What is a Normal Period?
Just as your heart rate and blood pressure are critical health indicators, periods are a woman’s fifth vital sign and really are a window into your overall health and wellbeing. Understanding your menstrual cycle and how to track it can give you a great insight into the state of your hormonal health. Often women believe that their period is “normal” typically because the symptoms that they experience are “common”, however, just because something is common, doesn’t mean that it is normal.
Understanding what is a normal period is essential women’s health knowledge that isn’t really being passed down from woman to woman anymore, or taught very well in schools.
A normal period is made up of many different components including cycle length, colour and amount of menstrual blood, and more.
In summary, a normal period:
Should start with fresh red blood
Be heavier for a couple of days, then taper off to nothing
No spotting
No brown blood or heavy clotting
Ranging from 4 to maximum of 7 days
Should get about 30-40ml of blood loss on average
What colour should menstrual blood be?
The beginning of your period should start with fresh blood, that is bright red in colour, as blood is oxidised (exposed to more air) it will begin to darken in colour. If your period begins with old, brown blood (already oxidised), this can be an indication of sluggish blood flow and you may experience cramping as well.
Normal bleeds – Bright, fresh red blood colour containing good amounts of haemoglobin and the flow moves fairly well.
Dark but still red blood/burgundy – this can be a sign of inflammation and will typically contain prostaglandin.
Prostaglandin is a pain chemical, so it can be common to experience cramping.
Prostaglandin also has an inverse relationship with Progesterone, which may mean that progesterone levels are low.
Brown: This is a sign of old menstrual blood or a sluggish flow, as the blood will darken in colour as it is oxidised
Dark blood/extremely dark red – possible sign of endometriosis
Pale pink/thin blood – possible sign of hormonal imbalance, can also be a sign of perimenopausal changes.
When we assess the colour of menstrual blood it’s important to consider the menstrual products used:
Tampons – It is common for blood to be slightly darker as it has often oxidised before the tampon is removed.
Menstrual Pads – These are the most accurate way to measure blood colour & quality.
Menstrual Cups – Cups are excellent for assessing the amount of blood flow, with many cups now even coming with measurement indicators!
How about the consistency of menstrual blood – Is clotting normal?
Smaller sized clots (smaller than pinky fingernail) can be normal as menstrual blood will often contain some cervical mucous. Remember that menstrual blood is not made up of just blood! It is actually highly biologically active tissue, enriched with the uterine microbiome and contains stem cells and other endometrial transudate.
Menstrual blood that is a watery/thin consistency can be a sign of perimenopause as the uterine lining begins to thin. It may also indicate hormonal imbalance and can occur post uterine surgery.
Thick or gluggy menstrual blood is a sign of endometrial thickness, which can be as a result of endometriosis.
Heavier clots can indicate a variety of conditions, including iron deficiency, endometriosis, coagulation disorders, liver issues and fibroids:
Iron deficiency – When iron/haemoglobin levels are low, there will be more clotting factors present within the blood, this will result in larger clots.
Endometriosis – This is due to increased amounts of endometrial tissue that is being expelled from the uterus, which increases coagulation factors.
Liver issues – Can be an indication of ineffective hormonal detoxification pathways
Fibroids – Lots of women are prone to fibroids with ageing, this can also increase the heaviness of their bleeds, depending on what is happening with their hormones.
How much blood loss is normal?
Hypomenorrhea is the term for abnormally low bleeding, typically less than 10ml, however, anything under 25ml is considered too light. Light bleeding may also be periods are less than two days in total duration. One reason why women may experience a light menstrual bleed is lack of ovulation during that cycle.
Heavy or prolonged bleeds (more than 80ml) are termed menorrhagia, it can be caused by many things, including hormonal imbalances or copper IUD use.
It is important to note that the volume of menstrual blood each cycle can differ from woman to women and may also vary with age and stage of life. When women are transitioning into the perimenopausal phase, their body produces less progesterone and they will typically begin to experience heavier bleeds, followed eventually by lighter periods.
As an indication, the average amount of menstrual blood is 50ml – with one, fully soaked, regular tampon equating to about 5-10ml, depending on the brand.
Is spotting normal?
Spotting during your cycle typically indicates low levels of progesterone, or that progesterone is decreasing too early before the period is due. Throughout your cycle, oestrogen is responsible for building the uterine lining, while progesterone’s job is to stabilise the lining and anchor it in place. Spotting can occur when ovulation is absent and your body doesn’t produce enough progesterone to stabilise the uterine lining in place.
Spotting during ovulation is also common and is due to the changing oestrogen levels that peak at ovulation. Consistent spotting or heavier bleeding during ovulation is not normal and the sign of an underlying hormonal imbalance.
How can you better support your body to have a healthy menstrual cycle?
Increase Vitamin C – this aids to improve progesterone production and helps with ovulation
Spend more time with your girlfriends (this helps to promote progesterone production & lowers cortisol!)
Reduce your stress levels
Spend more time outdoors
Increase Vitamin D exposure
Implement some strategies to improve your sleep
Join the 10pm club!
Increase fibre intake (aim for 2 cups of veggies per meal)
Supplement with zinc and an excellent quality magnesium
most importantly, address the underlying cause!
Tune in to Wellness Women Radio 178: Normal Bleeds (and what it means!) to find out more!
