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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're premenopausal and you have infrequent episodes of vaginal bleeding after sex — and you've had normal results on routine Pap tests — you don't need to see your doctor to be evaluated. If the vaginal bleeding bothers or worries you, you could make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out.
If you're postmenopausal, vaginal bleeding at any time must be evaluated. Having atrophic vaginitis or other symptoms of vaginal dryness may be the reason that you're experiencing vaginal bleeding after sex. Your best bet is to consult with your doctor to be sure that the cause of vaginal bleeding isn't something serious.
- Hoffman BL. Abnormal uterine bleeding. In: Schorge J, et al. Williams Gynecology. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3153117. Accessed Sept. 7, 2011.
- Mohan S, et al. Diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding. Best Practice & Research. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2007;21:891.
- Goodman A. Overview of causes of genital tract bleeding in women. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 7, 2011.
- Sahu B, et al. Prevalence of pathology in women attending colposcopy for postcoital bleeding with negative cytology. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2007;276:471.
- Tehranian A, et al. Evaluation of women presenting with postcoital bleeding by cytology and colposcopy. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2009;105:18.
- Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 7, 2011.
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