N95.0: Postmenopausal bleeding

You had your last period a long time ago during the menopause. You have started to bleed from your vagina again.

The menstrual cycle is controlled by specific sex hormones. These hormones are produced in the ovaries. The ovaries are part of the female genitals. There are two ovaries, one on each side. The ovaries sit low down in the abdomen. Egg cells mature in the ovaries. The egg cells can later develop into a child. The ovaries also produce various messenger substances. Messenger substance is another term for hormone.

There is sharp decrease in the levels of sex hormones produced between the age of 45 and 55. As a result, periods become irregular and cease completely at some point. The period during which the hormone levels change is called the menopausal transition. The menopausal transition may continue for several years after your last period.

If you start to bleed from your vagina a long time after your last period there are a number of different reasons for this. For example, the vagina may be inflamed. It is also possible that there have been changes to the mucosal lining of the vagina or uterus. For example, new tissue may have formed in the vagina or uterus.

The vagina is tubular and leads from the outside to the uterus. The uterus or womb sits in the pelvis and is pear-shaped. The narrower part extends downward into the vagina and is called the cervix. When a woman is pregnant, the child grows in her uterus.