27th June 2023

Post-coital bleeding

There are many causes of PCB, and 8% of women have at least one episode of bleeding after intercourse in any 2-year period. In 50% of women investigated for PCB, no identifiable cause will be found. Possible causes include a cervical ectropion which are small friable areas on the external cervix – these are the result of columnar epithelial cells usually found in the cervical canal being present on the external cervix within the vagina, typically cells here are squamous. Cervical ectropion is particularly common in women taking the combined oral contraceptive pill. Other causes include cervical polyps, infections, or cancers.

Cervical ectropion

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2016). Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%AD%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%88%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%BA%D0%B8_%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BA%D0%B8.jpg (Accessed on: 13 February 2023).