Heavy bleeding and clotting

I am 47 years old and believe I am starting menopause.  I have been bleeding for 11 days.  The first 7 days seemed like a normal period then I thought I was done bleeding, just spotting a little.  I started bleeding a little heavier around day 9, by day 10 I noticed I started having blood clots.  Everytime I would use the bathroom, there would be huge dark blood clots.  It is day 11 and there still are huge dark blood clots, and am still bleeding heavier than normal.  Is this a sign of menopause or is there something else going on that I need to be concerned with.

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

A. Heavy bleeding is a common symptom around menopause. If the bleeding stops, it might just be a one time thing and quite normal. But it can also be a sign of something going on.  

If the bleeding continues, I would suggest seeing your doctor. Ask him or her to get a blood count to see if you are anemic and check your serum iron to see if you are low on iron.  Low iron can be a cause of extended bleeding.  Other common problems are polyps (benign growths in the lining of the uterus), fibroids (benign muscle tumors in the wall or lining of the uterus that act like a rock in the muscle wall of the uterus and prevent the muscle from squeezing the small blood vessels that normally bleed during a menstrual period. A first abnormal bleed usually isn