A bright red colour (like cranberry juice) is a sign of a healthy and regular period. There is a possibility that what is normal for one can be different for another but in general, bright red colour is considered as a healthy period colour.
However, everyone's period is different, and blood can change color and consistency during a period and from month to month. So it essential for people to learn what is normal for them. Healthy period blood typically varies from bright red to dark brown or black.
Ideally your menstrual cycle should be between 26-35 days long and about the same length every month. The total length of the cycle is counted from the first day of proper flow of your period to the last day before your next period.
Your cycle should last 26-32 days - anywhere in between is fine as long as it is regular and consistent for you. Your bleed should be the color of cranberry juice from start to finish, with no clots. A nice, strong, flow that isn't inconveniently heavy and has you running to the bathroom every hour.
Severe pain (cramping) during your period or between periods. Unusually heavy bleeding (soaking through a sanitary pad or tampon every hour for two to three hours) or passing large clots (larger than a quarter). Foul-smelling vaginal discharge. A period lasting longer than seven days.
Symptoms may include cramping or pain in the lower abdomen, low back pain, pain spreading down the legs, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, fainting, or headaches. Treatments may include NSAIDS, acetaminophen, birth control pills, hormone treatment, dietary changes, vitamins, exercise, heat, or massage.
Periods can last anything between 4 and 8 days, but usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days – but everyone is different. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink, brown or black.
Periods can get heavier and more painful for some women after the age of 40. Sometimes it is a nuisance and sometimes it is a cause for concern. [Have a question about women's health?
Several factors, such as heavy and lengthy periods and stress, may cause period pain to get worse with age. In some cases, underlying health conditions like endometriosis and uterine fibroids may cause period pain later in life.
A light period is a period that lasts less than two days, and there is very little blood during this time. Light periods do not usually mean that you are less fertile, but it can make it more difficult for you to get pregnant.
People may experience lighter periods when their estrogen levels are low. This is because estrogen increases the thickness of the uterus lining. Irregular periods. People may have irregular periods, spotting between periods, or both, when the uterus lining grows thicker than usual.
Your periods may get lighter
“About 60 percent of women older than age 40 begin to experience lighter and more manageable periods,” explains Dr. Einhorn. “Having very light periods or even skipping a period is normal and no reason for concern.
Good news: Dark red or brown period blood is typically nothing to be concerned about. “The primary reason that period blood could be brown is because it's old blood,” said Dr. Cummings. It usually happens at the beginning or the end of your period, when your flow is lighter.
Takeaway. Seeing different shades of red, brown, and even black blood during your period is typically normal and nothing to worry about.
“When the uterus is deprived of oxygen, it releases chemicals that may trigger the pain such as prostaglandins which increases uterine contractions. This type of period pain usually occurs during the second day of your period and is termed as Dysmenorrhea,” adds the expert.
For one, you don't burn more calories on your period, contrary to some locker room chatter. If anything, Sims says you burn slightly more calories when your hormones are higher (known as the post-ovulation luteal phase) because your heart rate, respiratory rate, and core temperature increase.
During the 10 years before menopause, many women often experience changes to their cycles. The average menstrual cycle for women in their late-30s and 40s tends to be shorter cycles with heavier bleeding.
According to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, a “light” bleed is anything less than 5 ml, which is less than a tablespoon. Light bleeding is also generally associated with a shorter duration of 1 to 2 days.
A fully saturated regular daytime pad may hold around 5 milliliters of fluid. A fully soaked overnight pad may hold 10 to 15 milliliters of fluid.
If you notice on heavy days of your period that blood seems extra-thick, and can sometimes form a jelly-like glob, these are menstrual clots, a mix of blood and tissue released from your uterus during your period. They can vary in size and color, and usually, they are nothing to worry about.
The lining of the uterus, or endometrium, prepares each month for the implantation of an embryo. This preparation occurs under the influence of estrogen and progesterone from the ovary. If no pregnancy develops, the endometrium is shed as a menstrual period, about fourteen days after ovulation.