What Does the Color and Consistency of Your Period Say About Your Hormones?

What Can Your Period Be Telling You?

I don’t have periods anymore from PCOS, and I have heard that an ideal period does not include clots!  What does clotting tell us?

First, if your period is missing, irregular or painful; the color and consistency of your period can give you clues about your hormone levels.  Missing periods with PCOS means you have not ovulated so finding out what is blocking ovulation from happening is important.  It could be from high testosterone, high DHEA, insulin resistance, gut issues, inflammation or stress.  With PCOS, some slight clotting may be normal.  Heavy, painful periods with large clots larger than a quarter could indicate estrogen dominance.

Elevated androgen levels can impair or block regular ovulation which will result in missing or irregular periods.

Signs of ovulation include:

• Changes in cervical fluid
• LH Surge
• Basal body temp shift

Elevated androgens (testosterone and DHEA) are a major reason for impaired ovulation with PCOS.  Major root causes are:

• Testosterone – blood sugar imbalances/insulin resistance
• DHEA – stress

Testosterone is an ovarian androgen and elevated insulin levels can signal the ovaries to produce more testosterone.  DHEA is an adrenal androgen and is tied in with your stress response.

What can the color and consistency give you for clues about your hormone levels?

Our bodies are talking to us all the time with all kinds of signs and symptoms.  Our period color an be telling us information about what our hormone levels are. For example –

1. Bright or Dark Red:  This is what we want, minimal clots and a maple-syrup consistency.  This is actually a sign of a healthy period.
2. Purple/Blue:  This color plus clotting or looking like crushed blueberries can be a sign of estrogen dominance (either high estrogen and low progesterone, high estrogen and normal progesterone or normal estrogen and low progesterone).
3. Light Pink:  This along with a cycle of 3 or less days can be a sing of low estrogen
4. Brown:  Blood will turn brown due to oxidation and this can be old blood that did not leave from your previous cycle or could indicate low progesterone levels.
5. Orange:  This can be a sign of an infection and should be addressed by your health care practitioner.
6. Grey:  Can be a possible sign of bacterial vaginosis and should also be addressed by your health care practitioner.
7. White:  Clear, creamy or watery around your cycle can be a sign of nutrient deficiency.

Our period is like a check engine light and your monthly report card for your overall health.  Symptoms are a signal from your body and you need to dig deeper for the root cause.

Do any of these look like your cycle?  If you have concerns, let’s chat.