Why now?

I am 49 years old and have not had a period in 3 1/2 years.  I had a period recently, it seemed like a normal one, but why after all this time would I have one now?  

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

There are many things that can cause a women to bleed after stopping for over 3 years. The most important thing is to see your doctor and be sure it isn't anything bad. He/she might want to check the lining of the uterus with a thin straw to be sure the cells are not abnormal are caused by cancer. This is an office test called an endometrial biopsy and is usually not very painful and it only takes a few minutes. They might also want to do an ultrasound as well. It should be possible to find out the answer to this question in a short amount of time with the proper tests.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD