I thought I'd post my story in the hope that it helps others - I am 59 - post menopausal having had no issues whatsoever with the meopause.

I caught Covid and was feeling run down with typical 'flu' symptoms lasting around a week. In that time, I went to the loo for a wee and noticed the tiniest speck of blood on the toilet tissues. Two days later another small show of blood and two days after that a tiny bit more - after that nothing. I had no pain. I messaged the GP and she called me right back. She was very reassuring and recommended that she order an ultrasound scan of my womb to discount 'anything sinister'. As is normal, I was put on the 2 week 'pathway' for potential cancer.

The ultrasound scan appointment (and a routine smear) was performed two weeks later. The ultrasound indicated a womb thickness of 10cm however the sonographer also commented that the lining of the womb appeared even and smooth - which was 'good'. 

Because my womb lining (endometrium) measured10cm and was therefore considered outside the clinical guidelines for 'normal' (4-5cm), the sonographer told me I would have to be referred to gynaecology for a hysteroscopy to take a closer look at the inside of my womb to check for any obvious abnormalities. 

A week later my smear results came back 'normal'. In the time between the ultrasound and hysteroscopy, I worried and thought the worst. Even though I am a psychotherapist, I was unable to change my negative mood and follow my own advice, but I did force myself to stay in a 'normal' daytime routine, stay connected to friends and family  and keep active for my mental health. 

Three weeks after my ultrasound, I attended hospital for a hysteroscopy. I saw a superb Nurse Practitioner who was assisted by a Nurse and Nursing Assistant who read through the sonographer’s report of my ultrasound. My womb had measured 13.5cm (not 10 as I had been told), the sonographer had also found a uterine fibroid in the wall of the womb (news to me too!). The Nurse Practitioner suggested that quite often bleeding can be contributed to polyps, so we agreed for her to perform the hysteroscopy.

I stripped all my lower clothing off and got on the very upright examination bed, legs akimbo covered with a sheet. The Nurse Practitioner inserted a speculum (used in smears) and then some water which helps the camera get a clear picture. The camera which is essentially at the end of a long thin coated wire was then inserted via the cervix and into the womb. The was some sensation but no pain at all. The Nurse immediately saw a polyp and turned the screen for me to see it for myself in glorious technicolour. The polyp was covered by a network of tiny blood vessels which she suggested were the cause of the bleeding. The Nurse Practitioner tried to take a biopsy from the polyp, and this felt momentarily like period cramps. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get a sufficient sample. My womb thickness turned out to be perfectly normal and the Nurse explained that often when the sonographer takes the measurements, they don’t know that they are also including the size of the polyp and it is therefore incorrect. Following the very brief procedure I experienced a few days of light bleeding which i was told to expect.

I was advised that whilst polyps are nothing to be overly concerned about - the area where they are attached to the womb can cause issues further down the line and they can bleed sporadically and on that basis, they advise that they are removed, so I am now waiting for that to happen.

I have to say everything was handled quickly and professionally!