At the onset of menopause, women may find that they experience periods on a very erratic basis. This is a very normal symptom of menopause. One of the first signs of change that woman will notice is that during post-menopause they have gone twelve consecutive months without a period or a menstrual cycle. At this point in a woman's life, she is considered to be fully menopausal.



During menopause, women can still bleed occasionally. Once she has finished menopause, though, bleeding, even erratic bleeding, is not considered normal. If you do experience any bleeding after you have been through menopause, something very serious might be occurring on an internal basis. The most common problem that causes bleeding after menopause is when the tissue inside the vagina becomes swollen or torn. This can cause bleeding. Sexual intercourse while that tissue is in poor condition can make the bleeding much worse.

If you have gone twelve consecutive months without bleeding, and your doctor considers you to be post-menopausal, you should be concerned about any bleeding you experience. If you do experience any bleeding, you should meet with your family doctor or your gynecologist for a thorough examination. He or she will probably want to run some blood tests and do a pelvic exam. In most cases, the bleeding after menopause is not severe. It could be something quite minor. However, just to be on the safe side, it is important to get it checked out, because it could be the first sign of something quite serious.

Many women experience bleeding after menopause because of the continued hormonal imbalance in their systems; others have started birth control pills and begin to experience bleeding. Still others have benign growths in the lining of the uterus that can get irritated or irritate the tissue around them that causes bleeding. Uterine fibroid tumors can also cause mild to serious bleeding. On the other hand, though, bleeding can be a good indicator of serious cancer that could be a threat to your life in the long run.

If you do experience bleeding, and you do end up with cancerous cells, they can be identified and controlled if they are caught in time. However, if you wait too long, those cells will multiply and begin to cause other cancers in the body. If you ignore the first simple signs like unusual bleeding, you could be setting yourself up for a fall. Many women think that menopause means they can stop their yearly pap smear. This is not the case. In fact, this has caused the deaths of many women because they believe this essential exam is no longer necessary. Just because you no longer have a period does not mean that you are no longer at risk for serious cancers like uterine or vaginal cancer. That is the primary reason for having a pap smear. As a result, you should be active in your cancer prevention strategy.

If you have begun to notice the early signs of menopause, it is best to educate yourself as to all of the symptoms of the condition. Moreover, it is essential that you see your doctor to identify your condition early so you know what to expect before, during, and after this normal change in a woman's life.