Bleeding 1 Year After Menopause

This includes red blood, pink or brown spotting, and blood-stained discharge. Arrange an appointment with a gynaecologist or primary-care clinician rather than waiting to see whether it returns.

After menopause, lower oestrogen can make the vaginal or womb lining thin and prone to bleeding. Polyps on the cervix or inside the womb, irritation, and the effects of hormone therapy or some medicines are other possibilities.

Changes in the womb lining, including abnormal or cancerous cells, can also present with postmenopausal bleeding. The bleeding itself cannot identify the cause, so an examination and appropriate testing matter.

Note when the bleeding began, its colour and amount, whether it followed sex, and whether there is pain or unusual discharge. Bring a list of hormone treatments, blood-thinning medicines, and other regular medicines to the appointment.

Assessment may include looking at the vagina and cervix, a pelvic examination, an internal ultrasound, or sampling the womb lining. The clinician chooses tests according to your symptoms, medicines, examination, and medical history.

Seek urgent medical care if bleeding is heavy, you feel faint or weak, or you have severe pelvic or abdominal pain. Fever, worsening pain, or foul-smelling discharge also needs prompt assessment because infection is possible.

Without these warning signs, postmenopausal bleeding still warrants a timely clinical appointment. Do not dismiss a small spot or assume hormone therapy explains it without an assessment.

Ask whether the blood appears to come from the vagina, cervix, womb, urinary tract, or rectum; which examination or scan is appropriate; whether any medicine could contribute; and what follow-up is needed if the bleeding recurs.