HEALTH
Your Birth Control May Be The Reason You're Spotty After Sex
By A. R. HOPKINS
Spotting after sex is a common concern that can be caused by a myriad of issues, the most common being hormonal birth control, like pills, patches, rings, implants, injections, and IUDs. Hormonal birth control contains synthetic hormones that induce thinning of the uterine lining, or the endometrium, leading to spotting.
Most spotting after sex occurs within the first few months of starting a new form of hormonal birth control. Some women’s bodies adjust to the birth control and, after about three months, the spotting lessens and eventually disappears, while other women experience spotting beyond the adjustment period.
Since birth control that is progesterone-only is more likely to cause endometrial thinning, ask your doctor if you are a safe candidate for a combination of progesterone and estrogen. Working closely with your doctor is the best way to rule out other causes of spotting and to find the best method of birth control for you.