- With Mayo Clinic gynecologist and obstetrician
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Dr. Mary Gallenberg is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and medical oncology.
An Antigo, Wis., native, Dr. Gallenberg is a consultant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and an assistant professor at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Gallenberg has been with Mayo Clinic since 1990. She was on the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource editorial board and has been honored for excellence in teaching. She also won a Mayo Clinic Excellence Through Teamwork award.
Symptoms (1)
- Bleeding after menopause: Is it normal?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Bioidentical hormones: Are they safer?
- Hormone replacement therapy: Cause of vaginal bleeding?
- Testosterone therapy in women: Does it boost sex drive?
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Question
Bleeding after menopause: Is it normal?
I thought I was in menopause because I haven't had a period in three years. But then last month, I suddenly got my period again. What's up? I'm 50 years old.
Answer
from Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Menopause is the end of menstruation. In clinical terms, you reach menopause when you haven't had a period for 12 months. Vaginal bleeding after menopause is not normal and should be evaluated by your doctor. The cause of your bleeding may be entirely harmless. However, it's important to know that postmenopausal bleeding has a number of serious causes, including cancer. So see your doctor promptly.
Next questionBioidentical hormones: Are they safer?
- Perimenopausal bleeding and bleeding after menopause. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp162.cfm. Accessed Feb. 26, 2010.
- Lentz GM. Differential diagnosis of major gynecologic problems by age group: Vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, pelvic mass. In: Katz VL, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/185916689-3/0/1524/59.html?tocnode=53758955&fromURL=59.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-02951-3..50011-X_235. Accessed. Feb. 26, 2010.
- Goodman A. The evaluation and management of uterine bleeding in postmenopausal women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 26, 2010.
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