When your vagina produces discharge either in normal conditions or after sex, it typically shows that your vagina--or rather, your whole reproductive system--is functioning properly. However, it is vital that you understand that discharge can also be an indicator of sexually transmitted disease and the overall reproductive system's ill health. What matters most regarding vaginal discharge is the color, odor, and consistency of the discharge. When you notice something about your body's discharge that you do not understand, such as a change in the consistency of your discharge, it's important that you consider seeing a doctor for diagnosis and advice.

Causes of Brown Discharge After Sex While on Birth Control

If you experience brown discharge after sex and you are on birth control pills, not to worry. Since birth control pills adjust your reproductive hormones, this brown discharge is normal in the first six months of their use. If you experience brown discharge, consult your doctor to discuss adjusting your birth control method. Here are some causes of the brown vaginal discharge that may be alleviated with a change in birth control.

1. Breakthrough bleeding

Birth control pills work by altering how follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) work. These hormones are responsible for ovulation; birth control pills inhibit or lower the level of these hormones--thus, no ovum is released. Secondly, the lower levels of these hormones cause the uterine lining to thin. What happens then is sloughing, which causes breakthrough bleeding. This appears as the brown discharge.

2. Missed birth control

Remember, birth control pills alter the hormones that control reproduction. If you notice brown discharge after sex while on birth control, it might be because you missed one or two birth control pill doses. Any missed pills, or if you change the time of day you take your pills, resulting in adverse effects in the hormonal balance. This particular imbalance results in an upset of the endometrium: thinning and sloughing of the lining of the uterus that comes out as brown discharge. It is crucial to be consistent when taking the birth control pill.

3. A low dosage of birth control

If you have decided to use birth control pills, be sure to find the right dosage. If you are on birth control pills and have been experiencing brown vaginal discharge after sex for a month, the cause is likely because you are using a low dosage. Low dosage causes the uterine lining to become so thin and fragile that small blood capillaries break, causing the breakthrough bleeding. Your birth control pills must be of the right dosage to ensure hormonal balance to keep the uterine walls at the right thickness. Talk to your doctor about the best remedy or option to take advice.

4. Sensitivity to a particular birth control

Human bodies react differently to anything they're not compatible with. Birth control pills contain two components: estrogen and progestin, and different formulations of birth control can include different concentrations of these two hormones. Your reproductive health can thus be affected by the balance of these two hormones in birth control pills.

Other Causes of Brown Discharge After Sex

Brown discharge after sex can be caused by birth control pills, but there are other causes you need to consider.

• Premenopausal

At about 45 years of age, women get to a menopausal stage in their reproductive health. Their reproductive viability ceases. If you experience brown discharge, and you are close to the age of menopause, do not worry. This is considered normal. The menopausal stage of life is accompanied by other symptoms like insomnia, mood swings, and hot flashes.

• Late period

When your menstrual period is late, you are facing one of two options: you are either pregnant or not. If you are not pregnant and have a late period, that blood might get mixed with oxygen (get oxidized), in which the blood changes from a red color to a brown color. On the other hand, if the cause of your late period is pregnancy, there is a different process occurring in your uterus. The fertilized ovum tries to implant on the uterine walls. This may cause bleeding, which comes out as brown blood flow and can get confused with late periods.

• Ovulation

Brown discharge or brown blood after sex can be a sign of ovulation. At the onset of ovulation, estrogen hormone levels rise, leading to the growth of the uterine lining which will later thicken up and mature. If the level of estrogen gets very high, bleeding occurs. This blood mixes with oxygen, resulting in the brown blood spotting you see.

• Implantation bleeding

When the fertilized ovum tries to implant on the uterine walls, a great deal is also happening within the reproductive system. For example, minor blood vessels such as capillaries start to accumulate at the cervix and all over the vagina. In case you notice any brown spotting of blood, it may be due to those blood changes and development in readiness for pregnancy

• Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on your body's immune system and hormonal balance. It can affect sex hormones and result in menstrual imbalances that lead in brown discharge after sex.

Brown discharge is a normal thing. However, if other symptoms accompany it, you need to worry. If you notice blood in your urine, a burning sensation, an odor, vaginal dryness, frequent urination, rashes, painful sexual intercourse, loss of appetite, or mouth ulcers, then you need to care for your health and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Take Home Message

What is the most crucial issue regarding brown discharge after sex? The consistency of its occurrence. Once you notice anything abnormal, see a doctor. We have provided the above reference guideline to be helpful, but doctor's diagnosis and advice regarding unusual discharge are vital and do come in handy.