Bleeding during sex
Posted , 2 users are following.
Was wondering if someone could help me. I'm a 21 year old female with a history of worrying about my health. Last night I had sex with my boyfriend and I started bleeding during, enough for it to stain the sheets. It's really worried me, I thought maybe I'd come on my period early but I've woken up this morning and I have no blood. My mum had cervical cancer a few years ago so this is one of my biggest fears. I know that my doctor won't give me a smear test because I've asked before due to discharge etc that I've had forever but bleeding has never happened before and I'm worrying myself silly. If anyone could shed any light that would be fab. Thank you.
0 likes, 3 replies
eliz52 HLMCX
Posted
It might be a cervical erosion, this can cause bleeding, it only requires treatment if it's bothering you. It's a common and benign condition and often occurs to people on the Pill.
Cervical cancer does not have a genetic link, it all comes down to whether women are HPV+....if you're 30 or older and HPV+ then you have a small chance of benefiting from a pap/smear test every 5 years (until you test HPV-) About 95% of women aged 30 to 60 ARE HPV- and cannot benefit from pap/smear testing.
So only about 5% of women aged 30 to 60 can benefit from pap/smear testing, everyone else is exposing themselves to risk from false positives for no benefit.
At 21 you're too young for pap/smear or HPV testing, neither are recommended at your age. If you continue to experience unusual and persistent bleeding, then see a doctor. (NOT for a pap test, but a proper investigation)
There are very good reasons why young women are excluded from this testing, there is no evidence of benefit but it leads to lots of worry and harm from false positives and over-treatment. HPV+ results are common in women under 30 but most clear the virus naturally, it's usually a transient and harmless infection, it's only if the infection is present at age 30 that women might consider a pap/smear test.
I've heard rough sex, the use of some sex toys and some sexual positions that puts pressure on the cervix can cause light bleeding too.
Note the pap test and smear is the same test, in some countries it's called a smear test, in others it's called a pap test.
HLMCX eliz52
Posted
I phoned my doctor this morning and he said that if it happens again, he will examine me. I actually had a combined hpv and smear test 2 years ago and went privately as it wouldn't be done on the Nhs. I just wanted the all clear as the situation with my mum had worried me.
Thanks again for your reply xx
eliz52 HLMCX
Posted
There are very good reasons why the NHS does not offer smear and HPV tests before a certain age, you're taking a risk having the test and you're MOST unlikely to benefit. It's fairly high risk for no benefit at your age. A false positive can lead to excess biopsy or over-treatment which can damage the cervix and lead to health and obstetric issues.
Also, having both tests together greatly increases the risk of over-investigation, the HPV test should always stand alone. (from age 30)
Did your mother actually have cervical cancer? Did she have surgery, chemo or radiation or did she produce an "abnormal" smear test and have "pre-cancerous cells" removed? If it was the latter, it's MOST unlikely she would have developed actual cervical cancer. Unfortunately, the smear test is unreliable and huge numbers of women produce "abnormal" smear tests, (almost all are false positives) lots of things can cause an abnormal result - infections, inflammation, hormonal changes, trauma etc. Sadly, smear testing leads to a lot of excess biopsies and over-treatment.
Also, remember there is no evidence that cervical cancer runs in families, has a genetic link, it all comes down to being HPV+ and aged 30 or older. (that in itself is not enough though, most HPV+ women simply clear the HPV infection in a year or so but in rare cases it persists and develops into cervical cancer, not sure why, some say it's HPV+ and smoking or HPV+ and a compromised immune system and there are other theories, the research continues...)
Keep the risk in perspective: 0.65% is the lifetime risk of cervical cancer, here in Australia the lifetime risk of colposcopy/biopsy is 77% (in the UK it would be lower but still quite high, my guess is it would be about 60%-65%)
At your age you're unlikely to have an issue with cervical cancer (or anything else!) it's a fairly rare cancer and when it does occur it's usually in older women.
Very rare cervical cases do occur in young women, but it's usually an adenocarcinoma, that even rarer type of cervical cancer is usually missed by smear testing, so all women should be advised to see a doctor with persistent and unusual symptoms. (regardless of smear test results) The more common type of cc (but still fairly rare) is squamous cell carcinoma.
Sadly, there is an unbalanced focus on cervical cancer, you're FAR more likely to get/die from something else, lung cancer and heart disease are the biggest killers by miles.
Almost every other cancer occurs more often than cervical cancer, things like bowel, prostate, breast etc.
AND at your age you're MOST unlikely to be bothered by any of these things.
You're very young to be worrying about cancer, especially a fairly rare one, but I understand you're anxious because of your mother's experience.
I'm sure you'll be fine...best of luck