You should also be concerned if you must change your pad or tampon about every hour. “It’s problematic if you’re passing golf ball-sized clots and passing them every couple of hours.” “A lot of women have really small clots that might be a dime-size or Ωa quarter-size during their period and that’s normal for them,” she says. Doctors will consider the size and frequency. Zanotti says it depends on each situation. If you have heavy menstrual bleeding, it can be serious. There are many conditions that can cause someone to have abnormally large blood clots or experience a heavier flow than normal. If you have a heavy flow and experience cramping, this is partially why you have pain. Your cervix has to dilate in order to pass larger blood clots.

“A clot will either come out then, or when she goes to the bathroom.” “A woman will feel a clot if she’s been in bed or been sitting and then she stands up,” says Dr. You may also see dark red or maroon clots during the first few days of your period when your flow is the heaviest. Because your flow is moving quickly, the blood does not have time to darken. At the beginning and the end of your cycle, they may appear bright red. But with period clots, what happens is if you’re having a good amount of bleeding, it collects inside your uterus and as it sits there it will make a clot.” What causes period clots? “Blood clots are supposed to happen to some degree, like when you cut yourself. “Blood clots will form anytime you have a certain amount of blood that just sits there,” Dr. To prevent your body from losing too much blood, plasma and platelets work together to form blood clots.

During that process, small blood vessels bleed. What are period clots?ĭuring menstruation, the hormones in your body cause the lining of your uterus to begin shedding. Ob/Gyn Salena Zanotti, MD, talks with us about period clots, what they mean and when you need to be treated. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.

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Period blot clots