What to do for Post Menopausal Bleeding

One of the changes that menopause will bring to a woman’s body is the end of her monthly menstrual cycles. Post-menopausal bleeding can happen for several reasons such as low estrogen levels, which cause thinning of the vaginal walls, synthetic estrogen hormone replacement therapy, polyps or fibroids in the uterus, endometriosis, progesterone deficiency, which is the major cause of hormone imbalance, vaginal infections or even cancer.

Fortunately, a wide variety of treatments and cures are available to women with this type of bleeding. Polyps or fibroids in the uterus can be surgically removed with microscopic techniques, infections can be treated with antibiotics, natural progesterone cream for progesterone deficiency, and estrogen can heal vaginal tissue. Keep in mind that there are some reasons for post-menopausal bleeding that should be ruled out. No matter what, any unusual, unexpected, or unexplained bleeding should be reported to the family doctor.

For a woman taking hormone replacement therapy, she should still keep a record of her monthly menstrual cycle and see her doctor every six months. Hormone replacement therapy is the most common cause of bleeding and it should be remembered that some bleeding may occur if the woman is not on the expected cycle. A woman may be worried that her post-menopausal bleeding could be a sign of cancer. It is certainly possible, but uterine cancer has a dramatically high cure rate, if it is detected early. In fact, with this type of cancer, because bleeding is usually such an early warning sign, an early cure is possible in 95% of cases.

Overgrowth of the uterine lining is called hyperplasia, which may be another cause of abnormal post-menopausal bleeding. Most hyperplasia is non-cancerous and usually treatable by taking a form of progesterone to help prevent the lining of the uterus from growing too much. If a woman has reported the bleeding to her doctor and nothing was found, it is wise to visit with a gynecologist for specialized tests such as an ultrasound, biopsy of the uterus lining, or a hysteroscopy (an internal telescopic test that is used to examine the inside of the uterus).

If a procedure is recommended to a woman, it is always a good decision to have a second opinion from another doctor. In addition, the woman should become educated by reading material to help her make the best life decisions. Reports from studies state that even with post-menopausal bleeding, a hysterectomy is not usually necessary unless the woman has cancer. More than 500,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States, unfortunately, most being unnecessary. In conclusion, women who experience bleeding require investigation and the bleeding should not be written off as a normal menopausal experience. Remember, it is extremely important for the woman to see her gynecologist!