Bleeding After Menopause? You Need To See Your Doctor

If you are certain that you have experienced menopause, which means that you have not had a menstrual period for at least six consecutive months, then you should look at any vaginal bleeding with concern. Bleeding after menopause is not normal, and if you are spotting, you should arrange to see your gynecologist as soon as possible.

Bleeding after menopause can be a sign of a serious problem like cancer of the uterus or cervix; it may not be either in your case, but you will not know unless you have it examined.

Sometimes bleeding after menopause occurs in those who are using hormone replacements to alleviate the severity of their menopausal symptoms, and sometimes it happens it will happen because of intercourse, but it should be checked any time it starts.

Surgical Menopause

Women who have had either complete or partial hysterectomies in which their ovaries were removed are in the same physiological state as those women who have completed menopause, and should not experience bleeding any longer than a month after their surgeries. Any bleeding which does occur may be a surgical consequence and requires immediate attention from their doctors.
If it's Not Cancer, What Is It?

When your doctor examines you for bleeding after menopause, he or she will consider your previous history to see if you had any recent surgery which might account for the bleeding. Bleeding after menopause can indicate the presence of uterine fibroid tumors or polyps; many women experience benign uterine growths after menopause; and your gynecologist will perform a uterine exam to see if they are responsible for your bleeding after menopause. The exam for uterine growths is not much different from a standard PAP smear, except that it requires a slender telescope instead of a speculum. Your doctor will take tissue samples of anything unusual for biopsy.

Hormone Replacement Can Be The Culprit

One of the most common causes of bleeding after menopause is that many women cannot properly adjust to their hormone replacement therapy. If that is your problem, your doctor will very probably reduce the dosage of your hormones unless surgery is absolutely necessary to stop the bleeding. And if you are postmenopausal but still taking birth control pills for some reason, the hormones they contain can cause bleeding after menopause.

Sexually active women who develop bleeding after menopause should try to determine whether the sex act itself is injuring them in some way and accounting for the bleeding after menopause. A weakening of the vaginal walls is one off the aftereffects of menopause, and it could be the reason for the bleeding.