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7 interesting facts about your period blood

They are a rich source of stem cells and more other facts.

Written By Debjani Arora
Updated : February 16, 2018 4:26 PM IST

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period blood facts

What comes to your mind when you think of menstruation or your periods? Cramps, stains, sleepless nights, right? Well, we are not judging you for restricting your periods to just these obviously debilitating discomforts. But there is more to your periods than these niggles. There are a whole lot of things happening inside your body, while you are on your periods. And bleeding is just a part of it. You might not have given it a thought but there are few interesting things about the menstrual blood that you need to know.

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period blood is sterile

Your period blood is not just blood: Wondered why this bleeding is all thick and gummier that regular blood? Because menstrual blood is not just blood, it is a mix of blood, uterine lining, mucous, dead tissues and more, hence the consistency.

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How much you bleed

You bleed a maximum of 80 to 100 ml of blood during your periods: Before I extracted this information from a journal like you even I thought we bleed by litres, turns out not. Even women who complain about heavy bleeding or flow and change too many pads (6 to 8 a day) bleed up to 100 ml max. A healthy woman will bleed 60 ml of blood during her cycle [1].

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Period blood has stem cells

Menstrual blood is a rich source of stem cells: With people talking about stem cell banking and how stem cells can change the course of modern medication one should know that apart from cord blood cells, even menstrual blood is rich in stem cells. Studies show that stem cells extracted from menstrual blood can be used for various dermatological diseases [2].

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Menstrual blood is not dirty

Menstrual blood is not dirty: You might have inhibitions to believe this statement but it is true. The blood that comes out from your uterus and passes through the cervix and leaves your body is actually sterile. Remember your uterus is sterile and so the blood that comes out from the womb is not contaminated. If you are not suffering from any vaginal infections then your vagina might have good bacteria that will not pollute the blood.

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Period blood is odourless

Menstrual blood doesn’t smell foul: You might be wondering that then why do you smell fishy, like a rotten onion or iron. Well, the reason is menstrual blood is a mix of blood, uterine tissue, mucous and dead cells, which when comes in contact with air reacts with the bacteria in the environment and sends out a bad smell.

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period blood can be black

Your period blood can be black in colour: Don’t panic when your blood turns to be brown or black. This simply means that the blood is not expelled from your uterus too quickly. It is old blood and is taking its time to come out.

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bleeding from ears, nose

You can bleed from places other than your vagina: Well, this isn’t a cool fact about your vaginal blood but menstruation. In very rare cases women can bleed from their nose, ears, skin etc, cyclically [3].