Vaginal bleeding after sex is common. Although this bleeding after sex is often called "vaginal" bleeding, other parts of the genitals and reproductive system can be involved.

Vaginal bleeding after sex can have various causes.

Medical conditions that affect the vagina itself can cause this type of bleeding. They include the following:

• Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) — This condition involves thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls after menopause. It used to be called vaginal atrophy.
• Vaginal precancer or cancer — This is precancer or cancer that starts in the vagina. Precancer refers to irregular cells that might, but do not always, become cancerous.
• Vaginitis — This is inflammation of the vagina that may be due to GSM or an infection.

See a health care professional if you have bleeding that worries you. Get a health care checkup right away if you have ongoing vaginal bleeding after sex. Be sure to make an appointment if you're at risk of a sexually transmitted infection or you think you've been in contact with someone who has this type of infection.

After you go through menopause, it's important to get a checkup if you have vaginal bleeding at any time. Your health care team needs to make sure that the cause of your bleeding isn't something serious.

Vaginal bleeding may go away by itself in younger women. If it doesn't, it's important to get a health care checkup.

Sometimes, health care professionals find no clear cause of vaginal bleeding after sex.