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What Do Vaginal Bleeding And Cramps During Menopause Indicate?
Question: I am 62, past menopause and had vaginal bleeding and cramps today. What could that be. It hasn't happened before
Brief Answer:
Atrophy, anatomic changes or possibly pre-malignant/ malignant changes
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the question.
In women who are post-menopausal, we think of bleeding very differently than in women who are still having their cycles.
The causes of postmenopausal bleeding include:
1. Atrophy - thinning of the inner lining of the uterus, cervix and vaginal walls. This is the most common cause of bleeding and is a benign problem
2. Anatomic changes - polyps and fibroids are the major players and are very easy to address and treat. They are almost never cancer related
3. Pre-cancerous or cancerous changes - while these are the least common causes, they are the most important to rule out.
So, please do NOT assume the worst. Even if it was #3, still this is a VERY curable problem. You need to do the following:
1. Please schedule a visit with an OB/GYN
2. At that visit, expect that they will perform an endometrial biopsy (a sample of the uterine lining that is very easy to get and not really that painful in most cases)
3. An ultrasound will be performed too
In most cases, you will end up with some version of a hysteroscopy (camera to look into the uterus and remove any abnormalities and fully sample the uterine lining).
Does this help ?
Dr. Tim
Atrophy, anatomic changes or possibly pre-malignant/ malignant changes
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the question.
In women who are post-menopausal, we think of bleeding very differently than in women who are still having their cycles.
The causes of postmenopausal bleeding include:
1. Atrophy - thinning of the inner lining of the uterus, cervix and vaginal walls. This is the most common cause of bleeding and is a benign problem
2. Anatomic changes - polyps and fibroids are the major players and are very easy to address and treat. They are almost never cancer related
3. Pre-cancerous or cancerous changes - while these are the least common causes, they are the most important to rule out.
So, please do NOT assume the worst. Even if it was #3, still this is a VERY curable problem. You need to do the following:
1. Please schedule a visit with an OB/GYN
2. At that visit, expect that they will perform an endometrial biopsy (a sample of the uterine lining that is very easy to get and not really that painful in most cases)
3. An ultrasound will be performed too
In most cases, you will end up with some version of a hysteroscopy (camera to look into the uterus and remove any abnormalities and fully sample the uterine lining).
Does this help ?
Dr. Tim
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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