Do you know that for a woman, a typical and regular flow of blood during her menstrual cycle determines how healthy she is and if there is any disease prevailing in the body which requires immediate attention? For us, women menstruating normally and in the required days determines how healthy we are and how smoothly our system is functioning?
Women begin menstruating during their teenage life between the age of 12-15 years of age. The menstrual cycle occurs every 21-35 years of age, where the hormones in our body decide whether or not the ovaries will now produce eggs. Further, these hormones regulate the lining around the uterus, and this lining is known as the endometrium.
When this endometrium lining breaks down due to a change in hormones and separates itself from the uterus lining, women menstruate every month for five to six days. Whatever excess blood or tissue is left flows through the cervix and flushes out from the vagina, and that’s why menstrual blood appears very different from how a bleeding injury would look.
There is more to just the visibility of menstrual blood and the lot forming consistency of the period blood. It would not be wise to say that menstrual blood contains only cells from the uterus’ lining, but we can see the blood clot when we get injured and bleed; menstrual blood clotting isn’t visible in a similar way.
Just like cutting yourself and bleeding out in an average and healthy person would mean that his/her body responds by releasing clotting factors that would stop the bleeding, in the same way, menstrual bleeding stops with the hormonal changes. Still, if the clots are regularly visible in a person, it means that there is a severe health condition that prevails in a woman’s body, or it might indicate a problem like heavy bleeding.
As a woman approaches each cycle’s end, her menstrual blood’s color differs from the beginning. If the flowing blood consistency is thick and sticky, it is usually brown, and if the blood consistency is thin and watery, the color changes to pink.
These changes indicate whether blood flow is now decreasing as the menstrual cycle is approaching its end or if the woman is approaching her menopause phase as the building up of the endometrium around the uterus decreases. Sometimes, a consistent stressful lifestyle also affects blood flow by decreased flow of period blood in a woman.
Now, let’s look into the various colors of the menstrual blood that define how healthy a woman is and whether she overlooks a specific disease and needs diagnosis.
The Various shades of Menstrual Blood and What they say about your Health?
Period blood could also vary from one cycle to another or from one day to another. A woman might experience a different blood color on the first day of her period, and it might change on the last day of her menstrual cycle. Depending on these factors, here are some menstrual blood color or consistency that speak loads about your health.
Brown Menstrual Blood
Brown blood shows the sign of old blood, which has stayed longer in the uterus, and due to the slow flow of blood coming out of the uterus via the vagina, it oxidizes and turns into brown color. There are several other reasons for a brown color blood discharge.
- When the flow is slower at the beginning of your periods, the blood is generally brown or during the end of the menstrual cycle when again the flow is about to stop till the next process reappears. Moreover, sometimes there remains blood from your previous cycle, which turns brown.
- After delivering a baby, a woman experiences blood flow for the next four to six weeks, which begins relatively heavier. During the end, the blood turns either pinkish or brownish. This whole phase is known as Lochia.
- Sometimes, there are chances of spotting experienced by a woman during pregnancy, which is usually brown, and this spotting occurs when the active blood stops.
- There are times when a woman might experience ‘missed miscarriage,’ which means that unlike regular miscarriages, the fetus does stop developing but does not passes with blood for at least four weeks. There isn’t adding blood or clots, but a woman could experience brown spots.
Black Menstrual Blood
Black menstrual blood does not indicate any danger; instead, it is more similar to brown blood, and this black color is due to the longer time the blood is taking to exit the uterus. Hence, turning darker in color.
Bright Red Menstrual Blood
The brighter color of menstrual blood indicates the blood is fresh and is flowing smoothly, continuously, and faster from the cervix. It is visible mostly at the beginning days of the cycle, especially during the second day of your period.
Brighter red color blood is also visible when we have cramps due to the uterus’s muscle contracting, causing the uterus’ lining to break down and flow at an appropriate pace. But at times, bright red color menstrual blood could indicate an alarming condition wherein it could mean any infection such as chlamydia.
The other chances of bright red color menstrual blood could be due to fibroids’ noncancerous growth, the abnormal growth on the uterus walls that cause heavy bleeding throughout the cycle. The other symptoms depend on the size of the tumor inside the uterus.
Dark Red Menstrual Blood
The range of darkness of the menstrual blood significantly increases as you approach the end of your cycle. The blood turns dark red, then brown, and after which it is black.
It happens due to the blood getting old as it begins to flow slower than before, and at times, the blood from the deeper uterine lining flows too at the end of the cycle, due to which they appear darker in color. Moreover, the menstrual blood is away darker than the standard blood flowing from any injury, and it is visibly apparent if someone stains their clothing during the period.
Lochia, which the blood that a woman experiences after giving birth to a baby, could also be dark red due to clots’ appearance in the first few days, which gradually changes itself, ranging from different texture and color.
Pink Menstrual Blood
Pink menstrual blood usually indicates the mixture of blood with mucus as this blood begins to flow more slowly as the end of the menstrual cycle approaches. There are other chances of why your blood has suddenly turned pink, which depends on various factors such as low estrogen levels.
Estrogen is one of those hormones that help in keeping the lining of the uterus intact. So if the hormone levels are low, it usually leads to continuous falling of the lining from the uterus despite the menstrual cycle. The levels of estrogen is low either due to hormonal birth control or the approaching perimenopause phase.
Pink fluid could also be a sign of miscarriage in a pregnant woman, followed by other symptoms such as cramping, tissue passage, etc.
There are other colors to the pink fluid, which has the same reason: the mixing of blood with mucus during the ovulation period, but other reasons could be implantation spotting just 10-14 days after conception. It is not similar in all women, but it is better to go for a pregnancy test in this case.
There are other reasons why the Orange period blood could cause concern, such as any sexually transmitted infection.
So, When should you consider Visiting Your Doctor
A period that lasts longer than seven days and that too so heavy that it soaks through sanitary pads or tampons within every two hours will be necessary to consult the doctor. You need not worry if you are healthy, and the color of your blood varies because it could differ from one cycle to another.
You also need to meet your gynecologist if your periods are irregular or last less than 24 or longer than 38 days. If you are experiencing other symptoms apart from cramping, which is unusual or severe, you should meet with your doctor.
If you have approached your menopause and have started bleeding again, then consult your doctor to confirm whether there is anything unusual in it or just another expected effect of approaching menopause. In all these scenarios, it is mandatory to reach out to your doctor and get to know whether there is anything to fear or not.
