Your blood will usually be bright red on the heaviest days of your period when you have a steady flow of fresh blood. It's often brighter in colour because it passes out of your body at a faster rate – meaning it has little time to oxidise and go darker.
If you have bleeding that lasts longer than 7 days per period, or is so heavy that you have to change your pad or tampon nearly every hour, you need to talk with your doctor.
When a girl is standing up, gravity helps blood flow out the vagina. But if she's lying down, blood doesn't flow out as easily, especially on lighter flow days. It's like when you hold a bottle of water upside down: Gravity makes the water pour out much faster than it does when you hold the bottle on its side.
Hormonal changes, as well as a person's diet, lifestyle, age, and environment, can all cause variations in period blood. Period blood can vary from bright red to dark brown according to changes in flow. Infections, pregnancy, and, in rare cases, cervical cancer, can cause unusual blood color or irregular bleeding.
Mental stress can cause changes in menstrual cycles, which can range from skipped or irregular periods , to heavy menstrual bleeding.
Hormonal imbalance
Menorrhagia can be caused by an imbalance in estrogen and progesterone levels. Some women have elevated estrogen levels and low progesterone levels. This can lead to a thickening of the uterine lining, which often results in heavy bleeding.
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.
Good news! This is fine. Even though your period has been different in the past as long as your period is only lasting 3-7 days, the color of the blood and whether or not there are clumps in it doesn't matter. The bright red color and lack of clumps means that your uterine lining is shedding at a really steady rate.
Oxygenated (arterial) blood is bright red, while dexoygenated (venous) blood is dark reddish-purple.
The blood in the arteries is bright red in color because it is oxygenated. Oxygenated means that the hemoglobin molecules are bound with oxygen.
Causes of heavy periods
conditions affecting your womb, ovaries or hormones, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. some medicines and treatments, including some anticoagulant medicines and chemotherapy medicines. stress and depression.
Hydration prevents your blood from thickening while alleviating the muscle cramps associated with your monthly flow. Additionally, drinking water can help end your cycle faster. Eight glasses, or 64 ounces per day, really works wonders.
Arterial bleeding is characterized by rapid pulsing spurts, sometimes several meters high, and has been recorded as reaching as much as 18-feet away from the body. Because it's heavily oxygenated, arterial blood is said to be bright red.
Arterial Bleeding
Arteries contain oxygenated blood and have high blood pressure, and so the blood from arterial bleeding is categorized by spurts of bright red blood. Blood volume tends to be lost quickly during this type of bleeding, so immediate medical care is necessary.
Arterial bleeding is the most severe and urgent type of bleeding. It can result from a penetrating injury, blunt trauma, or damage to organs or blood vessels. Because the blood comes from the arteries, it is distinctive from the other types of bleeding. For example, the blood is bright red due to it containing oxygen.
Bright red blood: As your uterus starts to actively shed blood during your period, you may notice that the color is bright red. This just means that your blood is fresh and has not been in the uterus or vagina for some time. Dark red blood: Dark red blood is simply blood that has been in the vagina for longer.
What Do Blood Clots Look Like With Endometriosis? 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.
Heavy periods during the perimenopause: what you need to know. The perimenopause is the time directly before the menopause, when you still have periods, but the fluctuating and low hormone levels – especially estrogen – can trigger a whole host of symptoms, including heavy periods.
The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days. When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown. You'll lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) of blood during your period, although some women bleed more heavily than this.