Women who complain that they bruise easily are commonly seen in the family physician's office. Although the vast majority of patients will be found, on investigation, to be normal, they all present a difficult diagnostic challenge. A careful history and physical examination are important in deciding which patients should be investigated further. For most, screening tests consisting of a platelet count, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and bleeding time will be adequate to rule out any significant bleeding problem, or to define the hemostatic mechanism which should be investigated further. If the screening tests are abnormal, or there is a strong family or personal history of abnormal bleeding, extensive and repeated investigation will be required at a specialized hemostasis centre.