There are certain stories and articles going around the internet at the moment recommending that you look at the colour of the blood released during your period and draw conclusions based on this about your health. If we are to believe what is said, bright red blood indicates that you are in good health, while a wine red colour could indicate a fibroma, to mention just one example. We could say that it is a little odd that our blood comes out in different colours, but how should this be interpreted?
How to interpret what we see?
We’ll say it straight away: the colour of the blood is not predictive of a serious illness, and in the same way, people who have illnesses such as cancer of the uterus can sometimes have very heavy periods with red blood, or by contrast very light periods with brownish blood. It just depends on the person. It’s easy to frighten yourself by interpreting the colours in a wide variety of ways. In fact, the colour of the blood depends on the quantity of blood and the speed at which is is released from the uterus.
When our bodies secrete a lot of hormones, the lining of the uterus is thick and the blood is red and abundant. We can sometimes notice clots that allow the body to protect itself from haemorrhage and ensures the body is not too full of blood. Sometimes, we notice a brownish coloured blood: far from being ‘dirtier’ than red blood, it is the same type of blood as always, that has simply been in contact with air in the vagina.
When should you consult your doctor?
Every woman’s periods are different in terms of both flow and colour. Periods are said to be normal when they don’t last more than 8 days, when we don’t have to get up at night to change the pads, and when we need to change the feminine hygiene products approximately every three hours during the day. (Beyond that and the loss of iron may be a cause for concern and could cause illness). Periods that increase too much in volume or duration could cause anaemia.
Besides this, pay attention to sudden changes in colour, consistency, or other aspects of your periods. Periods that cause problems (cramps, PMS, very heavy flow…) could warrant a visit to a specialist. Periods that are too long or bleeding/spotting in between periods should also be checked out.
Source : MissFrottis ; EspaceBuzz