A large section of girls at menarche expect their menstrual blood to be bright red in colour, but in reality, the colour varies from bright red to brown / dark red colour. Periods can be normally light and irregular at the start. It is also perfect if your period lasts long up to 7 days or short about 3 days.
Most girls get light flow period for the first few months lasting for minimal number of days. In such conditions where your body has light menstrual flow, the menstrual blood takes a little longer than normal to be expelled out of the body. Thus with such prolonged time in the body, the reddish menstrual blood and tissues tend to change colour into brown coloured menstrual discharge. During the end of your period, bleeding slows down, making the discharge appear darker again. It is to be noted that it is completely normal for young girls undergoing menarche to have their first few periods brown and thick. Bright red colour is found frequent on the heaviest days of menstruation.
The changes in colour depends on how long the blood and tissues are exposed to air oxygenation in the body. Haemoglobin is a blood component containing iron, which when exposed to oxygen and air, changes colour. Precisely, the tissues of uterus walls are supplied with rich blood flow by the arteries. During the time of your period, these arteries constrict to limit blood loss and causes the uterine walls to breakdown and shed. This shedding process is slow and controlled, making the time of exposure varied. Hence, the deep tissues appear dark brown or even black in some cases, as it takes longer time to exit your body.
On average, a female loses about 5-12 teaspoons of menstrual fluid, out of which only a fraction amount is blood. Although you may not bleed as much as you will in the upcoming years, the initial few months happen to be light. Periods last for about 3 to 7 days, and you may see brown period discharge on all days or only during the start and end of the period, either of which is normal. It is also common to observe period blood clot on heavy flow days that gives a deep red or brown colour.
However, the colour of your menstrual discharge is also influenced by external factors such as your diet, nutritional and hydration levels and medicines consumed. It is advised to consult your healthcare provider in cases of pinkish or grey watery menstrual discharge, as it may indicate un-healthy conditions. Few warning signs to be kept on watch on are bleeding or spotting outside your menstrual cycle, abnormal vaginal discharge, unpredictable periods, severe PMS symptoms etc.
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