The menstrual cycle is very important to every woman. The discharge of blood during menstruation is how the uterus gets rid of its lining. For most women, menstrual Blood is bright at the beginning of their Period and get darker as the period progresses.

Why is my period blood brown on the first day?

Many women are scared or confused when they get a dark Brown discharge.

Is brown period normal? Brown period is normal in most cases. The color of your period could range from light red to dark brown. At the beginning of your period, you get a light colored bleeding and towards the ending you get a dark discharged.

Many women believe that period blood is always red but this is not always the case.​ The color and consistency of your period varies from time to time. It could be light or heavy, bright red or dark brown.

Here are a few reasons why your period might be brown in color or darker than usual:

1. Left over Uterine lining

Blood is expelled from your uterus during your period. There are times that your uterus didn't manage to shed all it's uterine lining during menstruation.

This unshed blood is retained in the uterus until your next period. ​

This becomes the first blood to shed on the first day of your next period.​ So this is why your period blood appears brown or dark on the first day.

2. Pregnancy

Brown Discharge or bleeding is common in early pregnancy. This is called implantation bleeding. This is usually accompanied by cramps and lower abdominal pain.

Brown discharge during pregnancy is also a sign of miscarriage. See the doctor immediately ​If you notice any form of blood or stains on your panties while pregnant. 

3. Menopause​

Another cause of brown discharge is called menopause. premenopausal brown discharge is a common occurrence. perimenopause or premenopausal is a 2-11 years period before a woman attains menopause. In this period, the level of estrogen and progesterone hormone starts decreasing and her reproductive systems starts slowing down.

The signs of pre-menopause are:irregular periods, missed period, dark brown discharge.​

4. Blood Clot Problem

Sometimes your menstrual bleeding is accompanied by blood clots. Blood clots are thick mass of blood expelled from the body.

During your period, anticoagulants are released to break down thick mass of blood before it passes out through your vagina.

In some cases the anticoagulants are not fast enough in breaking down the blood. Or the blood are being expelled faster than usual.

This jelly like thick mass of blood could appear darker in colour.​

5. End of cycle blood

Most women notice dark blood at the end of their menstruation and this is normal. In fact this is more common among women with long periods. This is a normal color change that is expected towards the end of your period.

However, if you experience an heavier than usual blood flow. Consult your doctor especially if you feel weak and fatigue.

​But what happens if you have a dark discharge instead of your period?

dark Brown Discharge Instead of period Could I be pregnant?

In some cases, some women experience a brown discharge instead of period.

A light bleeding around 6-7 days past ovulation is usually associated with implantation bleeding. This discharge could be pinkish in color or bright red. But it is hardly a dark brown color. The light color of implantation bleeding suggest that the blood is fresh from the fertilised egg trying to attach and bury itself in the uterine lining.​

If you are trying to conceive and you have sex close to ovulation, wait until you have missed your period to test for pregnancy.

If you suspect you may be pregnant already and you notice a bloody discharge, see a doctor immediately.

Women with endometriosis, PCOS, Ovarian Premature failure also experience discharge or mucus before their period.

Dark brown discharge instead of Period on birth control

Birth controls affects the way the female hormones were built to function. Some of the side effects of contraceptives is period blood before period, bleeding or spotting between periods.

Dark Brown discharge before Period

Hormonal imbalance is one of the causes of brown discharge before period. Other causes of discharge before period are Cervical Polyps, Birth control pills, Implantation bleeding, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases. 

Dark brown discharge after period

Dark brown discharge after period is fairly common. And this discharge is referred to as 'old blood' that has oxidised in the uterus. 

Not all blood gets expelled during your period. The uterus may be slow at times in shedding blood quickly. This remnant blood may find it's way out days after period your period is over.

Other causes of discharge after period are : hormonal imbalance, Stress, Endometriosis.​

​

The post Brown Period Blood appeared first on Conceive Success.