Post menupausal vaginal bleeding

Back to Health A to Z. Menopause is usually diagnosed in women over 45 who haven't had a period for more than a year. Any bleeding from the vagina after this needs to be checked by a GP. Postmenopausal bleeding isn't usually serious, but can be a sign of cancer.

Menopause occurs when a woman has not had her menstrual period for a year. This occurrence is the result of a natural decline in hormones that a woman will experience usually in her 40s or 50s. When a woman has gone through menopause , she normally does not expect to have any further bleeding. However, women may sometimes experience additional vaginal bleeding. If she has gone through menopause, doctors consider the bleeding abnormal, and a woman should contact her physician. Examples of bleeding symptoms that could indicate that she needs to call her doctor include bleeding after sex or bleeding that is very heavy and more than "spotting.

Menopause is the end of menstruation. In clinical terms, you reach menopause when you haven't had a period for 12 months. The cause of your bleeding may be entirely harmless. However, postmenopausal bleeding could result from something serious, so it's important to see your doctor promptly.

You've gone through menopause and you thought your periods were a thing of the past — but suddenly, you're bleeding again, more than a year after your last period. The good news, according to an analysis published in the September issue of JAMA Internal Medicine , is that most likely your bleeding is caused by a noncancerous condition, such as vaginal atrophy, uterine fibroids, or polyps. But the study also reinforces the idea that postmenopausal bleeding should always be checked out by your doctor to rule out endometrial cancer, a cancer of the uterine lining, says Dr. Ross Berkowitz, William H.