The color and consistency of menstrual blood can change during the menstrual cycle, and that is completely normal and expected. If your period blood is thin and watery one day and thick and clumpy the day after that, you have no cause for concern; it is all a part of the process. The menstrual blood can also be bright red or brown, heavy or light. Periods tend to vary in length, heaviness, and level of discomfort amongst women, and that is to be expected.
For many women, brown period blood usually appears toward the end of their cycle. The blood tends to be red at the beginning of the cycle because the body is just starting to shed the uterine lining. The discharged menstrual blood is older and tends to be discolored by the last few days of the cycle.
However, brown spotting or brown discharge can also sometimes happen in the middle of the cycle while you are ovulating. This often happens with women who are just starting new birth control, younger girls who are just starting to have their periods, or women that are close to menopause.
If you happen to experience bleeding between periods often, make sure to pay your doctor a visit; just to make sure that it is not a symptom of a more serious problem.
Heavy brown bleeding between your periods can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, most likely polycystic ovarian syndrome (often referred to as PCOS). Polycystic ovarian syndrome occurs when your body produces too much testosterone, making your ovaries larger and developing abnormal growths. PCOS can also cause issues with fertility, as it messes with ovulation.
Brown period blood or brown spotting can sometimes be an early sign of pregnancy; doctors often refer to it as implantation bleeding. However, heavy brown discharge or bleeding during pregnancy can also indicate more serious matters, such as miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy (an occurrence in which the fertilized egg implants in a fallopian tube instead of the uterus). If you happen to experience any heavy vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, brown or not, make sure to speak to your doctor or obstetrician as soon as possible.
Hormonal changes just before menopause have been known to commonly cause the period blood to darken and lessen in quantity. If you are approaching menopause and you are noticing this change, it should not worry you, as it is normal and caused by fluctuating hormones in your body.
As we have previously mentioned, brown period blood alone is often not a cause for concern. However, when this occurrence is accompanied by other symptoms, you should definitely seek immediate medical attention.
Some of the symptoms include:
If you suspect or know that you are pregnant, and you notice dark bleeding, especially with clots, make sure to visit your doctor immediately. This occurrence may signify a miscarriage.
Brown period blood is not a sign of pregnancy. However, if you notice a pink or brown discharge before your period appears, that could be an early sign of pregnancy. It is essential that not every pregnant woman experiences this symptom, but a percentage of women do. This type of pink or brown discharge is caused by implantation bleeding that sometimes happens when the fertilized egg burrows itself into the uterus lining.
The brown color and foul smell of your period likely happen because you are on the last few days of your period when the discharged period blood tends to be older. The foul smell of the period occurs due to the blood and tissues exiting the vagina along with bacteria, which is typical for the vagina to contain.
However, the smell of your menstrual flow should not be strong enough for others to detect; if it is, it could be a vaginal infection.
Brown discharge that appears before the period starts is typically a vaginal discharge that contains a bit of blood, and it is a sign that your period is about to begin. Sometimes, brown or pinkish discharge in place of a period can indicate pregnancy or perimenopause. Less commonly, this occurrence can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
Brown spotting can appear before the period starts; it is often blood mixed with discharge, and it is a clear sign that your period is about to begin.
By itself, brown period blood does not have to mean infertility necessarily. However, brown period blood can be one of the symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, endometrial polyps, which can cause issues with fertility.
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