Everyone will be a little different, and there are a few different things that can cause bleeding after sex.

The first is tearing of the hymen. This will bleed, and it can bleed more if the hymen has torn in multiple places. That’s okay, and it’s totally normal. Bleeding should slow significantly after the first 24 hours, and should stop shortly thereafter. However, repeated irritation of the torn hymen can delay healing. Think about any other cut on your body. It takes time to heal, but reopening the cut will obviously cause more bleeding and take longer to heal. Things that can irritate a torn, healing hymen are rubbing or reinserting things that stretch the skin (like a tampon, dildo or penis).

The second thing that can cause bleeding after sex is irritation of the lining of the vagina and the cervix. If you felt a little dry down there, didn’t use lube or DID use a condom (good job!) without lube (eek!), you might have some vaginal bleeding. That’s okay, and the bleeding/spotting should resolve in 24 hours or so.

A third thing that can cause bleeding after sex is, obviously, your period. Double check your calendar. If you were due for a period around the time you had sex AND if you had an orgasm (congrats!) then it’s possible you triggered some early release of period blood. Totally fine.

Finally, if you are bleeding excessively, like filling a pad and bleeding beyond 24 hours, it’s worth seeing a doc. The reason would mainly be that there are some minor bleeding conditions that cause prolonged bleeding and wound healing. (Feel like you’ve always had really heavy periods? This might be you.) The doctor can confirm with some lab tests, and make sure you aren’t anemic due to all of the blood loss. Nothing to worry about, but definitely something that’s good to know.