Did you know the color, consistency and flow of your bleed is one of the greatest insights into your overall fertile health? Reading your period blood is an important habit to get into to help you know your body better.

Bright red: This is the color of healthy, fresh period blood – it is freshly oxygenated and flows at a normal speed. Clotting and cramping should be minimum.

Dark brown / spotting: This is older blood that has been exposed to oxygen, usually lingering from incomplete uterine lining shedding the cycle prior. It commonly appears as spotting in the few days leading up to the period. Spotting occurs since the endometrial lining has started to break away too early due to low progesterone, which fails to keep the lining in place.

Light pink / thin / watery: This color blood is often seen with general depletion, under eating, and serious nutritional deficiencies. It is also often caused by depletion in the form of chronic stress, burnout, and adrenal fatigue all leading to low estrogen and a thin endometrial lining.

Dark purple / thick / clotted: This type of period blood is commonly seen with estrogen dominance. Estrogen thickens the uterine lining and progesterone counterbalances estrogen. When progesterone is low, estrogen is unopposed and causes the uterine lining to grow very thick and is difficult to shed at menstruation.

Gray: This is likely a sign of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Orange: This is likely due to period blood mixed with cervical fluid, or possible infection.