Menopause Bleeding: To bleed or not to bleedAbnormal menopause bleeding is one of the most frequent complaints of women during the perimenopause. The bleeding can be lighter, heavier, or your cycle may be quite erratic in length, intensity and duration. Some people miss their periods for a while only to be hit hard with heavy bleeding later. There are so many different types of scenarios that women experience. When Heavy Bleeding is just too much Heavy bleeding that is excessive (soaking through several pads in an hour) or prolonged (more than 7 days) should be investigated by your doctor. One of the concerns of heavy bleeding is that you will become anemic (insufficient hemoglobin). Healthy perimenopause and bleeding Usually, in normal and healthy perimenopause, the changes in your bleeding pattern are a result of your hormone fluctuations and anovulation (you skipped an ovulation). However, in the perimenopausal woman there may be other causes of abnormal bleeding. This is why it’s so important to talk with your family physician, and that you shouldn’t just assume that what you are experiencing is because of perimenopause. Causes of abnormal uterine bleeding • Changes in ovulation Your doctor will perform a physical examination, take a careful medical history, and may order certain investigations such as blood tests, pelvic ultrasound, sonohysterogram, endometrial biopsy, and hysteroscopy if she/he suspects abnormal uterine bleeding unrelated to perimenopause.
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