No, You Cannot Have a Period Without a Uterus
If you do not have a uterus, you cannot experience menstrual bleeding, regardless of estrogen therapy. Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining (endometrium), and without this organ, there is no tissue to shed 1, 2.
Why Estrogen Alone Does Not Cause Bleeding Without a Uterus
Menstruation requires endometrial tissue: Menstrual bleeding occurs when the endometrium, which builds up under estrogen stimulation and is maintained by progesterone, breaks down and sheds when progesterone levels fall 1, 2.
No uterus means no endometrium: After hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), there is no endometrial tissue present to respond to hormonal stimulation, regardless of circulating estrogen levels 3.
Estrogen therapy recommendations differ: Women without a uterus who take hormone replacement therapy are prescribed estrogen alone rather than combined estrogen-progestin therapy, precisely because there is no endometrium that needs progesterone protection against hyperplasia or cancer 3.
What Bleeding After Hysterectomy Actually Indicates
Any vaginal bleeding after hysterectomy is abnormal and requires medical evaluation 3.
Possible causes of post-hysterectomy bleeding include:
If you had a supracervical hysterectomy (uterus removed but cervix retained), you would not have menstrual bleeding, but cervical tissue could potentially cause some discharge or spotting 3.
Clinical Caveat: Retained Endometrial Tissue
In extremely rare cases, endometrial tissue may be inadvertently left behind during hysterectomy or may exist outside the uterus (endometriosis), which could theoretically respond to estrogen and cause bleeding 3.
However, this would represent a surgical complication or pathologic condition, not normal menstruation 3.