In short
Endometrial polyps are usually noncancerous growths in the uterine lining that show up as spotting between periods or after menopause.
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01
What Uterine Polyps Are
Uterine, or endometrial, polyps are small growths of tissue that attach to the inner wall of the uterus and extend into the uterine cavity. They form when the endometrium, the uterine lining, grows excessively in one spot, and they can range from a few millimeters to several centimeters, sometimes appearing singly and sometimes in clusters.
The large majority of uterine polyps are noncancerous, and they become more common with age, particularly around and after menopause, though they can occur at any point after periods begin.
02
How They Show Up
The most common sign is irregular bleeding: spotting between periods, unpredictable or heavy periods, or bleeding after sex. Bleeding after menopause is a particularly important symptom, since any bleeding at that stage of life warrants prompt evaluation regardless of the cause.
Some polyps, especially small ones, cause no symptoms at all and are found incidentally during evaluation for infertility or during imaging done for another reason.
03
Getting a Diagnosis
Transvaginal ultrasound is often the first step, sometimes combined with saline infused into the uterus to outline the cavity more clearly and make a polyp easier to see. Hysteroscopy, where a thin camera is passed through the cervix into the uterus, gives a direct view and allows a polyp to be removed at the same time it's found.
Because postmenopausal bleeding always needs to rule out endometrial cancer, a biopsy of the uterine lining is a routine part of the workup, even when a polyp is clearly seen — the biopsy checks the surrounding lining rather than replacing evaluation of the polyp itself.
04
Treatment Options
Small polyps causing no symptoms, especially in someone who hasn't reached menopause, are sometimes simply monitored, since a portion resolve on their own. Symptomatic polyps, or any polyp found after menopause, are usually removed via hysteroscopy, a same-day outpatient procedure with a quick recovery.
Removed tissue is routinely sent for pathology to confirm it's benign. Polyps can recur, so new bleeding after a polyp has been removed is worth mentioning at a follow-up visit rather than assuming it's the same issue resolving on its own.
05
When to See a Doctor
Any bleeding after menopause, bleeding between periods that's new or persistent, or heavy bleeding that disrupts daily life is reason to see a gynecologist for evaluation.
Uterine polyps are a common, usually straightforward-to-treat cause of abnormal bleeding, but because bleeding can also signal other conditions, an exam is the only way to know which explanation fits.
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Sources
- Uterine Polypsmedlineplus.gov
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