Postmenopausal Bleeding
Common causes of postmenopausal bleeding.
Postmenopausal Bleeding
Common causes of postmenopausal bleeding.
In this episode, Dr. Polly Watson delves into the topic of postmenopausal bleeding—a common yet often stressful experience for many women. “The good news is that most postmenopausal bleeding is not cancer, but 90% of uterine lining cancer presents with bleeding. So if you have bleeding, we need to evaluate the health of your uterine lining to make sure we’re not missing cancer,” says Dr. Watson. She discusses common causes of postmenopausal bleeding and provides valuable insights into the risk factors, diagnostic procedures, and ways patients can advocate for themselves to get the care they need and deserve.
“Bleeding is super common and causes a lot of stress and worry.”
Dr. Watson highlights the dangers of unopposed estrogen in the body and the growing use of “DIY hormones” by emphasizing the importance of working with a provider who understands the need to balance estrogen and progesterone. She sheds light on ways patients can start conversations with a healthcare provider and advocate for themselves when undergoing procedures to determine the cause of postmenopausal bleeding. Join Dr. Polly Watson as she breaks down the essentials, providing the knowledge and tools needed to navigate postmenopausal bleeding with confidence.
Watch The Conversation!
Unlock the secrets of this insightful video with dynamic chapter markers, guiding you through every compelling moment of the discussion.
00:51 Introduction to Postmenopausal Bleeding
01:54 The Importance of Evaluating the Health of the Uterine Lining
04:44 Common Causes of Postmenopausal Bleeding
08:50 Diagnosing Postmenopausal Bleeding
12:43 The Importance of Self-Advocacy in Healthcare
In this episode, Dr. Polly Watson delves into the topic of postmenopausal bleeding—a common yet often stressful experience for many women. “The good news is that most postmenopausal bleeding is not cancer, but 90% of uterine lining cancer presents with bleeding. So if you have bleeding, we need to evaluate the health of your uterine lining to make sure we’re not missing cancer,” says Dr. Watson. She discusses common causes of postmenopausal bleeding and provides valuable insights into the risk factors, diagnostic procedures, and ways patients can advocate for themselves to get the care they need and deserve.
“Bleeding is super common and causes a lot of stress and worry.”
Dr. Watson highlights the dangers of unopposed estrogen in the body and the growing use of “DIY hormones” by emphasizing the importance of working with a provider who understands the need to balance estrogen and progesterone. She sheds light on ways patients can start conversations with a healthcare provider and advocate for themselves when undergoing procedures to determine the cause of postmenopausal bleeding. Join Dr. Polly Watson as she breaks down the essentials, providing the knowledge and tools needed to navigate postmenopausal bleeding with confidence.
Key Takeaways:
🌸 Postmenopausal bleeding is bleeding after not having a period for the last 12 months and is more common in the early postmenopausal period.
🌸 Most postmenopausal bleeding is not cancer, but it is important to evaluate the health of the uterine lining to rule out uterine lining cancer.
🌸 Risk factors for uterine lining cancer include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and late menopause.
🌸 Unopposed estrogen and DIY hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of uterine lining overgrowth and cancer.
🌸 Other causes of postmenopausal bleeding include thinness or dryness of the vaginal or endometrial skin, infections, certain medications, blood thinning medicines, fibroids, and benign overgrowth or polyps of the uterine lining.
🌸 Diagnosis of postmenopausal bleeding involves pelvic ultrasound and endometrial biopsy.
🌸 Self-advocacy and communication with healthcare providers are important in the diagnosis and management of postmenopausal bleeding.
Quotes:
- “The good news is that most postmenopausal bleeding is not cancer, but 90% of uterine lining cancer presents with bleeding. So if you have bleeding, we need to evaluate the health of your uterine lining to make sure we’re not missing cancer.”
- “What is postmenopausal bleeding? Well, it’s simply bleeding after not having a period for the last 12 months. Now we know that not everybody’s body read the textbook, so we see a lot more postmenopausal bleeding in the early postmenopausal period.”
- “So if someone’s healthcare provider suggests a urogenital procedure. I want you to think about how you can make that day easier for yourself.”
Resources:
Resources: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/podcast-resources
Disclaimer: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/podcast#Disclaimer
Meet the host!
Dr. Polly Watson is a board certified OBGYN who has additional training in menopausal medicine, sexual medicine and functional medicine.
She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you to help find a solution to address the imbalance in your system and restore your health.
In 2019 I left my job as an employed physician with a large organization and started Hormone Wellness MD. I started with no staff working out of a single room. Since then, my staff has grown to a team of 5 and we’ve helped over 1,100 people on their health journey.
Meet the host!
Dr. Polly Watson is a board certified OBGYN who has additional training in menopausal medicine, sexual medicine and functional medicine.
She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you to help find a solution to address the imbalance in your system and restore your health.
In 2019 I left my job as an employed physician with a large organization and started Hormone Wellness MD. I started with no staff working out of a single room. Since then, my staff has grown to a team of 5 and we’ve helped over 1,100 people on their health journey.
