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Menopause (Expert Forum)
Heavy bleeding and clotting
Answered by
Machelle Seibel, MD - Women's Health, menopause, ReproductiveMedicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
MA
Questions in the Menopause forum are answered by Dr. Machelle Seibel. Topics covered include menopause issues, depression, hormone replacement therapy , hot flashes, joint or muscle problems, memory problems, mood swings, osteoporosis , sexual problems, skin changes, sleeping problems, vaginal problems, and weight problems.
Heavy bleeding and clotting
by tjkstar, Mar 11, 2006 12:00AM
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.
Doctor's Answer
by Machelle Seibel, MD, Mar 11, 2006 12:00AM
, Mar 11, 2006 12:00AM
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’t cancer but it is important to check just to be sure.
If you go to your doctor, they might want to do an endometrial biopsy. That involves placing a very thin instrument into the lining of the uterus and scraping a small piece of tissue to send to the pathology lab to look at under the microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells. Sometimes doctors look inside the uterus with a thin telescope called a hysteroscope. That can sometimes be done in the office and sometimes it is done in the operating room. It doesn’t require any incisions and the person goes home the same day.
It is a good idea to start taking a multivitamin and over the counter iron tablets if you aren’t already to build up your blood so you won’t become anemic.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD
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’t cancer but it is important to check just to be sure.
If you go to your doctor, they might want to do an endometrial biopsy. That involves placing a very thin instrument into the lining of the uterus and scraping a small piece of tissue to send to the pathology lab to look at under the microscope to see if there are any abnormal cells. Sometimes doctors look inside the uterus with a thin telescope called a hysteroscope. That can sometimes be done in the office and sometimes it is done in the operating room. It doesn’t require any incisions and the person goes home the same day.
It is a good idea to start taking a multivitamin and over the counter iron tablets if you aren’t already to build up your blood so you won’t become anemic.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD
