Bleeding after sex? The question that matters is when you last had a Pap smear test
- Most of this comes from the surface of the cervix and is not cancer
- The cervix is easy to look at, so there is no reason to wonder
- You can ask for a female doctor, and you can bring someone with you
- Bleeding after menopause is different and should not wait
Happened more than once?
Tell us what you have noticed and where you live. The first consultation is free. Say if you would prefer a female doctor and we will arrange it.
No referral needed. If this turns out to be something simple and treatable, you will be told that at the same visit.
Start here
Most of this comes from the surface of the cervix
The cervix sits at the top of the vagina and its surface is delicate. These 4 causes account for the great majority, and every one of them is treatable.
A naturally delicate surface
On some women part of the cervix is made of a more fragile kind of surface that bleeds easily on contact. It is common on the pill and after pregnancy, and it is harmless.
An infection
An infection inflames the cervix and makes it bleed when touched, often with no other symptom at all. It is identified from a swab and it responds to treatment.
A small harmless growth
A soft growth on the cervix that bleeds on contact. It is not cancer, it is easy to see, and it can usually be removed in a single visit.
Thinning and dryness
Tissues become thinner and drier after menopause and can bleed with friction. It is treatable, but read the next section first, because bleeding after menopause is looked at either way.
These have something in common worth noticing: all 4 are on the surface, and the surface is the part a doctor can see directly. That is why this symptom is easier to settle than most.
What changes it
3 things that decide how soon to be seen
None of these means cancer. They change how quickly the cervix should be looked at, which is a different question and a more useful one.
It has happened more than once
A single episode with a reason you can name is one thing. Bleeding that keeps happening, with nothing to explain it, is the version that needs the cervix seen.
You have been through menopause
Any bleeding after menopause gets checked, whatever brought it on. Dryness is a common cause and a likely answer, but it is a conclusion reached after looking.
You have never been screened
Screening finds changes years before they cause any symptom. Never having had a Pap smear test does not mean something is wrong. It means nothing has been ruled out yet.
One situation needs a hospital rather than an appointment. Bleeding that soaks through protection, will not stop, or comes with feeling faint or dizzy should be seen today. Everything else on this page can wait for a normal booking.
One examination
The same visit answers two questions
You came here about the bleeding. The examination that finds its cause uses the same position and the same instrument as a Pap smear test. A few seconds more gets you the second answer too.
Where it is coming from
Usually something on the surface of the cervix, visible the moment somebody looks, and often dealt with at the same visit. This is the answer you came for.
Whether anything else is there
Screening finds changes years before they cause any symptom at all. That is the whole point of it, and it is the answer most women reading this have never had.
For most women here, the honest answer to when you last had a Pap smear test is never, and that is not a failing. It is simply how uncommon screening still is. You are not adding a procedure by asking for one. You are getting a second answer out of a visit you are already making.
The real barrier
3 things that make this easier to walk into
The reason most women do not come is not that they do not know. It is that the examination feels difficult to face. These 3 are the practical answers, and all of them are ordinary requests.
For a female doctor
Say so when you book and it is arranged. It is a normal request, it is made all the time, and nobody finds it awkward except the person asking it.
Someone with you
A sister, a friend, your mother, your husband. They can wait outside or stay in the room, whichever makes it easier to get through the door.
Shorter than you are imagining
The examination itself takes a few minutes. Most of the appointment is talking, and you can stop at any point and say so.
What happens
4 steps, and the examination is the shortest part
Knowing exactly what the visit consists of removes most of the reason for putting it off, so here it is in order.
Some questions
When it happens, how often, whether anything else has changed, and when you were last screened. This part is most of the appointment.
A look at the cervix
An instrument holds the walls apart so the surface can be seen in good light. Uncomfortable rather than painful, and it is over in a couple of minutes.
A smear at the same time
A small soft brush is turned against the surface to collect cells. It takes seconds and most women feel a brief odd sensation rather than pain.
What was found, explained
Often something visible and simple is found and dealt with on the spot. Where the smear needs reading, you are told when and how you will hear.
Questions
8 questions people ask, and the honest answers
Starting with the one everybody wants settled, and the one nobody wants to say out loud.
01Does bleeding after sex mean cancer?
No, and usually it does not. Most of it comes from the surface of the cervix being delicate, inflamed or carrying a small harmless growth. All of those are common and treatable. What makes this worth a visit is that the cervix is easy to look at, so there is no reason to wonder.
02I am too embarrassed to be examined. What can I do?
Ask for a female doctor when you book. It is a normal request, it is made often, and nobody finds it awkward except the person asking. You can also bring someone with you and have them stay in the room. Embarrassment is the commonest reason women do not come, and it is the easiest one to solve.
03I have never had a Pap smear test. Is that bad?
It is the commonest answer, and it is the one to change. Never having been screened does not mean anything is wrong. It means nothing has been ruled out. Screening finds changes years before they cause any symptom at all, which is exactly why it exists.
04Will the test hurt?
Uncomfortable rather than painful, and short. You lie down, an instrument holds the walls apart so the cervix can be seen, and a small soft brush takes cells from the surface. The brush part takes seconds. Most women describe the whole thing as strange rather than sore.
05It only happened once. Do I still need to come?
Once with an obvious reason is different from repeatedly. A single episode after unusually vigorous sex, or when you were dry, often has a plain explanation. Bleeding that has happened more than once, with no reason you can name, is the one to have looked at.
06I have been through menopause and this happened. Is that different?
Yes, and do not wait on it. Any bleeding after menopause is checked, whatever brought it on. Dryness is a common and treatable cause, but it is a conclusion somebody reaches after looking, not before.
07Can I have the Pap smear test at the same visit?
Yes, and it is the same examination. Looking at the cervix and taking a smear use the same position and the same instrument. You are not adding a procedure by asking. You are getting an answer out of one you were already having.
08What if I am bleeding heavily right now?
Then this page is not the right thing to be reading. Bleeding that is soaking through protection, will not stop, or comes with feeling faint needs a hospital today rather than an appointment. Everything else on this page can wait for a normal booking.
Where
Seen at all 10 Hyderabad centres
The examination and the smear run anywhere. Ask for a female doctor when you book and it is arranged at whichever centre suits you.
- CION Ameerpet
HMDA Maitrivanam, Ameerpet
- CION Kukatpally
Mumbai Highway, Kukatpally
- CION Tolichowki
Khader Bagh, Tolichowki
- CION Masab Tank
AC Guards, Masab Tank
- CION L.B. Nagar
Anu Arcade, near the Metro, L.B. Nagar
- CION Banjara Hills
Road No. 12, Banjara Hills
- CION Kompally
NH-44, Suchitra Road, Jeedimetla
- CION Balanagar
Balanagar Main Rd, Ferozguda, Balanagar
- CION Pragathi Nagar
Pragathi Nagar Rd, near JNTU, Kukatpally
- CION Nacharam
Behind Telephone Exchange, IDA Nacharam
Beyond the city, 31 more towns across 16 districts of Telangana and north Andhra Pradesh. Ask for the closest when you call.
The cervix is easy to look at. There is no reason to keep wondering.
Give us your name, number and where you live. Say if you would prefer a female doctor, and say when you last had a Pap smear test, or that you never have.
Toll free 1800 202 8726 · No referral needed · Telugu, Hindi and English