Hi,

I'm hoping I can get some reassurance here - I'm really frightened. Thanks in advance for any replies, and I really am sorry for the length of this. There's just a lot to explain.

So I'm 22 and have been on the mini-pill Cerelle for 3 years now. It took my periods away completely, and I didn't bleed at all up until recently. I suppose the whole bleeding thing started last year - I had a bit of light spotting after being sexually stimulated 'down there' (not even penetrative, just externally). I saw the GP about it and she said it was likely just hormones stimulated by sexual activity that had triggered the bleeding. She did a speculum test, and everything was normal.

Then, still last year, I had an episode of bleeding after sexual intercourse - it started off as light spotting straight after intercourse, but the next morning it progressed into heavier period-like bleeding which lasted about a week. I saw my GP and again everything seemed okay - again, she mentioned the possibility that sexual activity could have stimulated the womb to shed its lining instead of being reabsorbed like it usually would in my case. She called it a "breakthrough bleed". She did mention that if it began to happen more regularly then it would be classed as post-coital bleeding and I'd have to get it checked again.

At the beginning of the year I moved in with my fiancé - with it being a different town, I had to change GP. I had a bit of light bleeding after sex a few times, but I tried not to worry. However, last weekend, after it happening again, I decided to get checked on Monday there. The GP found a red patch on my cervix during the speculum test.

She assured me that she thought it was most likely ectropion, but that there was a very small chance it could be abnormal cell changes. She took some swabs and referred me to colposcopy, which I should get an appointment with within 2-4 weeks.

The thing is, on Tuesday the next day, the light post-coital bleeding once again turned into a full blown period with slight stomach pain. I phoned the GP to check the new symptoms - she said that amount of blood wouldn't be coming from the patch on the cervix, so it was likely another breakthrough bleed which should calm down and go away within a week. I explained that this had happened before, and she said she wouldn't be able to tell me why it seemed to be happening after sex. She said to keep waiting for the colposcopy appointment, but if my symptoms changed any more I was to call again.

Yesterday the bleeding was still as heavy, but I noticed that even when I'd cleaned myself up I was also getting a strange slippery clear discharge with a pink tinge - it smells strange, not foul, almost sweet. I've never had it before personally. I also seemed to have an upset stomach and kept having to rush to the bathroom to move my bowels, which were much softer and more frequent than my normal. Then, in the middle of the day, I developed severe pains in my lower abdomen and back. I phoned the GP again, and the doctor I spoke to said all she could do was leave me a strong painkiller, a urine sample bottle and a self swab test for UTIs (because apparently they didn't actually check for that with Monday's swabs). They did find GBS was present, but said I wasn't to worry about that.

Later on in the night the pain got to a crippling point where I was almost immobile and doubled over crying, so my fiancé phoned NHS24. They said it didn't sound serious and that I was just to rest and take more painkillers (even though i had, and they hadn't worked).

I have terrible health anxiety, and I'm finding it extremely difficult not to panic about all this. I'm so scared that something sinister is going on. I've done so much reading about ectropion, CIN, cervical cancer... But I think all I'm doing is scaring myself even more. I'm terrified that when I go to colposcopy they will find a high grade of CIN or even fully developed CC. I'm also really concerned about why I seem to be getting these long heavy period-like bleeds only after sex? Even if the patch on my cervix is just ectropion, it wouldn't explain this symptom. It doesn't happen every time we have intercourse, but the two times it has happened have both been directly after we have. Also the terrible pains... I read that lower abdomen and back pain along with going to the toilet more often were all symptoms of CC, which is frightening me. I'm not sure, I'm just so scared.

Has anybody had a similar experience? I'm desperately looking for something to put my mind at ease while I wait on this appointment.

Thanks in advance