Women spend decades of their lives managing vaginal bleeding in the form of periods, so they’re no strangers to seeing blood in this area. Still, when the bleeding happens outside your menstrual cycles and invades your sex life, you’re understandably concerned.
Called postcoital bleeding, the first thing we want you to know is that it can be a common occurrence and affects up to 9% of women.
The second point we want to make is that bleeding after sex can indicate any number of issues, which Dr. Fernando Otero and the team here at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley explore below.
Let’s dive right into some of the causes of bleeding after sex, bearing in mind that we’re mostly referring to spotting. These causes include:
One of the biggest drivers of postcoital bleeding is vaginal dryness, which affects half of postmenopausal women and 17% of women between the ages of 18 and 50. The reason why this issue increases with age is that the loss of estrogen that stems from menopause causes a decline in lubrication, which leads to vaginal dryness.
But hormones aren’t the only cause, and other issues can lead to vaginal dryness, such as lack of arousal, certain medications, dehydration, and more.
If you have an infection that’s causing inflammation in your cervix, this can lead to spotting after intercourse.
For example, there were 2.2 million sexually transmitted infections reported in the United States in 2024, and one of the more common side effects of an active infection is vaginal bleeding, which can also extend to postcoital bleeding.
Outside of sexually transmitted infections, bacterial vaginosis can lead to inflammation in your cervix, as well as reactions to materials like latex, which is found in condoms.
If your pelvic floor weakens, your uterus can shift downward, which is called pelvic organ prolapse, and postcoital spotting is a possible side effect.
Postcoital bleeding can indicate cervical cancer, but please bear in mind that this reproductive cancer isn’t all that common — there were only slightly more than 13,600 cases in the US in 2025.
As you can see, there are many potential culprits behind bleeding after sex, and there are more that we haven’t covered here. A good rule of thumb for seeking our help is whether the bleeding is a regular occurrence and if there’s pain involved. If you can answer yes to these, we want you to come see us for an evaluation.
If it was just once or a few times and nothing came of it, the bleeding may not be cause for concern, but just keep an eye on it to be sure.
If you have more questions about bleeding after sex or you’d like us to evaluate the issue, we’re happy to help. To sit down with one of our specialists, please contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule an appointment.
