bleeding and menopause

[gram21]

I did not have a period for a year.I started bleeding it got really heavy had to change pads every hour.Was sent to a gyn.,he did a biopsy, was normal. He gave me megestrol to stop it.About a week later the bleeding stopped.That was 7 weeks of bleeding.A month later I started again.Was still taking the megestrol.This time it has been 6 weeks so far Tomorrow starts week 7 again. It was a free clinic that sent me to the gyn.,I am getting scared would like to kmow if this sounds normal.

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

A. It is always scary when bleeding lasts too long.  However, the good news is that the bleeding stopped for a while and the endometrial biopsy was normal. It could take several months to really stop the bleeding once and for all.  Sometimes megestrol (Megace), which is a progesterone, works well by itself to stop bleeding.  Sometimes an estrogen and a progesterone are needed to make the bleeding stop or return to a normal menstrual bleeding pattern.  For that reason, a birth control pill is sometimes used.  Talk with your doctor about other hormonal options to control the bleeding.  It is also a good idea to check your blood count to be sure you are not anemic.  After a lot of bleeding, some women will need to take iron and a multivitamin to help them build their blood count back up.  Sometimes hormones alone cannot control the bleeding and it is necessary to do a D&C which is a minor operation that uses anesthesia in the operating room.  An instrument is used to scrape the lining of the uterus.  It usually takes no more than twenty or thirty minutes to do and people go home the same day.

All of thing you are describing make it sound like things are getting under control.  However, if things are not under control soon, go back to the gyn and ask them to discuss your situation and to go through what the next steps are to get things back to normal for you.

Machelle M. Seibel, MD