If you're past
menopause and haven't had a period for several months -- then start
having minor bleeding once a month or so -- you should probably see
a doctor.
"Abnormal
bleeding in a woman is always cause for concern".
When a woman
is in perimenopause -- usually during her 40s -- it's normal to skip
one period and have one the next month.
"But if
a woman didn't have a menses for nine months and then she bled, [a
doctor] would always evaluate that". A pelvic exam, [ultrasound],
and possibly a biopsy might be necessary to determine if it is endometrial
[uterine] cancer or pre-endometrial cancer, called hyperplasia.
Sometimes abnormal
bleeding does occur. But you really have to watch it; it should be
investigated. We're lucky with uterine cancer in that there's always
bleeding and therefore we can catch it early [when it is almost always
treatable]."
Post
menopausal bleeding can originate from other problems such as:
Hormone
replacement therapy.
Uterine (endometrial) polyps.
Cervical Cancer.
Cuts or lesions on the outside of the vagina sex.
