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A number of things can be going on with your body if you’ve started bleeding after menopause, Julian Peskin, MD, an ob-gyn at Cleveland Clinic, tells Health.

But let’s be clear about one thing: It’s not your period. “If a patient’s postmenopausal, there should be no reason for them to bleed,” says Dr. Peskin. Once you’ve hit menopause, there’s no going back. So don’t try to convince yourself it’s probably just one more period to avoid another doctor’s visit.

In fact, you should definitely get to the doctor as soon as you notice postmenopausal bleeding, says Dr. Peskin. This is because, while some causes of postmenopausal bleeding are relatively harmless, others are more serious. The two that could be more complicated to treat, and potentially fatal, are endometrial cancer and fibroids that have become cancerous. In fact, “one in 10 women who present with postmenopausal bleeding will have endometrial cancer,” says Dr. Peskin. Therefore, you need to immediately get checked out if you’re bleeding down there after you’ve already hit menopause.

That said, the source of postmenopausal bleeding could be something pretty easy to deal with. Examples include benign polyps in the uterus, a vaginal infection, or even certain medications. Dr. Peskin points out that doctors evaluating patients for postmenopausal bleeding should always ask their patients about their medication history because taking hormones can cause irregular bleeding after menopause.

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