The information on this page is about unexpected bleeding on Hormone Replacement Therapy.
You may hear your doctor talk about “unscheduled bleeding”. This means the same thing as unexpected bleeding.
You can watch the video or download the information as a PDF in Easy Read.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?
Hormone Replacement Therapy is treatment used to help people who do not make enough hormones. Hormones help control how our bodies work.
It is important to take your HRT medicine as you are told to.
Contact your GP practice if you get bleeding (like a period) from your vagina that you have not been told could happen.
They will try to find out why this is happening. This bleeding might happen because:
- you have just started taking HRT medicine
- you are not taking the HRT medicine properly
You might be sent for a test at the hospital. This test is called a transvaginal ultrasound scan.
What is a transvaginal ultrasound?
A transvaginal ultrasound is where a small device is put into your vagina. It looks for reasons why you might be bleeding. It checks for cancer or ovarian cysts.
After these tests you might be sent to a gynaecologist. A gynaecologist is a doctor who is an expert in women’s health. If you are sent to the gynaecologist this will be within two weeks of your transvaginal ultrasound.
Going to the gynaecologist
Being sent to the gynaecologist does not mean you have cancer.
The gynaecologist will ask you questions about:
- your health
- what hormone replacement therapy medicine you are on
You will need to bring your hormone replacement therapy prescription with you.
What is a hysteroscopy?
The gynaecologist might do another test called a hysteroscopy. A hysteroscopy is a thin tube with a camera inside. It is put into your womb to look for things like polyps or cancer.
They might take a sample from inside your womb for further tests.
You will get the results within six weeks of your meeting with the gynaecologist. This could be by letter or phone call.
The phone call might come from a withheld number or unknown caller.
After six weeks, if you have not had your results, you can contact your gynaecologist.
What happens next?
- If they find cancer, you will meet with a gynaecologist.
- If you have polyps, they might remove them.
- If all the test results are normal, you might need more tests.
Who to contact
If you have any questions or are worried about this, contact your GP surgery.