During menstruation, the hormones in your body, especially progesterone and oestrogen, make you prepared for pregnancy by making the uterus line thick. This process helps in the implantation of fertilised eggs. This allows one to be pregnant. When someone gets pregnant, the period generally won’t commence before childbirth. However, if someone doesn’t get pregnant, the uterus starts to shed the lines that are thickened, along with blood via the vagina. Period blood colour can actually reveal important information about your overall health.
Getting to understand which colour of blood during periods is normal and which is not is extremely important. During menstruation, our body sheds blood and tissue from the uterus. This discharge of the body could vary from black or brown to bright red or pink.
Blood that remains in the uterus for a long period appears to be darker as it gets oxidised. It is very normal for a woman’s menstrual or period blood colour to alter during the period, depending on how much time it is taking to leave the body but health conditions and hormonal changes can also impact the texture and colour of blood during periods. Even the quantity of blood you lose during a period also varies.
Period Blood Colour and What It Indicates
Here are different period blood colours and details about what they indicate:
1. Bright Red Period Blood
The bright red period blood will usually be seen when you are on the heaviest period days. During this time, you will have quite a steady flow of blood. This period blood colour is often bright as it flows out from your body at a very fast rate. This indicates that it takes less time to get oxidised and darker.
Some people might witness this bright-red period blood throughout their entire period, although, in most cases, the period blood colour would change from bright red to dark red. On heavier days, blood clots are also common as the uterus sheds its lining
2. Dark Red Period Blood
The dark red period blood is extremely common and natural during heavy period days, especially in the morning. This occurs because as you sleep, the blood gets enough time to be oxidised before finally coming out of the body.
Some other possible cause that is responsible for such dark red period blood is postpartum bleeding. You are bound to experience this kind of vaginal discharge only after childbirth. It is actually lochia, which acts like menstrual bleeding right after childbirth. As mentioned before, when you are going through heavy bleeding period days, it is usually a bright red that later turns into a darker colour.
3. Black Period Blood
If you notice that your period blood colour is brown or black, then you need not worry. It is just older blood that is flowing out of the body. You will see this colour of the blood during periods at the beginning of your period, usually with the dark red period blood. It can be noticed at the end of your periods as well. It generally happens when the body takes too much time to release the blood out of the body.
However, if you experience a black blood period during pregnancy, then this might be concerning for you. It often indicates an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. If you experience a heavy bleeding period and stomach pain, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.
4. Light Pink Period Blood
This period blood colour is likely to occur when your period blood is mixed with the cervical fluid. You might notice this colour of blood during periods only when the flow is not heavy, like at the very end of a menstrual cycle. Although there are other reasons that can be the cause of this unique colour of period blood, which include conditions like Anaemia which mainly occurs if the iron level is low in your body.
Although if you see light pink blood spotting during period days, then you need to have a talk with your gynecologist as it occurs due to ovulation, hormonal contraceptives, a tear inside the vagina during sex, PCOS, chlamydia, etc.
5. Orange Period Blood
This one is another unique colour of period blood you might see during your menstrual days. It mainly occurs in the same way as the light pink blood colour of the period occurs. However, this colour of blood during periods can be due to bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis, like infections usually associated with other symptoms such as vaginal itching, foul smelling discharge, etc..
6. Grey Period Blood
The off-white or grey colour of your period blood is generally caused due to the presence of an infection, which is known as bacterial vaginosis. This infection can be treated with general antibiotics but you might want to check for other signs of this infection before getting panicked. Other signs include a burning sensation while you pee, a foul-smelling odour in the vagina, and itching outside and inside of the vagina. If you see these signs, then you must see a doctor before jumping to a conclusion and taking medicine.
If you see grey discharge that is accompanied by blood tissue or clots during your pregnancy, then there is a possibility of miscarriage. You might see other signs like pain in the lower abdomen and cramping.
Conclusion
It is very normal to witness different period blood colours at the start and the end of your period cycle. Several things can be the reason for different colours of period blood even when you are healthy. Therefore, if you come to notice such changes in your period blood colour, mostly when you are pregnant, you should consult with someone instead of getting tensed about it.
