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Do Women Bleed After Menopause?

Some women do bleed after menopause, and it is a normal occurrence for most. Some women think that because they are no longer menstruating there should be no bleeding, and are quite shocked when they experience the contrary. Bleeding during menopause is generally light and brief and is no cause for concern in most cases, although in a few instances it may signal a health problem.

  1. Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB)

    • This is caused by the imbalance in estrogen and progesterone, which normally happens with menopause. Risk factors for dysfunctional uterine bleeding are stress, excessive exercise, and obesity. This condition happens in reproductive years, which includes women in perimenopause stage, and not postmenopausal women. Perimenopause is the two to eight year period before menopause takes place. Symptoms of DUB include abnormal bleeding, bleeding between periods, hot flashes, and hirsutism (male pattern hair growth).

    Atrophy

    • Atrophy is a condition that stems from the lining of the uterus thinning out. This thinning causes the blood vessels that are located within the lining to become weak, and burst spontaneously, which can cause a small amount of bleeding. The only thing that can treat atrophy is hormonal replacement, since the condition itself is caused by a lack of estrogen. This condition is not dangerous, but may be bothersome.

    Uterine Polyps

    • Uterine polyps come from an overgrowth of cells in the endometrial lining. This overgrowth causes a small bulb to protrude from the lining in the uterus. Polyps can range in size from a few millimeters to the size of a golf ball, and they can range in number from one to several. Polyps are likely to cause light staining, spotting or bleeding.

    Hyperplasia

    • Hyperplasia is a condition that causes overgrowths in the uterine lining. This occurs when your body has a decline in progesterone to stimulate the effect of estrogen. This causes the cells in the endometrial lining (uterine lining) to divide and over grow, and usually occurs in the stages leading up to menopause. Symptoms include bleeding between periods, discharge, bleeding after menopause, and spotting. Treatment with progesterone will help to stop this occurrence, although it generally goes away on its own.

    Vaginal Dryness

    • Vaginal dryness occurs when the levels of the hormone estrogen start to decrease. Usually, when you are aroused, the walls of the vagina begin to seep out a clear fluid, better known as vaginal lubrication. With estrogen levels declining, and in some women completely absent, the vaginal walls become so dry, that after sexual intercourse you may see a small bit of blood. The lubrication process is directly affected by estrogen levels. Women who have vaginal dryness also complain of stinging, burning, itching, and spotting.

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