Hi there, 

I am on the pill, and in the last year ish have been experiencing light bleeding immediately after sex. This is pretty regular; my partner and I only see each other every few weeks due to uni, and the bleeding tends to occur after our first session, but goes away over the course of a weekend. I would say there is light bleeding around 60% of the time I engage in sexual intercourse but doesn't seem to occur when I engage in any self-pleasure. My rational brain wants to say this is likely linked to friction and vaginal dryness being caused by aforementioned pill, but any unexplained bleeding when you can safely rule out STIs can be nerve wracking.

Due to my age I have never received a cervical smear. Am I being overly worried? I know it is extremely rare for women under 25 to have cervical cancer, and I've never noticed any issues with my discharge etc but would love to hear from some other women who have been through this or are chronic self-diagnoser like me x

*UPDATE*

Have just been checked by my nurse. She has taken some swabs to rule out any bacterial infections, but said my cervix looked a little red (but not inflamed or infected). She proceded to inform me that this may be caused by something called cervical ectopy or ectropion, where hormonal changes result in the movement of cells to the opening of the cervix. These cells are more red and highly sensitive - they can bleed painlessly even from the lightest touch. This is exceptionally common with woman who are on the contraceptive pill (one website even said 'most women on the contraceptive pill have cervical ectopy) and the main symptom, if any, is bleeding after intercourse. This condition is not linked to anything more serious, and does not usually require any treatment unless it gets worse. Although the results of my swabs have not come back yet so I cannot confirm that ectopy is the cause of my bleeding, it does seem very likely since I have no other signs of infection. I thought it was ridiculous that this condition does not come up more often in relation to post-coital bleeding or contraceptive side effects. If you do have post-coital bleeding, try not to panic because the internet really does not tell you everything! Instead, get your doctor to check your cervix and put your mind at ease.