Abnormal bleeding as a symptom of gynae cancers

There are four main types of abnormal bleeding:

• Bleeding in between periods
• Bleeding after sex
• Bleeding after the menopause
• Bleeding that is much heavier or more painful than what is normal for you

How to get to Know Your Normal:

• If you have periods, keep a note of them so you can see what your regular/normal period patterns look like.
• If you don’t have periods, but any other vaginal bleeding, do track that too
• Regularly check back over your last few entries so that you can spot and report any changes.

What to track and look out for:

1. Don’t disregard very heavy and/or very painful periods vs. what is normal for you

What counts as a heavy period? Everyone is different and will have a different period, losing different amounts of blood, but generally speaking:

• Heavy bleeding for 7 days or more
• Pain/heavy flow that disrupts your daily activities
• If you need to change your tampon/pad every hour or so

2. Discharge

Discharge is a perfectly normal part of having a healthy vagina and is how the vagina cleans itself. The amount of discharge we get varies throughout our monthly cycle and is normally anything from a clear colour to a creamy/light yellow. If you experience any pink, red or brown discharge, also called ‘bloody discharge’ note it down.

3. Surely all bloody discharge is an abnormal bleed?

Not necessarily. Some people get a bit of bloody discharge/light bleeding/spotting in between their periods. This can also be referred to as ‘ovulation bleeding’. However, if this starts to happen and isn’t part of what you would consider ‘your normal’, then do speak to your doctor.

4. It is ‘normal’ to have ‘abnormal bleeding’ through the menopause (peri-menopausal)

Going through the menopause for most people means a few years of irregular/different bleeding patterns. This is due to the ovaries beginning to essentially ‘shut down’ and hormones going (to put it bluntly) haywire. It’s normal to have shorter/longer/irregular periods as this process happens.

5. There’s no such thing as a post-menopausal period

Once you haven’t had a period for 12 months or more, i.e. gone through the menopause, any bleeding from the vagina is not ‘one last period’, it’s classed as an abnormal bleed. Note it down, when it occurred, and is it quite fresh-looking blood?

6. Bleeding after sex is more common than people might think (if pre-menopausal)

Again, most of the time it isn’t something to worry about. Like cervical ectropion for example, which is a non-serious condition caused by hormonal fluctuations, but do still note it down if it’s something you experience.

7. If you bleed during/after sex, also note down whether or not you are in pain

Sex isn’t supposed to be painful, and whilst something like cervical ectropion can also cause pelvic pain/pain during sex, it is still always worth investigating.

Want more tips? Head to The Eve Appeal’s website!

*Always Discreet and Always will donate 5p to The Eve Appeal (Reg. Charity n. 1091708) per pack of Always Discreet Pads and Always Ultra Mega Packs purchased in Tesco between 16/06/2021 – 27/07/2021.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. 2021 survey: Total sample size was 2082 adults, fieldwork was undertaken between 18th - 19th May. 2020 survey: Total sample size was 2095 adults, fieldwork was undertaken between 15th - 16th April. The surveys were carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).