the uterus.
So ask your doctor about a higher dose pill and I bet your problems will improve!
I hope that this helps. Please let me know if you have followup questions.
The chance that you are entering early menopause is extremely uncommon at age 34. Also, symptoms of menopause would actually be lessened while on the birth control pill.
Your symptoms are very light periods, vaginal dryness and spotting. This is almost certainly the result of the pill, and likely related to the fact that you are probably on a very low dose pill. It is not uncommon for pills, in general, to lead to lighter cycles, and they might also result in lower levels of circulating estrogen, thus resulting in vaginal dryness as well. The spotting is most likely related to the extreme thinning of the uterine lining, leading to breakthrough bleeding related to the fragility of the lining of the uterus.
So ask your doctor about a higher dose pill and I bet your problems will improve!
I hope that this helps. Please let me know if you have followup questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
i saw my gyno today, and she said she did not see signs of atrophic vaginitis, which was what i was concerned about as it seems to be linked to menopause. she said my vaginal ph was 4.5, which was normal. but having done a bit of research, it looks like that's on the very high end of normal, or even slightly above. she also thought i had a yeast infection. could that be an explanation for the dryness? just started diflucan, a different type of birth control pill, and estrogen cream, even though she says it is extremely unlikely i am menopausal. still worried, though. any additional thoughts? also, she suggested that i try a product called Rephresh, but isn't that primarily for women in menopause? Sorry, I'm just scared out of my wits.
Thank you for the followup.
First of all, do not panic about menopause. If the exam was normal, then you have very little to worry about. Here are followup thoughts related to what you told me:
1. A vaginal pH of 4.5 is right about normal
2. Rephresh is an appropriate product to try
3. If you had a yeast infection, it can definitely cause some vaginal dryness type sensations
4. The diflucan and different pill are likely going to help quite a bit
5. I think that the vaginal estrogen is un-necessary
Don't try too many things at once, or you won't know what worked. I would treat the yeast infection and give the new pill a couple of months and see what happens. If you still have problems, then try the Rephresh product.
I hope that this helps and good luck!
First of all, do not panic about menopause. If the exam was normal, then you have very little to worry about. Here are followup thoughts related to what you told me:
1. A vaginal pH of 4.5 is right about normal
2. Rephresh is an appropriate product to try
3. If you had a yeast infection, it can definitely cause some vaginal dryness type sensations
4. The diflucan and different pill are likely going to help quite a bit
5. I think that the vaginal estrogen is un-necessary
Don't try too many things at once, or you won't know what worked. I would treat the yeast infection and give the new pill a couple of months and see what happens. If you still have problems, then try the Rephresh product.
I hope that this helps and good luck!
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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