Gynecological cancers including uterine cancer, most commonly endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer are detected in about 90,000 women each year in the United States. Most women who are diagnosed with a gynecological cancer are past menopause, but all women should be aware of the signs and symptoms so they can seek medical care.
Dr. Kevin Jovanovic and Dr. Radoslav Jovanovic have the knowledge and experience to evaluate your symptoms, perform necessary exams and tests, and either diagnose or rule out gynecological cancer. They can also help you understand why you might be having heavy menstrual periods even if you don’t have cancer.
At some point or other, most women experience abnormal menstrual bleeding. In most cases, the cause is temporary, and not reason to worry.
Abnormal bleeding can include heavy periods, spotting or bleeding between periods, bleeding during sex, or bleeding after menopause. Hormonal fluctuations, stress, pregnancy, and many other common issues can cause abnormal bleeding, so it’s not always a good reason to panic.
If you have one heavy period, it’s probably not anything to worry about, but if you have two cycles in a row with heavy bleeding, you should make an appointment with Dr. Jovanovic.
If you have bleeding so heavy that you soak a pad once an hour for 24 hours, you should get medical attention.
Bleeding after sex is problematic and you should make an appointment.
Endometrial cancer starts in the endometrium, or lining of your uterus, and is the most common type of uterine cancer. It can cause heavy bleeding. If you begin bleeding heavily suddenly, seek medical care.
Both cervical cancer and vaginal cancer can cause bleeding during or after sex, or douching. If you notice bleeding after sex, schedule an appointment for an evaluation.
Since most cases of gynecological cancers are diagnosed after menopause, it’s especially important to get evaluated if you have this experience.
As we’ve noted, most of the time, abnormal bleeding isn’t due to some alarming underlying condition like cancer. Most women experience a heavy period now and then, or other types of abnormal bleeding.
Most women have fibroid tumors, and many never even know it. But fibroid tumors can cause complications, including abnormal vaginal bleeding. If you have fibroid tumors that cause problems, there are effective treatments.
Various types of infections can cause abnormal or heavy bleeding.
Some women have heavy periods when they use oral contraceptives. If you have more than one heavy period in a row and you take birth control pills, schedule an appointment and talk to Dr. Jovanovic.
If you’re worried about having heavy menstruation or you have the symptoms discussed here, schedule an appointment with us. It’s always better to have an evaluation than to worry.
