Is this my period?

[gongbubug]

Starting Monday, I realized that my CM was tinged brown, kinda like my period was about to start. The color progressively got pinker as Wednesday rolled around. Today (Thursday), my CM was tinged dark red. This was weird for me because my period isn't due for another two weeks, I wasn't cramping, and I only saw the tinged CM in the mornings.

I'd been super anxious and stressed because of a (thankfully resolved) mouse problem in my apartment and other personal issues this past weekend. My roommates also both had their periods last week. I know my ovulation time was this past Saturday, so I thought it could be ovulation spotting, but I've never experienced ovulation spotting before. My bf and I always have protected sex, and the condom has never ripped to date. I'm also not on birth control.

I'm inclined to believe that my period is just early this month; I've had my period come weeks early due to stress. I just wanted to ask for some secondary input as I've never had this kind of spotting before between my periods or even when my period was early.

[Sam W]

Hi jiae,

There's no way for us to know for sure what the spotting was. Since you know your period to be irregular, it could have been that, it could have been spotting. I do want to check, are you and your partner up to date on your STI testing?

[gongbubug]

My period is generally regular; it's only been irregular are when I've been extremely stressed or anxious about something. I noticed last year that my period also did eventually align with my roommates' (I live with different people now). Even when it's an irregular cycle, it tends to fall back into a predictable pattern.

To answer your question though, I've never been tested and I'm not sure if my boyfriend has either. I've been meaning to go but as I'm currently working full-time, have not been able to.

[Redskies]

So, if you haven't yet been tested or started getting your routine sexual healthcare, we strongly suggest you do, to rule out any underlying health issue. While spotting like this is often random or connected to lifestyle issues such as severe stress, it can also be caused by an infection, and in the event that were the issue for you, it's much better for your health to have it identified and treated sooner rather than later. Even if your period does show up now, we'd still suggest not putting off getting this care, as it's important preventative care, and it's a lot more hassle to deal with anything if it's only found later. Do you know where to get this care? Many clinics do also run evening hours, for example, to help cater to people who work rigid daytime hours.

[gongbubug]

Yes, I do; I went to get screened today for chlamydia and gonorrhea at my university health center. Not that it would change anything at the present, but I did notice that I had more light brown CM this morning and this time, I saw it throughout the day whenever I wiped. I'll be getting the results within the next few days, and I'm hoping that I'll get my period next week when I'm due..