Abnormal vaginal bleeding is any vaginal bleeding that’s unexpected and not part of your regular period.
- Normal period cycle length ranges from 21–35 days and bleeding lasts for 3–10 days. You may have a period every 21 days or every 35 days but that can be normal for you.
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding can be bleeding that is heavier or longer than usual, bleeding that happens as part of your period but is irregular, or bleeding in between periods.
- The cause depends on the type of abnormal vaginal bleeding you have.
- See your healthcare provider if you are worried.
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- heavy or prolonged bleeding – you have heavier vaginal bleeding than usual during your period or your period lasts longer than it used to
- irregular menstrual bleeding – your period is not occurring in a predictable or regular cycle
- intermenstrual bleeding – you have vaginal bleeding at any time in between your periods.
Vaginal bleeding after menopause or after sexual intercourse (when you are not having a period) are also considered abnormal and should be checked by a doctor. Read more about post-coital bleeding and post-menopausal bleeding.
There are many causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding. The cause depends on the type of abnormal vaginal bleeding.
Heavy or prolonged bleeding
Causes of heavy or prolonged bleeding can include
- womb-related problems such as endometrial polyps or uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometrial hyperplasia or endometrial cancer
- medical conditions such as blood disorders, hypothyroidism and liver or kidney disease
- medical treatments such as contraceptives, anticoagulant medicines, chemotherapy drugs or herbal supplements.
Irregular menstrual bleeding
Irregular menstrual bleeding refers to periods that are irregular. Young adolescent girls can experience irregular periods for the first few months after they start having periods. This is due to the immaturity of the hormonal system (hypothalamic-pituitary system) and periods will start to normalise after a few months. Similarly, when approaching menopause, hormones can start to fluctuate and cause irregular periods.
Other causes of irregular menstrual bleeding include:
- stress
- low BMI or weight loss
- excessive exercise
- polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Vaginal bleeding at unusual times
Vaginal bleeding that happens anytime สมัคร UFABET วันนี้ รับเครดิตฟรีสำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ outside your normal periods (known as intermenstrual bleeding). Light bleeding can happen during ovulation, which is about halfway between your periods. This can be very regular.
Other causes of intermenstrual bleeding include:
- breakthrough bleeding if you are on oral contraception
- cervix problems such as cervicitis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), cervical polyps or cervical cancer
- womb problems such as polyps or fibroids
- external genitalia problems such as warts or herpes simplex infection
- vaginal problems such as atrophic vaginitis, injury, sexual assault, foreign bodies or tumours.