6 Reasons Why You Bleed After Sex

When you flick on the lights after sex, chances are you do a quick scan of the damage you and your partner left behind. Some clothes, a few toys, unidentifiable stains, and sometimes blood. For those with vaginas, bleeding after sex is actually not uncommon," says Constance Young, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Gynecologic Specialty Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.

There's a whole bunch of reasons why you might have a little blood on the sheets, and it's usually not a huge deal unless it becomes a regular thing. "You should be concerned if you're bleeding after sex every time you have intercourse, and it seems like the bleeding is heavier over time," Dr. Young says. This could be a sign that you have a more serious medical condition, and it's a good idea to get checked out by a doctor. Make a mental note about how much you're bleeding, even if you just notice it once, so you can figure out if it's actually A Thing.

The best way to figure out why you're bleeding after sex (and eventually stop it) is to go to your gynecologist and get a pap smear, chat about your contraception, and possibly take some other tests, too. "You need to identify what is causing the bleeding before you can look at solutions," Dr. Young says. To give you an idea of the possibilities, here are some of the reasons why you might bleed after sex.