A period with a low and dark blood volume is usually normal and does not indicate any health problems, especially if it occurs at the beginning or end of menstruation, however, when this type of menstruation is recurrent, it can be a sign of hormonal changes, uterine problems, stress or sexually transmitted diseases, for example.
This can also happen when women start taking the birth control pill for the first time, change pills or use the morning-after pill. In these cases, menstruation may also darken or have the color of coffee beans, returning to normal in the next cycle.
Menstrual blood, which is black, brown, or similar to coffee perches, can be caused by:
A small amount of dark pink, brown, or reddish bleeding is common during the first few weeks of pregnancy when the embryo attaches to the walls of the uterus.
However, when this bleeding occurs at a later stage of pregnancy or is accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal pain, shoulder pain, dizziness or excessive fatigue, it may indicate the development of a pregnancy. ectopic abortion or miscarriage, so it is recommended to go to the obstetrician to check for any problems.
Some changes in a woman’s emotional state, such as excessive stress or depression, can affect the structure of the uterus by reducing the thickness of its walls; this change delays the layer of cells and therefore facilitates blood oxidation, making the period darker.
Hormonal changes due to thyroid problems, or even menopause, often lead to darkening of menstruation and small amounts. This change is also very common when changing birth control pills or when a woman is not breastfeeding too often and the lactation pill is not enough to prevent bleeding.
Sexually transmitted diseases caused by bacteria, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, cause faster degradation of menstrual blood, obscuring it; In addition, this type of period is usually accompanied by bad odor, brown discharge before or after menstruation, pelvic pain and fever greater than 38 degrees Celsius.
Endometriosis is the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, this type of problem and other conditions such as adenomyosis can cause severe pain in the pelvic area and dark imperfections, similar to the color of coffee grounds, which can occur during and between menstruation.
In these cases, menstruation, in addition to being dark, can also last up to 7 days, if you suspect you should go to the gynecologist for an exam, tests and recommendations for antibiotics or some other form of treatment, such as surgery.
Another situation in which the blood of the dark period is normal is in the postpartum stage, since the uterus takes about 45 days to return to its normal size and there is bleeding during this period, at this point this bleeding is not exactly menstruation, but the coloration is dark and can confuse many women; However, this is normal and expected.
If your period is accompanied by clots, read 7 reasons for menstrual blood clots.
Changes in menstrual bleeding are generally normal and don’t indicate problems, but you should see your gynecologist if other symptoms or signs also appear, such as:
It is also important to remember that when you suspect pregnancy, the onset of black bleeding, with clots or in large amounts, is also a reason to consult your doctor, as it may be a miscarriage, a degree may be needed to clean the uterus.