Spotting 2 Weeks Before Period: Pregnant or Not? 7 Top Causes

Question: What causes spotting 2 weeks before period? Is it pregnancy, ovulation or a serious medical condition?

A lot of young women will get concerned when they recognize any form of bleeding in between their menstrual periods.

Before your menstrual period starts, that usually lasts for about 3 – 7 days, spotting from your vagina can be due to many reasons.

In most cases, it could be natural and a way your body informs you about pregnancy or ovulation. On the other hand, spotting could be due to side effects of pills you are currently taking, uterine fibroids and other medical conditions.

Doctors call any bleeding or spotting between periods abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), even when the cause is something simple like ovulation or contraception. Most causes are not dangerous, but if it is new, keeps coming back, or is heavy, it’s safer to discuss with your doctor.

However, most notably, light spotting two weeks away from your next menstrual period can be normal and often occurs because you are ovulating. This is usually not a serious health concern as long as the bleeding is light, short, and not associated with severe pain, fever, dizziness, or pregnancy.

This article explains the causes of vaginal bleeding 2 weeks before period, when to worry and when you urgently need to inform your doctor.

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What causes spotting 2 weeks before period?

There are many reasons a woman will experience mid-cycle bleeding. If you are about 10 – 16 days away from your next menstrual period, here are common causes of vaginal spotting.

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Ovulation

Within the lower part of your abdomen are two whitish egg-like structures on each side of the uterus. These are the ovaries, and they work to ensure that you have an egg released during ovulation.

After the end of your last menstrual period, your body hormones will cause many small follicles in the ovary to grow bigger until only one follicle is mature enough to break open and release an egg.

This rupture of the most developed follicle with the subsequent release of an egg is called ovulation and its normal in young women.

In fact, if you are still below 51 years, and you are not pregnant, on certain birth control methods or close to menopause, you will have ovulation from time to time, and in women that have a regular menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs naturally.

During ovulation, some women may experience spotting 2 weeks before period, and this occurs due to changes in your hormones (estrogen and progesterone) and when the follicle ruptures and release the egg with slight bleeding. Ovulation pain and light spotting around this time is sometimes called mittelschmerz (Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mittelschmerz/symptoms-causes/syc-20375122).

If you are experiencing this type of spotting, don’t panic yet. Ovulation spotting is usually normal, and you will notice its dark-brownish in color and only last for a short time (often one or two days).

This dark color is as a result of changes that take place when blood loses oxygen. Generally, fresh red blood contains oxygen, while dark blood does not contain oxygen. Because it takes time for “fresh red blood” to move through the uterus, cervix and then towards your vagina, you may notice a black or pink-brown spotting around ovulation.

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How can I tell it’s ovulation spotting?

Ovulation is a very common reason you will be spotting 2 weeks before your period and this is because, in a majority of young women with regular cycles, ovulation usually occurs fourteen to sixteen days before your next menstruation.

Because you are not very sure of your ovulation sign, this kind of spotting may easily be confused with something more serious. Here are other ovulation signs you will experience around ovulation

1. Watery discharge

Watery looking vaginal discharge that can stretch without breaking and not sticky (like a raw egg). When you are close to your ovulation, a watery looking, non-smelly, and stretchy vaginal discharge is normal, and it occurs because of high estrogen levels.

So, if you notice this type of discharge and then light spotting, it’s likely ovulation.

2. More sexual urge

Just around your ovulation, you will want to have sexual intercourse. Your body works by increasing libido towards ovulation. This, in addition to your watery looking discharge, means that sperm transport is easy and increases your chances of conceiving.

3. Breast pain

If you experience breast pain one or two weeks before your next period, it’s likely because of changes during your menstrual cycle that affect your breast.

4. High cervix position in vagina

During ovulation, your cervix becomes high up in your vagina and sometimes it is very difficult to feel it. A high cervix after menstrual period means you are just around ovulation period.

Other symptoms of ovulation are feeling bloated, mild belly cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting. Not every woman will have all these signs, and some women will not notice any symptoms at all.

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What if I’m not ovulating and bleeding?

Though ovulation may cause you to spot vaginally, it’s important you know that there could be other reasons bleeding could occur 2 weeks from your next period.

Here are some reason you should be aware of

1. Hormone imbalance

Your body usually prepares for your menstrual cycle, ovulation and menstruation every month. This is made possible by hormones secreted in the brain that acts on your ovaries, cervix, and uterine endometrium.

An unstable volume of hormones could result from too much stress, first years after “first menses”, losing too much weight in a short time or even a very strenuous body exercise. Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disease or high prolactin can also disturb this balance.

If your hormones are not stimulated and secreted the usual way, you may experience vaginal spotting.

2. “Endometrial cleaning” / old blood from last period

Sometimes, a small amount of old blood from your last menstrual period may leave the uterus a bit later than usual. When this old blood comes out later in your menstrual cycle, you may get a black or brown spotting or discharge.

If this happens only once in a while and is very light, it may not be serious. If it is frequent or you are soaking pads, you should tell your doctor.

3. Uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign growth on or within the uterine muscle. If a fibroid is located just beneath the endometrium, you may have vaginal bleeding that can be mild, moderate or sometimes coming in blood clots.

Uterine fibroid bleeding can occur two weeks before your period and anytime within your menstrual cycle.

Symptoms of a fibroid are abdominal distension (if a fibroid is large), spotting in between periods, lower abdominal pain, prolonged period, difficulty passing stool and heavy bleeding during menstruation with blood clots.

If you experience these symptoms, talk to your doctor for other tests to be carried out.

4. Vaginal infections

Vaginal infections may also be the reason you have mid-cycle bleeding, and there will or will not be other symptoms too.

A lot of women that caught sexually transmitted infections from their male partners may not have noticeable symptoms. Though if you do, you will feel lower belly pain, painful sexual intercourse (during or after), smelly vagina discharge, green vaginal discharge, and an itchy vagina.

If you have these signs with spotting, its likely something is wrong. Talk to your doctor. (See NHS patient information on bleeding between periods and STIs: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/vaginal-bleeding-between-periods-or-after-sex/).

5–8. Other reasons you could notice a heavy or mild bleeding 2 weeks before period are

5. Emergency contraception use

6. After an abortion

7. Birth control pills or other hormonal contraception (especially in the first 3–6 months)

8. Thyroid problems

9. Early pregnancy or pregnancy complications

Sometimes light spotting can be an early sign of pregnancy (implantation bleeding) or, less commonly, a complication like miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. If there is any chance you could be pregnant, do a pregnancy test and contact your doctor quickly if bleeding is heavy, painful or you feel dizzy (see MedlinePlus: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003156.htm).

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When to worry if I’m bleeding 2 weeks before period?

If you’ve noticed vaginal bleeding around 14 days before your next period, you should inform your doctor if you have any of these symptoms

• Smelly vagina

• Lower abdominal pain

• Severe painful period with blood clots

• Period lasting more than a week with huge blood clots

• You feel very weak because bleeding is heavy

• You feel a mass growing in your tummy

• Your discharge looks greenish with smell

• You just commenced a birth control method (pill, IUD, subdermal implants) with heavy bleeding

• Your period is late, or your pregnancy test is positive and you are spotting or bleeding

• You feel dizzy, faint, have chest pain, or your heart is beating very fast

• You are 45 years or older, or you have stopped seeing your period for 12 months and then start bleeding again

Doctors prefer you come early rather than late. Any unusual vaginal bleeding that is heavy, painful, keeps happening, or happens in pregnancy or after menopause should be checked as soon as possible.

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Still worried your spotting means something more serious? Let us know.