Episode Transcript
Interviewer: So your periods are too much, too little, they're just weird. They're not normal or at least you think they're not normal. We'll find out if they really are or not next on The Scope.
Announcer: Questions every woman wonders about her health, body, and mind. This is "Am I Normal?" on The Scope.
Interviewer: We're talking today with Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones, she's the expert in all things woman. Dr. Jones, women everywhere have this question. "Is my period normal? Because I think I might be having too much bleeding down there, too little bleeding down there? How do you compare it to something?"
Dr. Jones: Right. And I'm sure you sit around with your girlfriends and talk about exactly what color it is, what it looks like, how many pads you've used.
Interviewer: Of course.
Dr. Jones: Well, anyway, so here's the scoop. At the beginning of reproductive life, meaning somewhere between the ages of 10 and 14 when you're starting, everything is normal because everything is weird. So they can skip a bunch, they can be one day of spotting, they can be 14 days of bleeding. It's totally unpredictable and when you get dizzy it's time for your mom to take you to the doctor.
Interviewer: So at that point, weird is normal.
Dr. Jones: Weird is normal.
Interviewer: Perfect.
Dr. Jones: At the end of reproductive life, meaning when people are going through the perimenopause, those years before the periods stop, abnormal is normal.
Interviewer: Okay.
Dr. Jones: You can have spotting for two days, you can have 10 days of flow, you can skip months. It's normal.
Interviewer: So at the start and the beginning.
Dr. Jones: Right.
Interviewer: Weird is normal.
Dr. Jones: Weird is normal. Now in-between times, it's different. So in-between times you are expected to kind of get into a rhythm. Except when you're pregnant or breastfeeding or using something for contraception, you should be using something for contraception if you don't want to make a baby. However, let's talk about what's normal. The time between periods from the first day to the first day should be about 21-35 days. Other experts say 24-38 days. I'm an inclusive woman, and an inclusive doctor, so I'll say 21-38 days. So if your periods come about 21-38 days apart, then they're normal.
It's not okay when you start having more than 20 days variation. That usually means you are kind of skipping some periods. Now that can be okay, but you may want to talk to your clinician about that. Now how much is too light? Less than two days is light. But there's usually not a problem with being too light, really, unless you're trying to get pregnant.
Interviewer: Right.
Dr. Jones: So light is good. Remember all bets are off when you're on some kind of hormonal birth control. These we're talking about are natural periods.
Interviewer: How about too heavy?
Dr. Jones: More than seven days can be too heavy. Some people say more than 10. Now we're talking about flow, not kind of spotting days. Now how much is too much? If you are passing clots that are as big as your fist, that is too much.
Interviewer: That feels painful. That sounds painful.
Dr. Jones: Yeah. Right. That's too much. If you are passing clots and soaking through heavy or heavy day's protection every two hours for several hours at a time, so you are soaking all the way through, that's too much. In terms of an amount, anything between 5ccs, which is like one-quarter teaspoon, to 80ccs, which is several ounces, is normal. But women don't really have a way to measure it. So if you're passing clots that are bigger than a finger and this goes on for several hours with your periods, then that's too much and you should talk to your doctor.
What color is okay? Everything from red to brown to black is okay. Now red means the blood is coming out flowing right out onto your protection, so it doesn't get a chance to spend any time in the vagina. But the normal healthy acids in the vagina make it turn dark. Some people say, "Oh, my blood is black or it's dark." That's okay. It just means you're not bleeding very much.
Interviewer: My mom, even still now, she tells me that when stuff comes out of you, it's your body's way of cleaning itself up. In a way, you should feel good that things are coming out. It's the most bizarre thing, but it's her way of making me feel better about myself.
Dr. Jones: Well, bless her heart. That's actually been the way many cultures interpret bleeding so bleeding is good. Some cultures isolate women during their periods. They have to go to a special hut. They can't sleep with their husband in the same bed. For some cultures and faiths, it's considered dirty. For some, it's considered cleaning. The reality is we don't know why evolution invented the period.
Interviewer: There's no scientific proof that this is my body cleaning itself?
Dr. Jones: No not really.
Interviewer: Cleansing.
Dr. Jones: Yeah, it's a good evolutionary guess, but then why don't other animals do it? So only primates, those are gorillas and chimpanzees and some monkeys and humans, have periods. Other animals may bleed a little bit, but so little you just don't see dogs walking around with pads on. In fact, when you go to the zoo, you don't even see gorillas walking around with pads on. So humans are kind of unique in how much they bleed, but we have a lot more sex than anybody else so maybe there's more to kind of fix up. As long as it's somewhere between 20 and 28 days, 21 and 28 days, and 2 to 8 days, and you're not passing big clots, it's probably okay.
Interviewer: So I'm weird, but that's a normal thing.
Dr. Jones: Yeah, you're pretty weird, but if it worries you, talk to your clinician.
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