Key takeaways

  • Period blood color changes throughout your cycle due to how quickly blood flows and how long it stays in your uterus.
  • Common period blood colors include brown (at the start or end of your period), dark red (after lying down), bright red (during heavier flow), pink (on lighter days), and black (old blood that’s lingered longest).
  • Gray discharge may signal an infection or a miscarriage and requires medical attention. Talk with a healthcare professional if you have irregular cycles, bleeding between periods, severe pain, or discharge with a foul odor.

If you drop trou on your period and see anything but red, try not to panic. Period blood isn’t always red, and different colors of blood can mean lots of things.

Different blood colors aren’t usually a cause for concern. But occasionally, they may be a sign of an underlying condition that could require medical treatment.

Keep reading to learn more about why period blood may be red, pink, brown, gray, or orange, and when to consider speaking with a healthcare professional.

Brown period blood or discharge is typically older blood that’s been in the uterus for longer and has had time to oxidize.

This is most common at the beginning and end of your period because blood flow is slower, so it takes longer to leave your body. The longer it sits in your body, the more time it has to oxidize.

A light period may also cause brown period blood or discharge.

In some cases, brown blood may be a sign of something else:

Pregnancy

Brown blood or spotting may be a sign of implantation bleeding, an early pregnancy symptom. It usually occurs around 6 to 10 days after ovulation.

Some other signs and symptoms of implantation may include:

Lochia

Lochia is postpartum bleeding that occurs for the first 4 to 6 weeks after giving birth. This bleeding usually starts out heavy and turns pinkish or brown around day 4, lasting 5 to 9 days.

Missed miscarriage

Miscarriage is usually associated with bright red bleeding, but some people experience a “silent miscarriage,” sometimes called a missed abortion or missed miscarriage.

A silent miscarriage occurs when the embryo or fetus dies or stops developing, but the tissue doesn’t pass out of the uterus right away. There isn’t heavy bleeding, only dark brown spotting or bleeding.

Perimenopause

Fluctuations in estrogen levels during perimenopause affect the lining of your uterus, which can affect the frequency, texture, and color of your blood flow.

This may include brown period blood at different times during your cycle. The brown blood is usually just blood and uterine tissue making its way out of you.

Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)

PMOS (formerly PCOS) can prevent ovulation. When this happens, your uterine lining builds up but doesn’t shed properly, leading to light or missed periods with brown blood or discharge in between.

Other PMOS symptoms may include:

  • excess hair growth
  • weight gain
  • difficulty getting pregnant
  • acne

You might notice dark red period blood when you first get up in the morning or after lying down for a while.

The deep red shade may be due to gravity, which keeps the blood in the uterus for a while, but not long enough for it to oxidize and turn brown.

Like brown period blood, dark red blood is also associated with lochia and the end of your period.

Bright red period blood occurs when fresh blood is flowing steadily. Some people have bright red period blood through their whole period, while others only have it in the middle stages.

Bright red blood that occurs between periods may be caused by:

It’s important to speak with a healthcare professional if you experience any bleeding or spotting between periods, as this may require medical treatment.

Pink period blood is typically just blood diluted by cervical fluid and other vaginal secretions, especially if it occurs at the beginning or end of your period. You may also experience pink period blood on days when the flow is lighter.

After giving birth, lochia (postpartum bleeding) may be pinkish or brownish in color.

Other possible causes of light bleeding, spotting, or having pink blood between your typical period include:

Orange discharge can happen when blood mixes with cervical fluid, which is often normal.

However, orange period blood may also be associated with implantation spotting or an infection, such as an STI.

Period blood shouldn’t be gray or a similar off-white hue. If it is, it’s important to connect with a healthcare professional, as it may require medical treatment.

Gray period blood or discharge may be a symptom of an infection, such as bacterial vaginosis. Other symptoms of a vaginal infection may include:

  • itching
  • discharge with a foul odor
  • fever
  • pelvic pain

Gray discharge may also be a sign of miscarriage. Tissue passing from the vagina may be gray, pink, or white, and may have a stringy texture.

Seeing black period blood can be alarming. But it’s often old blood that’s lingered in the uterus for a long time and has oxidized, first turning dark red, then brown, and finally black. This is most likely to happen during low-flow days at the start or end of your period.

In some cases, black discharge may be a sign that a foreign object is stuck in the vagina, such as:

Other possible causes of black discharge may include:

Over time, these can irritate the lining of your vagina and cause an infection. Along with black discharge, you might notice a foul smell, itching, or rash in your vagina and on your vulva, as well as fever and pelvic pain.

Consult a healthcare professional immediately if you suspect you have something stuck inside the vagina or if you have infection symptoms.

Yes! Your period blood flow is typically slower at the beginning and end of the period, so the color may be pinkish or brownish. In the middle of your period, when the flow is heavier, the blood color is usually bright red.

However, you may even have different colors from month to month or at different times.

Watery period blood is likely just new blood flowing quickly from your uterus.

Blood clots in period blood typically occur as your uterus sheds its lining. They may also occur during heavier bleeding.

However, size matters. If you pass clots bigger than 2.5 centimeters in diameter, or the size of a quarter, consider speaking with a healthcare professional. Heavy bleeding may lead to anemia and cause symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath.

A healthy period can take on a variety of shades and textures, but consider speaking with a healthcare professional, such as a primary care doctor or an obstetrician and gynecologist (OB-GYN), if you experience any of the following:

  • irregular cycles that change dramatically in length from one month to the next
  • cycles shorter than 24 days or longer than 38 days in length
  • no period in 3 months or longer
  • bleeding is accompanied by other symptoms, such as severe pain, vaginal discharge, pain while urinating, and itching
  • bleeding between periods
  • you’ve gone through menopause and start bleeding again
  • you’re pregnant and start spotting or bleeding
  • gray discharge, which could mean a miscarriage or infection

Your period blood color and texture can change from cycle to cycle or even day to day, especially during certain stages of life, like when you’ve just started menstruating or are headed to menopause.

Most changes in period color aren’t a big deal, but it’s worth noting them and any other symptoms. Don’t hesitate to talk with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your period.