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Hi there Aunt Vadge,
When my boyfriend fingered me it was really painful, and afterwards I realised I was bleeding – it turned out he hadn’t cut his nails. I’m scared because it’s quite a lot of blood. Today is the third day and there’s still a lot of blood.
I looked and saw a cut. If it’s only scratches, why am I bleeding so much? My period ended 8-9 days ago and I’m always regular, so it isn’t that. What happened, and how can I keep things clean? Right now I’m just wearing panty liners.
Yours,
Bleeding
Dear Bleeding,
The most important thing first: bleeding “quite a lot” for three days from a cut after fingering is more than a small scratch would normally do, and that means you should be seen by a doctor or nurse now, rather than waiting it out at home.
Most little grazes down there stop within a day, so bleeding that’s still heavy on day three needs a proper look to find where it’s coming from and to make sure it heals safely.1 That’s not me trying to scare you – it’s simply the sensible, safe thing to do when bleeding carries on like this.
You haven’t done anything wrong, and you’re not in trouble. What most likely happened is that a fingernail caused a deeper cut than usual (nails should always be short and smooth for this – that part is on him, not you), but because it’s still bleeding a lot, it really does need checking in person.
Please don’t keep examining yourself or put anything inside; just keep it clean with a panty liner as you’re doing, and get to a doctor, a nurse, or an urgent-care or sexual health clinic. Once you’ve been seen, our guide to cuts and tears from fingering has more on helping it heal.
If it suddenly becomes very heavy – soaking a pad within an hour – or you feel dizzy, faint or unwell, treat that as urgent and get help straight away.
And because you’re young, please tell a parent or another trusted adult so they can help you get seen quickly. I know that can feel hard, but a grown-up you trust will help far more than they’ll judge, and getting this looked after is what matters most. You reached out, which was exactly the right instinct – now let a real-life professional check it and put it right.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Please see a doctor or nurse about the ongoing bleeding.
- Jeng C-J, Wang L-R. Vaginal laceration and hemorrhagic shock during consensual sexual intercourse. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 2007;33(3):249–253.
