The common notion about menopause is that it marks the end of our monthly period. But according to a study posted in Prevention.com and published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynecology, 91 percent of women still experience heavy days and prolonged bleeding during menopause—opposite of the menstruation-free phase we’ve always come to know.

University of Michigan professor Sioban Harlow and his team studied data from more than 1,300 women in their menopausal age (from 42 to 52 years old) and found that 91 percent complained of a 10-day bleeding period for at least three times in a year after they had menopaused. 88 percent of them mentioned that they had six or more days of spotting, while 78 percent experienced three or more days of heavy flow. Harlow clarified that bleeding post-menopause is normal because the hormones are not as synched as compared with those whoa in their 30s. This period (no pun intended) can last within two to eight years.

Now that you know this, you have know what to expect when you reach your menopause. Although there are no metrics yet available for doctors to monitor one’s bleeding patterns, Harlow expects that future studies will help provide the necessary data to create it. But as of now, he recommends that you visit your doctor if you experience three bleeding episodes within six months, passage of blood clots, or bleeding that continues for more than two and a half weeks.

(Screencap from Sex and The City: The Movie 2 courtesy of New Line Cinema)