Ok, so I posted about my spotting mid cycle but I am still unsure if exercise, especially running, makes things worse for me. I did some research and have come across many threads where female runners of age similar to mine (45), have experienced the same problem. The thing is, all of these threads I've seen are a few years old and I'm not getting a response so thought I'd ask on here if anyone has noticed spotting after a hard workout or run? I doesn't happen all the time but mainly around ovulation but it frightens me and it's putting me off running. I started running 3 years ago and love it as it helps maintain healthy weight and makes me feel great in general. Apart from this 
Dear jo
Im a swimmer and dont run but I can say there have been a few times after swimming that I used to spot, but other times it was without exercise. It used to happen between 12-17 th day of my cycle.
Hi When my peri symptoms started when I was about 48 I definitly noticed the spotting after working out at certain times of the month. I thought It was my imagination but it continued for years. I am now 52 and I have noticed the spotting stopped after working out.
Thank you for this. How long did it last? Mine started several months ago and yes, it's mainly mid cycle x
Please ignore previous comment asking how long it went on for, just read this properly and you say it lastsed for years. Great!
Actually, if someone told me for sure that it's just peri symptoms or hormons or whatever, I will just get on with it but it is so scary not knowing what it is
Jo, I'm not a runner, but I will weigh in here with a little info. Exercise, especially strenuous excercise does use up your hormones, including estrogen. Even women on estrogen replacement will notice a drop when they exercise. My guess is that when you run, your burning through it, it drops and then you spot.
I know that's a pretty simple explanation, and it may not hold water, but at least it's a plausable explanation.
Thank you for your reply. Yes, this does make sense and I have also come across this explanation on some running forum before. Let's hope it's that. I am off to the gym, wish me luck!
Perhaps it starts happening in our peri years as maybe estrogen is already lower/unstable.
Update. So, I went to the gym last night and can't say I worked out particularly hard but did some on the crosstrainer and then 12 minutes of running. And yes, very little, but the spotting was back. I went home in a horrible mood but then found this other forum and read through pages and pages of comments from women who have been experiencing this for years and all tests are coming back fine. Not sure if I am allowed to post a link to this so if not, moderators please delete but thought it might help put people's minds at rest:
I am still nearvous about running tonight but going to go and out and do it as I am not letting this rule my life like it has been for the past few months.
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Geez.... I feel loads better after reading these posts.
I've posted a lot on here recently, for the last 3 months I've had spotting mid cycle...( always around when I'm ovulating) and it is definitely heavier after the gym...
A few weeks ago I had a smear ( Pap) test which was clear and I had an ultra scan of my ovaries 6 months ago, also clear.
I have suffered from health anxiety for the last 8 years ( I'm now 49) after the birth of my son and the doctors said it was PND and I've been on citalopram since then.... however I'm beginning to think was it peri menopause as the symptoms i'm reading about are identical to my PND symptoms, however over the last few months my detachment on some days has been really high accompanied with dizziness.
I'm seeing my doctor again next week to ask again about the spotting... he will most probably send me for another uktra scan, but if that is ok... is that it? Do I just live with the spotting and the dizziness and greater anxiety, as I really, really do not want to increase my dosage of citalopram.
I suppose I just want my doctor to say that everything is normal.... I long to be normal again!😞
Hi Alice,
Please let me know what they say about the spotting - it seems that different doctors have different opinions on it. Neither the nurse who did my smear, nor my doctor seemed allarmed by it but I still worry about it so much. I am scared to go for a run now and it's really depressing. I am normally a positive, active person but have been feeling really low, snappy and moody because of all this. I went for a run last night and yes, it happened again and was more than spotting but not quite like a period. And it was fine afterwards and today.
I will send you a private message with the link which I wasn't allowed to post, hopefully you will find it helpful. It certainly put my mind at rest, seeing all these other ladies suffering with the same thing.
x
Ok, another little update. Just looked at my swab results online and everything is normal. They tested for infections/nasties but all was negative.
Now just the internal scan to look forward to. Oh, the joys! 
Glad things checked out. Jo you also might want to remember that at mid cycle, your eestrogen drops a bit anyway. That's the normal course of a cycle. That combined with running, which uses up estrogen and that might be your explanation.
Just a thought, but next month when you get to mid cycle, could you just take a week off from running and exercising just as an experiment to see what happens? That might help answer your question as to IF it's the running or not.
Thank you. Yes, I should stop running for a bit really and see. I ran yesterday and it happened and it's just ovulation I think. Well, it would be day 16 and my cycles are a bit shorter. I am pretty sure it's exercise induced but yes, won't be running while on holiday (although I am taking my stuff, just in case) and see if it calms down. For example, it happened during/after just a 5k run yesterday which wasn't even hard. Nothing today. Sometimes, there will be a tiny trace after the gym but if stop exercising, I'd be just sitting at home, getting depressed instead of enjoying my summer off.
Thanks again for listening everyone. Love this forum and all the support.
Yes it happened alot without me exercising, it came and went and everytime it stresed me out, I think some womennare more susceptible to it, it never happened to any of my friends which worried me more. I'm sure my daughter who occasionally runs said it had happened to her. X
Thanks for this. Starting to feel a bit more relaxed about it now.
I think there's a big difference between spotting now and spotting/bleeding post menopause
X
Yes I think that's where I'm struggling ...spotting to me doesn't seem normal, but spotting around our age and 'time of life' does appear to be 'normal'....
I've spoken to a few of my friends who didn't ever have spotting but everyone is different, it's definitely related to the oestrogen levels at ovulation time falling and then as some else said, exercising makes them drop even more... hence the spotting!
I can be super rational when I'm telling some else all this.... but when it's me I freak!!🙈
Ok, a little update. We went on a 10 day holiday and I didn't exercise at all. Instead I watched with envy the early morning runners on the promenade and was nearly in tears as I have always wanted to do that and even brought my running gear with me. On the positive, there was no spotting at all. My period was a few days late and arrived 2 days before the end of the holiday. Painless but started getting heavy as usual on the second day and I was freaking about because on day 3 we had to go on a bus transfer to the airport and I was so worried about the lack of toilet! My GP gave me tranexamic acid tablets but I was scared to take them because of side effects and flying and I also have a bad varicose vein so was worried about blood cloths, etc.
So I decided to try taking some iboprufen as many recommend it for reducing heavy flow. The recommended dose seemed quite high (600, eben 800mg 3 times a day) which scared me and I tried just 2x200mg tablets 3 times a day. My period was so much better. I felt normal again as it was perfectly manageable and I didn't have to worry about travelling the following day. I only took it for 2 days but the difference was amazing.
My scan letter has arrived and I was relieved to see it's an ultrasound and not internal although the leaflet that came with it mentioned that sometimes internal might be needed too. It is in a few weeks and I feel so nervous about it
A quick update. So, I've stopped running which is making me really depressed but has improved the spotting (although I still spotted during ovulation). I had intravaginal US which sounded so scary that I spent the month dreading it but it turned out to be a completely painless procedure. They found a small fibroid and also what they think is a polyp so I am waiting to hear from my doctor. The radiologist lady said that I would probably be referred to a gynaecologist and should probably have it removed. Now this also sounds scary but I am kind of getting used to it and just want it over and done with.
Wanted to ask, has anyone had a polyp removed and what is it like?
Hi,
Was just thinking about you! That's great news, nothing sinister!!! When I had my scan the doctor said he would look for polyps and if I had any then he would arrange to have them removed. I asked was it painful and he he was very much 'no very simple and straightforward and incredibly common'.
So, I've had an entire cycle with NO spotting..🎉 My periods started yesterday and are very light and very painless. The only difference this month has been that I started on my iron tablets and women's wellbeing tablets.... so I'm wondering if that's making the difference as my iron level was incredibly low... in general I feel loads better and I am still doing loads of exercise!
Could the iron and other tablets I'm taking make such a difference!
That's great news about you too, no spotting sounds great! I think the iron pills might have well made a difference as I have read in the past that although heavy periods cause low iron, then the low iron might lead to bleeding more. Look it up, I did find it eventually and it made a lot of sense. I'll try to remember to dig out the source later.
I was a bit scared when I came out and kept thinking what if it's not a polyp but have since convinced myself that that's not rational thinking at all but just my health anxiety kicking off again. Feeling a bit better now. Period just starting now and I've had less spotting too - had it during ovulation with no exercise (so then thought sod it and went to the gym anyway!) but think that was it. I have also been for a very short run, just 20 mins and I was fine afterwards although I spent worrying about it most of the time.
Keep me posted.
I need to start taking my B complex vitamins too, I keep forgetting. Also going to try ibuprofen again this month as last month it made a huge difference by cutting my blood loss in half! Did I tell you about this?