Periods & cycle

Uterine Polyps: Small Growths, Big Bleeding Changes

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Uterine polyps are usually benign overgrowths of the uterine or cervical lining, and they are a common cause of abnormal bleeding: spotting between periods, heavy flow, bleeding after sex, or bleeding after menopause. Most are not cancerous. When they cause symptoms, a gynecologist can remove them during a short hysteroscopy.

Last updated: July 2026

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What are uterine polyps?

Uterine polyps are soft overgrowths of tissue attached to the inner wall of the uterus or the cervix. Endometrial polyps grow from the lining of the uterus, while cervical polyps arise at the cervix; both are usually benign and range from a few mm to about 30 mm across.

Polyps become more common with age and around the menopausal transition, often in the 40s and 50s, and estrogen appears to fuel their growth. Many cause no symptoms and are found incidentally during imaging done for heavy or irregular bleeding or a fertility work-up. When they do cause trouble, abnormal bleeding is the most common sign, according to abnormal uterine bleeding guidance 2.

Do uterine polyps cause abnormal bleeding?

Abnormal bleeding is the hallmark symptom of uterine polyps. Because a polyp is extra, fragile lining tissue with its own blood supply, it can bleed unpredictably: spotting between periods, heavier or longer periods, bleeding after sex, or a pink or brown vaginal discharge 3. In the classification system clinicians use for abnormal uterine bleeding, polyps are one of the structural causes, distinct from hormonal ones 2.

Polyps can also make it harder to conceive or contribute to early pregnancy loss in some cases. After menopause, any bleeding, even light spotting, is treated as a red flag until a clinician rules out other causes, because that is when the small risk of a precancerous or cancerous polyp is highest 4.

How are uterine polyps found and removed?

Finding polyps usually starts with imaging and ends with direct visualization. A transvaginal ultrasound is often the first step; a saline-infusion sonohysterogram (fluid gently instilled into the uterus during ultrasound) or a hysteroscopy, a thin camera passed through the cervix, shows polyps more clearly. According to NICE guidelines on heavy menstrual bleeding, hysteroscopy is the preferred way to diagnose and treat these lesions 1.

Removal, called hysteroscopic polypectomy, is typically a short outpatient procedure lasting around 15 to 30 minutes, often with quick recovery over a few days. The tissue is usually sent to a lab to confirm it is benign, and symptomatic bleeding frequently improves within 1 to 2 months after removal.

Are uterine polyps ever dangerous?

Most uterine polyps are harmless, but a small share can be precancerous or cancerous. The large majority are benign, and the risk of a polyp containing cancer is low, especially before menopause; the U.S. National Cancer Institute notes that bleeding after menopause is the symptom that most warrants prompt evaluation for endometrial disease 4.

Risk factors that raise concern include being postmenopausal, having bleeding symptoms, larger polyps, tamoxifen use, and obesity. For this reason clinicians often advise removing polyps that bleed or that appear in someone past menopause, while small, symptom-free polyps in younger people may simply be watched. Comparing polyps with other structural causes like uterine fibroids can help you understand your own bleeding pattern.

When to see a gynecologist

A gynecologist is the right clinician when bleeding is heavy, persistent, comes after sex, or occurs after menopause. A primary care clinician can start the work-up, but evaluating and removing polyps is a gynecologist's role, using ultrasound and hysteroscopy to confirm the cause and rule out other conditions.

Because polyps overlap with fibroids, heavy periods, and hormonal causes, a clear diagnosis matters before choosing treatment. Gale can help you gather your bleeding history and questions before that appointment.

Common questions

The large majority of uterine polyps are benign. A small share can be precancerous or cancerous, and that risk is higher after menopause, which is why bleeding after menopause is always evaluated. Removed polyps are usually sent to a lab to confirm.

Not always. Polyps that cause bleeding, that appear after menopause, or that affect fertility are often removed, while small, symptom-free polyps in younger people may simply be monitored. The decision depends on symptoms, size, and your history.

Hysteroscopic polypectomy is usually a short outpatient procedure. Many people have it with local anaesthetic or light sedation and go home the same day, with mild cramping and light spotting for a few days afterward.

Often, yes. When a polyp is the main cause, bleeding frequently improves within a cycle or two after removal. If bleeding continues, a clinician may look for other causes such as fibroids or a hormonal issue.

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When bleeding from a polyp needs attention

  • —Any vaginal bleeding after menopause, even light spotting, is a reason to seek prompt clinician evaluation
  • —Bleeding that soaks through a pad or tampon every hour for 2 or more hours is a reason to seek urgent clinician review
  • —Spotting or heavy bleeding that keeps recurring is a reason to book a gynecology visit for assessment
  • —New bleeding after sex is a reason to arrange a clinician evaluation

Bleeding that soaks through a pad or tampon every hour for 2 or more hours, or bleeding with fainting or severe pain, is a reason to seek urgent, same-day evaluation right away.

This article is general health education, not medical advice. Whether a polyp is present and whether it needs removal depends on imaging and your history, and is best determined with a gynecologist.

References

  1. 1.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2026). Heavy menstrual bleeding: assessment and management (NG88). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). link ✓Hysteroscopy is the preferred method to diagnose and treat endometrial polyps and other causes of heavy menstrual bleeding; supports the imaging-then-hysteroscopic-removal pathway.
  2. 2.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2013). ACOG committee opinion no. 557: Management of acute abnormal uterine bleeding in nonpregnant reproductive-aged women. Obstetrics & Gynecology. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000428646.67925.9a ✓Abnormal uterine bleeding classification places polyps among the structural causes, distinct from hormonal causes; abnormal bleeding is the most common presenting symptom.
  3. 3.Office on Women's Health (U.S. HHS) (2025). Period problems. Office on Women's Health (womenshealth.gov), U.S. HHS. link ✓Abnormal bleeding symptoms including spotting between periods, heavy or prolonged periods, and bleeding after sex are common patient-facing signs of an underlying cause.
  4. 4.National Cancer Institute (PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board) (2020). Endometrial Cancer Treatment (PDQ)-Patient Version. National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH. link ✓Postmenopausal bleeding is the symptom that most warrants prompt evaluation for endometrial disease, reflecting the higher malignancy risk of polyps after menopause.

4 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice. AI-assisted editorial content — every citation independently verified. Editorial policy

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