If it is not your month to become a parent (the egg is not fertilized), a drop in another hormone (progesterone) signals the lining to start sloughing off. This tissue can give period flow a slimy consistency that is totally normal. Menstrual blood is generally thicker than water and ordinary blood.
Slippery and Mucus-y
In the canal that leads to the uterus, cells produce mucus. This mucus helps protect and direct sperm to the egg, but it can also thicken when affected by hormonal contraceptives. If your menstrual blood is slicker than usual, that's probably just because cervical mucus has mixed with the blood.
Cervical mucus may mix with menstrual blood, and when it does, the result is a jelly-like and slippery texture in your flow. Some contraceptives can cause cervical mucus to thicken, so if you've recently started on hormonal contraception, you might notice that kind of texture in your period blood more often.
It's normal to have some blood clots, which are a squishy, “jelly-like” consistency, but sometimes there might be more “tissue-like” clumps.
Stringy blood clots during the period that show as long strands of sticky period blood mean that the concentration of the discarded uterine lining is at its highest. At this point, the blood goes from bright to dark red. It's highly possible you'll notice jelly-like blood clots during the period from then on.
A decidual cast is usually red or pink. It's made up of tissue, mucus and blood and looks “fleshy” like a piece of raw red meat. It may look similar to a clot you'd see during your period, except it's much larger and has a slightly different texture. It's shaped like your uterine cavity, which resembles a light bulb.
It can be hard to distinguish between early pregnancy loss and a period. If bleeding is heavier than is usual, appears suddenly, or occurs with unusual abdominal cramping, this can indicate pregnancy loss. In the early stages, a person may not have known that they were pregnant.
You might pass large shiny red clots that look like liver as well as other pieces of tissue that look and feel like membrane. It might be painful and feel just like labour, and you might need pain relief in hospital.
Clear and stretchy — This is “fertile” mucous and means you're ovulating. Clear and watery — This occurs at different times of your cycle and can be particularly heavy after exercising. Yellow or green — May indicate an infection, especially if it's thick or clumpy like cottage cheese or has a foul odor.
Your menstrual blood may be thin and watery or thick and sticky. Thin and watery period blood is usually pinker, while thick and sticky discharge is usually more brown. These changes in consistency are common at the end of your cycle. This is because most of the endometrial tissue already has been passed.
Changes in cervical mucus can be a sign of early pregnancy. After ovulation, your cervical mucus thickens or dries up, then you eventually get your period. However, if you conceived at ovulation, you may still produce some cervical mucus. This can indicate to some women that they might have conceived.
Endometriosis blood clots may appear as dark or bright red clumps or blobs in menstrual flow. The clots can vary in size and texture, ranging from small and grainy to larger and more jelly-like in consistency.
Color: Menstrual bleeding is typically a bright to dark red, and will look like what you typically experience during your monthly period. Implantation bleeding is a much lighter hue, typically a very light pink or light rust color.
What does miscarriage tissue look like? If the miscarriage happens in the first six weeks of pregnancy, tissue is quite microscopic, so the vaginal discharge will be similar to a heavy period. You might pass the odd medium size blood clot but there are no really noticeable differences from your menstruation.
Often, a woman can have an extra heavy menstrual flow and not realize it's a miscarriage because she hadn't known she was pregnant. Some women who miscarry have cramping, spotting, heavier bleeding, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, weakness, or back pain. Spotting does not always mean a miscarriage.
You might be having an early miscarriage if: you're bleeding from your vagina. you've cramps in your lower abdomen – these can feel like bad period pains. there's fluid or tissue coming from your vagina.
After a girl is pregnant, she no longer gets her period. But girls who are pregnant can have other bleeding that might look like a period. For example, there can be a small amount of bleeding when a fertilized egg implants in the uterus. Doctors call this implantation bleeding.
Grey period blood is usually a sign of an infection, like bacterial vaginosis.
Endo belly is a severely bloated abdomen common in people with endometriosis. Some people say their swelling gets so bad, they look like they're pregnant. “People with endometriosis often have symptoms for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis,” says women's health specialist Megan Billow, DO.