Menopausal Bleeding

Post menopausal bleeding or PMB, is bleeding experienced after one goes through menopause. The PMB is experienced about 6 to 12 months after menopause. This kind of bleeding is different from regular menstruation cycles or infrequent periods. The infrequent periods occur during the end stage of ovulation cycle your body goes through. One experiences irregular periods around 1½ to 2 years before menopause sets in. However, many women experience menopausal bleeding patterns, and are concerned about the same. If you too are worried about what causes post menopausal bleeding, then the following paragraphs will discuss some information about it.

What Causes Post Menopausal Bleeding
A woman attain menopause between the age of 45 to 55 years. When one does not have menstruation for at least one year after undergoing infrequent periods, it means one has attained complete menopause. However, any kind of menopausal bleeding patterns in menopausal women is considered to be abnormal. There are various reasons that can lead to menopausal bleeding patterns. In most cases, the reasons are not so serious, and can be treated. However, bleeding after menopause may indicate a possible sign of cancer and, if detected earlier can help in better prognosis. Let us answer the question what are the causes of post menopausal bleeding.

Atrophy
One of the most common causes of menopausal bleeding is atrophy. This is a condition where the vagina and the pelvic organs get lesser amounts of estrogen. This is a hormone that is produced by ovaries, and after menopause it is produced in lesser quantities. The lack of this hormone causes the vaginal skin to become thinner and blood vessels to come near the skin surface. Any kind of soreness, injury, stress and even sexual intercourse may cause the skin to rupture easily and bleed. The treatment involves estrogen replacement therapy by using pessary, that is vaginal tablet or application of vaginal cream.

Benign Polyps and Fibroid
Uterine fibroid and benign polyps in the uterus can lead to light menopausal bleeding. In case of fibroid, a woman may experience heavy menopausal bleeding. Menopausal bleeding clots are also seen in case of fibroid. A cervical polyp can be easily removed during a gynecological visit. However, polyps within the uterus and fibroid need to be removed with the help of a surgical operation.

Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is carried out in women whose uterus becomes very sensitive to estrogen. Estrogen is a hormone that promotes growth of uterus wall lining. Thus, the endometrial lining of the uterus grows, just as it did during the normal menstruation cycle. When the body lacks estrogen, the lining of the uterus dries up and the blood vessels turn fragile. This causes them to break easily and bleed. This leads to PMB in women undergoing hormone replacement therapy. The treatment includes change in the dosage of the estrogen hormone, depending on an individual's case.

Cancer
On a serious note, this condition may occur due to development of cancer. The cancer may include cancer of the cervix, endometrium or ovaries. Heavy menopausal bleeding may indicate cancer in the woman's reproductive system. The doctor may carry out a biopsy, transvaginal ultrasonography, hysterectomy, PAP smear, dilation and curettage to find out if cancer is the cause for heavy menopausal bleeding. Once cancer is detected, cancer treatments that involves chemotherapy, may be carried out.

If you experience menopausal bleeding after complete stoppage of your menstruation cycle, bleeding continues for over 2 weeks and one requires to change pads every hour, one should consult a doctor immediately. This is an abnormal occurrence, and every women experiencing it, should seek medical help. Hope, the above paragraphs have been able to solve your post menopausal bleeding queries.