Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBright RedDark Red, Brown, BlackPinkOrange, Gray, GreenConsistency and ClotsWhen to Call Your Healthcare Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Bright Red
Dark Red, Brown, Black
Pink
Orange, Gray, Green
Consistency and Clots
When to Call Your Healthcare Provider
Bright red isn’t the only possible period blood color. You may notice dark red or pink blood at different points during menstruation. Period blood color can even be black, orange, green, gray, orbrownfor various reasons ranging from early pregnancy to infection and more.
What’s typical for you may not be the same as for someone else. And even your own period blood color may change from day to day or period to period.
Verywell / Gary Ferster
Bright Red Period Blood Color
When your period blood is bright red, it means that it passed through your vagina fairly soon after entering your uterus. You’re most likely to see bright red blood at the start of your period.
You may also see brighter blood at times when you have cramps. That’s because cramps occur when your uterus contracts, and contractions lead to heavier blood flow.
Dark Red, Brown, Black Period Blood Color
Older period blood can appear:
These colors suggest a slower flow. For most people, the blood gets darker over the course of the cycle. This is because older blood from the deeper parts of the uterine lining is shed later.
Brown blood is also common in the weeks after you give birth. Postpartum bleeding is calledlochia.
However, in some cases:
If these colors are unexpected or abnormal for you, talk to your healthcare provider.
Why Do I Have Brown Discharge Right Before My Period?Brown vaginal discharge is usually just the body removing old blood cells and cleaning the vagina.However, it can also be a sign of an infection, PCOS, or cervical cancer. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns.
Why Do I Have Brown Discharge Right Before My Period?
Brown vaginal discharge is usually just the body removing old blood cells and cleaning the vagina.However, it can also be a sign of an infection, PCOS, or cervical cancer. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns.
Pink Period Blood Color
It’s common for period blood to look pink at the beginning or end of your period when your bleeding is lighter. The color change comes from normal mucus mixing with the blood.
Spottingbetween your regular periods is usually pink, red, or brown. This gets more common as you approach menopause and your periods become less regular.
See a healthcare provider if you suspect any of these causes may be affecting your period blood. You may also benefit from seeing a nutritionist.
Orange, Gray, or Green Period Blood Colors
Orange period blood can be a normal outcome of cervical fluid mixing with blood.
Light spotting (pink to rust-colored) not linked to a period may mean you’re pregnant. It can occur when a fertilized egg implants in the uterine wall. This takes place between about 10 and 14 days after conception.
However, orange, gray, or green tinges to your period blood or vaginal discharge are often a sign of infection, such as:
Other symptoms of an infection include:
See a healthcare provider if you have these symptoms. You may need an antibiotic to clear up the infection.
What Else You May Notice
In addition to changes in period blood color, you may also notice changes in the blood’s consistency and contents.
Consistency
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.
Clots
Period blood may contain some clots. During your period, the separation of theendometriumfrom the uterine wall can tear small blood vessels. They bleed, and clots form to stop the bleeding. They’re then passed out with your menstrual blood.
Clots can also form as hormonal changes signal the end of your period and the lining starts to build up again.
Period blood clots are generally small. If they’re larger than 1 inch in diameter, let your healthcare providers know. They may diagnoseheavy menstrual bleeding(previously known asmenorrhagia).
Speak to your healthcare provider if you notice a potentially concerning period blood color or anything that isout of the normfor you.
Changes in your menstrual bleeding can be a symptom of another health issue, includingpolycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS). Not all of these conditions are serious or need medical attention, but a professional should weigh in.
Signs that you should see a healthcare provider about your period include:
If you get a fever and feel unwell after using a tampon, it could be a sign oftoxic shock syndrome. This is a rare but potentially fatal condition that requires immediate medical attention.
What Is a Normal Period?What’s normal for you may not be what textbooks define as a “normal” period. Generally speaking, though, a period is considered normal if it:Comes anywhere between every 21 to 35 daysVaries as much as 20 days over the course of the yearLasts between two and seven days, though typically around five daysIncludes between 20 milliliters (ml) and 90 ml of blood
What Is a Normal Period?
What’s normal for you may not be what textbooks define as a “normal” period. Generally speaking, though, a period is considered normal if it:Comes anywhere between every 21 to 35 daysVaries as much as 20 days over the course of the yearLasts between two and seven days, though typically around five daysIncludes between 20 milliliters (ml) and 90 ml of blood
What’s normal for you may not be what textbooks define as a “normal” period. Generally speaking, though, a period is considered normal if it:
Summary
Period blood is a mixture of blood and tissues that lines your uterus. It has a different color and consistency than the blood in your veins.
When it passes from the vagina, your period blood color may be pink, red, brown, black, or even other colors. It may change colors during the same period. It can be thin or thick. Blood clots that pass during your period may be normal or they may signal another health issue.
It’s important to know what’s normal for you. Talk with your healthcare provider if you have concerns about changes in your period.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern Medicine.What your period says about your health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Vulvovaginal health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Perimenopausal bleeding and bleeding after menopause.Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.Implantation bleeding.Nemours TeensHealth.I’ve never had my period, so what’s this discharge?Berz K, Mccambridge T.Amenorrhea in the female athlete: What to do and when to worry.Pediatr Ann. 2016 Feb;45(3):97-102. doi:10.3928/00904481-20160210-03James AH.Heavy menstrual bleeding: work-up and management.Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2016;2016(1):236-242. doi:10.1182/asheducation-2016.1.236National Institutes of Health. NIH News In Health.Period problems: fibroids, endometriosis, and other issues.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heavy menstrual bleeding.American Academy of Family Physicians.Toxic shock syndrome.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Abnormal uterine bleeding.NHS.Periods: overview.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern Medicine.What your period says about your health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Vulvovaginal health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Perimenopausal bleeding and bleeding after menopause.Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.Implantation bleeding.Nemours TeensHealth.I’ve never had my period, so what’s this discharge?Berz K, Mccambridge T.Amenorrhea in the female athlete: What to do and when to worry.Pediatr Ann. 2016 Feb;45(3):97-102. doi:10.3928/00904481-20160210-03James AH.Heavy menstrual bleeding: work-up and management.Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2016;2016(1):236-242. doi:10.1182/asheducation-2016.1.236National Institutes of Health. NIH News In Health.Period problems: fibroids, endometriosis, and other issues.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heavy menstrual bleeding.American Academy of Family Physicians.Toxic shock syndrome.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Abnormal uterine bleeding.NHS.Periods: overview.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Northwestern Medicine.What your period says about your health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Vulvovaginal health.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Perimenopausal bleeding and bleeding after menopause.Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.Implantation bleeding.Nemours TeensHealth.I’ve never had my period, so what’s this discharge?Berz K, Mccambridge T.Amenorrhea in the female athlete: What to do and when to worry.Pediatr Ann. 2016 Feb;45(3):97-102. doi:10.3928/00904481-20160210-03James AH.Heavy menstrual bleeding: work-up and management.Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2016;2016(1):236-242. doi:10.1182/asheducation-2016.1.236National Institutes of Health. NIH News In Health.Period problems: fibroids, endometriosis, and other issues.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heavy menstrual bleeding.American Academy of Family Physicians.Toxic shock syndrome.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Abnormal uterine bleeding.NHS.Periods: overview.
Northwestern Medicine.What your period says about your health.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Vulvovaginal health.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Perimenopausal bleeding and bleeding after menopause.
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.Implantation bleeding.
Nemours TeensHealth.I’ve never had my period, so what’s this discharge?
Berz K, Mccambridge T.Amenorrhea in the female athlete: What to do and when to worry.Pediatr Ann. 2016 Feb;45(3):97-102. doi:10.3928/00904481-20160210-03
James AH.Heavy menstrual bleeding: work-up and management.Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2016;2016(1):236-242. doi:10.1182/asheducation-2016.1.236
National Institutes of Health. NIH News In Health.Period problems: fibroids, endometriosis, and other issues.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heavy menstrual bleeding.
American Academy of Family Physicians.Toxic shock syndrome.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Abnormal uterine bleeding.
NHS.Periods: overview.
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