Menopausal bleeding

[Kathyjack]

Hi need to ask a question.last period was 3 yrs ago.I started bleeding for 1 day.had a cancer scare 11 yrs ago with abnormal cervical cells and had a colposcopy.been referred to a gynocologist for this unexpected bleeding.I am terrified.anyone else been through it

[Perido]

I can certainly empathise with how anxious and scared you might be feeling now; emotion wise it's probably the worst time when you don't know what's causing the bleeding. I had post menopausal bleeding in 2016 and in my case I got the dreaded diagnosis of cervical cancer - stage 2A. That is not to say that you will have the same outcome - there are several possible reasons for your bleeding so try not jump to conclusions; I would strongly advise against googling as it will almost certainly scare you even more.

[Kathyjack in reply to Perido]

I had a recent smear test which was 3 wks after the bleeding.the smear test has come back clear thankfully.I had more swabs taken at the drs which I am now waiting for the results.I have an appointment at the gynocoligical clinic in 2 wks

[AskEveTeam]

Hi there Kathy,

Thank you for your message. We're so sorry to hear you're feeling really worried about this - but of course it's completely understandable. Most people who have had abnormal cervical cells in the past never have repeat abnormalities, and we can see in the below comments that your recent smear was clear, which is really reassuring. It's standard practice for anyone who experiences any post menopausal bleeding to be referred for a gynae appointment on the 'two week wait' pathway - this doesn't mean that your GP/doctors think you have a cancer, but that they want to rule a cancer out. Post menopausal bleeding can happen for many reasons and is much more likely to be something that isn't cancerous, for example fibroids or polyps. We agree with not Googling until you've had your referral appointment and have some answers/a clearer idea of what's going on, as it can be very distressing reading things on the internet and can make us worry more.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to get in touch with us via email - [e-mail]

Best Wishes,

The Ask Eve Team