Menstruation why blood

Call your doctor if you experience abnormal vaginal bleeding. Abnormal uterine bleeding is any vaginal bleeding that occurs between periods. Your discharge can say a lot about your health. Here's our swatch-guide to vaginal…. The birth control pill introduces different hormones into your system.

Learn how this may affect your menstrual cycle. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Suzanne Falck, M. Period blood color chart Black period blood Brown period blood Dark red period blood Bright red period blood Pink period blood Orange period blood Gray period blood Color throughout the week Period blood texture See your doctor Takeaway We include products we think are useful for our readers.

Why period blood varies in color For most women, menstruation begins between ages 12 and What do the different period blood colors mean?

What does black period blood mean? What does brown period blood mean? What does dark red period blood mean? What does bright red period blood mean? What does pink period blood mean? What does orange period blood mean?

What does gray period blood mean? Is it normal for the color to be different at the beginning and end of my period? When to see your doctor. The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Is It Spotting or a Period? The built-up lining is ready for a fertilized egg to attach to and start developing. If there is no fertilized egg, the lining breaks down and bleeds. Then the same process happens all over again.

It usually takes about a month for the lining to build up, then break down. That is why most girls and women get their periods around once a month. Ovulation pronounced: ov-yoo-LAY-shun is the release of an egg from the ovaries. The same hormones that cause the uterus lining to build up also cause an egg to leave one of the ovaries.

The egg travels through a thin tube called a fallopian tube to the uterus. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell, it attaches to the wall of the uterus, where over time it develops into a baby. If the egg is not fertilized, the uterus lining breaks down and bleeds, causing a period. For the first few years after a girl starts her period, it may not come regularly.

This is normal at first. By about 2—3 years after her first period, a girl's periods should be coming around once every 4—5 weeks. Yes, a girl can get pregnant as soon as her period starts. A girl can even get pregnant right before her very first period. This is because a girl's hormones might already be active.

The hormones may have led to ovulation and the building of the uterine wall. If a girl has sex, she can get pregnant, even though she has never had a period. The follicle that released your egg makes progesterone a hormone that prepares your body for pregnancy , which makes the lining stay thick and plush.

As for those blood clots , that's actually just your body trying to do its job. These are especially common first thing in the morning, she says, since the blood has time to pool in your vagina while you sleep. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Menstrual blood consists of blood as well as extra tissue from the uterine lining. It is not uncommon to occasionally soak through a pad or tampon. However, some bleeding can be abnormally heavy or long-lasting. Referred to as menorrhagia, a truly heavy period is characterized by soaking through pads or tampons every hour for several hours, needing to double up sanitary protection or wake in the night to change it, bleeding longer than seven days, or experiencing symptoms of anemia , according to the Mayo Clinic.

Menorrhagia is usually the result of a hormonal imbalance that causes anovulatory cycles menstrual cycles without ovulation. Those who are most at risk for menorrhagia are adolescent girls who recently started menstruating and women in their 40s and 50s who are approaching menopause.

She did a follow-up study that supported her theory in Women who live together sometimes do get their periods at the same time, but it may just be a coincidence. Your period is a normal function of your body; not a handicap. In fact, many health experts recommend exercise during menstruation to help reduce cramping, since aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, or swimming, produces chemicals that help block pain.

While most menstrual periods last from three to five days, they can be as short as two days and last for as long as seven days without being cause for concern about menstrual irregularity.