What Causes Prolonged Heavy Periods During Menopause?

Posted on Sat, 4 Jul 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 4 Jul 2015 Answered on

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : When my mother was going through menopause one time she missed 5 periods in a row and finally when it came it was extremely heavy with blood clots and lasted a long time. Is this a common scenario?

Answered by Dr. Nidhi Setia (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
pelvic ultrasound

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.
I understand your concerns.

Menopause is technically labelled when a woman does not get periods for one year.

Even then, heavy bleeding after missing periods should not be taken lightly.

This may be indicative of endometrial hyperplasia or malignancy.

In my opinion, she must go for a pelvic ultrasound to determine endometrial thickness.

Based on the ultrasound results, endometrial biposy (OPD procedure) can help to rule out the malignancy.

Kindly consult a gynecologist at the earliest.

Hope this helps.
Feel free to ask further.
Take care.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar

Follow up: Dr. Nidhi Setia (14 minutes later)

Do most women have heavy periods in the menopause transition?

Answered by Dr. Nidhi Setia (16 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Heavy bleeding at any age should not be ignored.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
sorry for the late response.

Yes, heavy bleeding is common in the menopause transition.

But, uncontrolled bleeding which lasts longer then usual and is accompanied by symptoms like fatigue, dizziness and headache must be evaluated thoroughly to rule out chances of endometrial mailgnancy.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj