83: What Does Your Period Blood Color Mean?

**Take my Period Report Card Quiz Today**
www.wellnesswithvanda.com/period-report-card

Understanding the color of your period blood is one of the simplest—but most overlooked—ways to get insight into your hormone health. In this episode, Vanda breaks down exactly what each color can mean, what’s normal, and what might be a sign of imbalance.

You’ll learn:

•  Why brown blood at the start or end of your period can be normal—but what it means if it appears throughout
•  The difference between healthy bright red flow and pale pink or orange bleeding
•  What large or frequent clots may signal about estrogen levels
•  The concerning colors (like gray) that may indicate infection or require further evaluation
•  How your period color reflects the health of your uterine lining, ovulation, and overall hormonal balance

Plus, Vanda introduces her brand-new Period Report Card Quiz—a fast, 9-question tool that helps you understand what your symptoms really mean and whether your hormones need support.

Whether you’re trying to conceive, navigating postpartum cycles, or simply want healthier, easier periods, this episode gives you the clarity you didn’t know you needed.

Tune in, take the quiz, and start understanding your cycle on a deeper level.

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Free Resources:

Period Report Card Quiz:
www.wellnesswithvanda.com/period-report-card

Hormones 101 Training:
https://wellnesswithvanda.com/hormones101

Hormone Reboot: https://www.wellnesswithvanda.com/hormone-reboot/

*some links shared may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission from your purchase

Transcript

Hey, hey — welcome back to the podcast!

Last week, while planning some Instagram and Threads content, I realized I’ve never covered this topic on the podcast… and it absolutely deserves its own episode.

Today we’re talking about the color of your period blood — what’s normal, what’s not, and what different colors can tell us about your hormones. This will be a short and sweet episode, but the information is so important and often overlooked.

Most importantly: you should be paying attention to your period blood.
It’s not something to ignore, be ashamed of, or try not to look at. It’s simply another piece of data your body gives you each month — and it often provides early clues about hormone balance or imbalance.

So the next time your period arrives, take a moment to notice the color of your blood and how it changes throughout your bleeding days. I’m not talking about day one light spotting or the last bit of discharge at the end — I mean the days when you have actual flow.

Let’s talk through the most common colors and what they generally indicate.

Brown Blood

It’s normal to see a little brown blood:

• At the very beginning of your period, before true flow starts
• At the very end, when things are tapering off

However, you should not see brown blood throughout your entire period. Brown indicates old blood, which may happen when:

• The uterine lining didn’t fully shed the previous cycle
• You went a long time between periods
• There’s been stagnation or irregular cycles

I’ve been asked about this recently, so I wanted to address it right away.

Healthy Red Blood

During the days of actual flow, the ideal color is:

• Bright red
• Rich, dark red

These shades suggest:

• Healthy hormone balance
• Proper estrogen and progesterone levels
• A well-built uterine lining and a normal shed

This is the goal.

What about clots?

A few small clots (dime-sized or smaller) can be normal.
But:

• Large clots
• Frequent clots
• An entire period that feels “clotty”

…are signs of imbalance, often related to high estrogen or estrogen dominance. Testing is the best way to confirm.

Pink, Light, or Orangey Blood

Light-colored bleeding — especially if it looks pink or diluted — often points to:

• Low estrogen
• An imbalance between estrogen and progesterone
• A lining that isn’t being fully built up

If you’re trying to conceive soon, this matters. You need:

• A healthy uterine lining
• Sufficient progesterone
• Balanced estrogen

Otherwise implantation and early pregnancy can be affected.

Gray or Very Dark Blood

Blood that looks grayish or extremely dark (not brown):

• Can indicate old blood
• May suggest an infection
• Could be related to a recent miscarriage

This is something you definitely want to investigate further.

Quick Recap

On your actual flow days, you want to see:

• Healthy, rich red blood
• Minimal small clots
• No persistent brown blood
• No gray or concerning changes

Your period provides so much information — we just have to pay attention to it.

Want to Know What Your Period Is Telling You?

I created a brand-new tool I’m SO excited about:
 ✨ The Period Report Card Quiz ✨

It’s nine quick questions that will:

• Give you a “score” for your cycle
• Help you understand what that score means
• Explain the root causes behind your symptoms
• Tell you what you might need to do next

Period blood color is one of the questions, because it’s one of the simplest clues our bodies give us — if we know how to interpret it.

I’ll link the quiz at the very top of the show notes today since this is its official launch. Make sure you take it and see what your score reveals.

That’s all for today, friends — short and sweet like I promised.
 Have a great rest of your week, and I’ll talk with you next time!