title: Common Causes of Postmenopausal Bleeding in Korean Women: 10-Year Outcomes from a Single Medical Center.
abstract: The common causes of postmenopausal bleeding (PMB), according to the data from the western world, are atrophy, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), endometrial cancer, etc. We conducted a retrospective study to assess whether the causes of PMB in Korean postmenopausal women are similar to those already known. This retrospective study used 10-year medical records (March 2005 to December 2014) of 792 PMB women in the Yonsei University Health System. The data were divided into 2 categories by 5-year intervals to compare the differences between the 2 periods. The most common cause of PMB in Korean women was atrophy (51.1%). Polyps and HRT were the second, followed by anticoagulant medications, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer. The proportion of patients with cervical cancer significantly decreased during the second half of the decade (8.7% vs. 5.2%; P = 0.048). Although no significant change was noted for HRT, its rank was higher during the latter 5-year period. Only the most common cause of PMB was the same as the conventional data. Interestingly, the proportion of patients with cervical cancer decreased during the latter half of the decade, reflecting the changes in the nation's cancer prevalence rate, while the use of HRT increased.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Kyoung
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1753-2674
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon Soo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-3521
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gil Hospital, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Joo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3977-8568
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chon
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Hyon
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5703-797X
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sihyun
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2718-6645
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young Sik
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1157-4822
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Seok
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4669-8892
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. tudeolseo@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Seok Kyo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3404-0484
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Seo
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001284:Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants
keywords: Common Cause of Postmenopausal Bleeding; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Korean Postmenopausal Women; Postmenopausal Bleeding