When should you see a doctor about bleeding after menopause?

Bleeding after menopause can come from thinning or irritation of vaginal tissues, polyps, or thickening of the womb lining. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause may cause dryness and spotting, while Endometrial Hyperplasia can change the lining. Bleeding is a presentation of these conditions and does not by itself prove cancer.

Less commonly, bleeding may be linked with cervical, vaginal, or uterine cancer. A clinician may need to examine the vagina and cervix and assess the womb lining to identify the cause.

Contact a gynaecology or primary-care service and describe when the bleeding started, its colour and amount, whether it followed sex, and whether you have pain, discharge, dizziness, or urinary symptoms. List medicines, including hormone treatment and blood thinners. Do not assume spotting can be monitored at home.

Seek urgent care if bleeding is heavy, you feel faint or weak, you have severe pelvic pain, fever, or shortness of breath. Otherwise, arrange prompt assessment even when the bleeding has stopped; repeated episodes or bleeding after treatment need review as well.

Ask what examinations or scans may be needed, whether a sample of the womb lining is appropriate, what the findings mean, and when results and follow-up will be available.