The ideal period lasts 3-5 days, with little-to-no pain or discomfort and medium, bright red flow. We know they can be very different than that. Senior Herbalist Elizabeth Willett talks more about an ideal period and common period concerns we regularly hear about.
To have abundant fertility means a woman should be having a healthy menstrual cycle. Each woman’s menstrual cycle day 1 begins with the first day of menstruation. Menstruation (the period) is the shedding of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. The information in this video and below is condensed from our Natural Guide for Menstrual Health. Please visit it for much more information including steps to maintaining a healthy cycle.
Again, an “ideal” period is thought to be, bright red blood and medium flow, few if any clots, with menstruation lasting 3-5 days. Yet, women come to us regularly with periods very different than this. Some common period concerns we are asked about are:
- Bright red blood/No pain or clots – This is a healthy period. Do not be concerned!
- Dark, brown or thick blood – Old looking blood that is thick, brown or dark is old blood left over from the previous cycle, perhaps caused by poor or lack of uterine tone, a slow/sluggish menstrual flow, or poor circulation to the uterus.
- Pale Blood, watery or thin menstruation – This is a menstruation issue that indicates poor blood quality.
- Clots during menstruation – Blood clotting is a natural healthy bodily process, but when there are period clots there is likely excessive flow that is not being expelled.
- Period pain – Pain during menstruation is known to be caused by overproduction of prostaglandins. This can happen as a result of and can be exacerbated by an unhealthy diet (lots of processed foods, saturated fats, caffeine, sugar or alcohol before menstruation), fertility health issues like endometriosis or fibroids, PID or STDs, infections, etc. So, talk to your doctor if you think any of the aforementioned fertility-health issues could be a cause and consider Natural Remedies for Painful Menstruation.
- Spotting and bleeding between periods- Spotting can happen and is not of concern, such as at ovulation, but other more concerning reasons to address are hormonal imbalance, anovulation, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, contraceptive use, too much exercise or poor nutrition.
- Absent period – Having no period at all when wanting to conceive naturally may be the most troublesome period health issue of all. There are many reasons why periods are absent from chronic or high levels of stress and dietary deficiencies to hormonal imbalance, low body weight and perimenopause, and more.
If you have concerns about you periods, feel free to explore Natural Fertility Info.com or reach out to our team.
