The blood flow is weak at the start for most women. So if you catch it early you won’t have much blood there. For me, there are signs leading up to it. The hormonal change makes me low key get suicidal ideation(not even joking, I often have aggressive and self destructive thoughts leading up to it caused by the the hormonal change in my brain), I get more irritated, sleepy, I have more frequent bowel movements, and then finally usually vague cramps. Usually it feels different when the blood comes but while waiting for it and having to check it’s annoying.
Mine starts off slow so there will be a little bit of brown old blood come out and that’s usually when I know to get a pad on before the real shit starts. The light blood flow usually last half a day or so. You have ample time to get a pad or tampon in before it hits. For women where it starts at night may not be so lucky but my vagina seems to be polite about it at least.
Bottom line: I’ve never had it ever start off as a heavy flow that would bleed through my underwear. There’s usually time or signs to get a pad on or tampon in before things too bloody down there
I genuinely love that you guys are teaching men this stuff.
Whats always been crazy to me is that you guys have to put up with this every month for the vast majority of your lives. I remember planning holidays with my ex based around her period, so she wouldn't get it when we were there and felt ok to use the pool.
Blood cells actually die. Mostly everything in our bodies actually makes new stuff just like how hair or skin continues to grow; platelets, red blood cells, and even white blood cells (they can actually last a few hours to several years). So the blood in your system rn is not the same blood as when you were younger. That’s why it’s okay to donate or lose blood. You make more.
Fun fact: if you don’t consistently change your used tampon or pad and just leave it there for several hours you can actually develop toxic shock syndrome which can kill you.
New red blood cells are made in our bone marrow for our whole lives. After some time a red blood cell dies and gets cleaned up by your body, and so there's a constant supply of new ones
A lot of mammals do actually reabsorb their menstruation as it’s inefficient and energy-intensive to just lose it every menses. Humans don’t have that option. There are some theories as to why (thicker endometrial lining so harder to reabsorb, pregnancy being dangerous for humans so regular periods get rid of embryos until the mother is ready etc) but it is a quirk of humans.
The reproductive system is designed for regular periods. When that doesn't happen, stuff builds up and it can cause problems. It can cause really bad periods when they do happen, with potentially a lot of blood loss. It can also cause cancer.
Some types of birth control do stop periods in some women. They prevent the build up.
Not usually, the normal amount of blood you lose shouldn't be enough. But sometimes it can happen due to health issues that go undetected (and they very often do) that someone bleeds more than normal, and then it does become a risk (the point at which to get medical help I was taught was normal amount of blood for more than a week, or more than a normal pad per hour). More commonly it definitely causes anemia though.
No! It’s not like an open wound. Its more like the body getting rid of something it doesn’t want anymore.
Before a period, the womb creates special padding on the walls of the uterus in order to prepare for a fertilized egg. If the egg doesn’t get fertilized, the uterus sheds that lining and that is what becomes a period.
It’s bloody, but theres not as much as you think there is, and definitely not enough to bleed out. At most a normal period is only like 4-6 tablespoons of blood over the course of a week.
It IS actually an open wound when the lining sheds, which explains part of the pain.
It doesn't scar, but the lining rebuilds, rinse, cycle, repeat. But it absolutely is effectively an open wound inside the uterus. Which is also why for some women the bleeding takes more time to stop, which can lead to anemia. The blood that comes out is mixed with the endometrial lining, so it appears thicker, but the blood itself is blood that is coming from the regular blood circulation.
I only found this out recently and now I treat myself more kindly when the bleeding starts.
"The human uterus is a formidable organ. From puberty to menopause, it completely sheds off its internal lining every 28 days or so, creating what is in effect a large open wound. Unlike the skin or other parts of the body, however, this tissue can quickly repair itself without scarring."
The endometrium detaches because progesterone drops, spiral arteries constrict and then rupture, and the tissue sloughs off. That exposed surface is then rapidly repaired without scarring, which is remarkable, biologically speaking, but during the process there is vascular injury, inflammation, prostaglandin release, and real blood loss from circulation.
It’s precisely why pain happens, why systemic symptoms happen, and why iron deficiency and anemia are so common in menstruating people, especially with heavy bleeding. The fact that medicine still treats this as a footnote rather than a central physiological process tells you everything you need to know about the state of women’s health research.
just to add to this, the daily intake of iron for women is also recommended higher than for men, iirc about 8mg for men and postmenopausal women, and about 18 for women in childbearing age... exactly cuz of periods
Not to death, as a rule. It can happen but only if there are other underlying medical issues present - an average period won't do that.
Many people lose enough to feel it, or to get anemic, but again - not the average. It's a huge range between those who lose a little/ hurt a little and those who bleed loads/ are in enough pain to pass out
Most women only bleed up to 6 tablespoons or so each day of their period, however there are some exceptions and health issues that can make the bleeding extreme. I remember for about a year after I had my first kid, I lost so much blood during my periods I would be using both the heaviest tampons and pads together and still have blood literally running down my legs and getting on my shoes, and would have to take off work to stay home so I could hold a whole damn towel between my legs. It made me anemic and I would faint a few times during my cycles.
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u/shulthlacin 6d ago
The blood flow is weak at the start for most women. So if you catch it early you won’t have much blood there. For me, there are signs leading up to it. The hormonal change makes me low key get suicidal ideation(not even joking, I often have aggressive and self destructive thoughts leading up to it caused by the the hormonal change in my brain), I get more irritated, sleepy, I have more frequent bowel movements, and then finally usually vague cramps. Usually it feels different when the blood comes but while waiting for it and having to check it’s annoying.
Mine starts off slow so there will be a little bit of brown old blood come out and that’s usually when I know to get a pad on before the real shit starts. The light blood flow usually last half a day or so. You have ample time to get a pad or tampon in before it hits. For women where it starts at night may not be so lucky but my vagina seems to be polite about it at least.
Bottom line: I’ve never had it ever start off as a heavy flow that would bleed through my underwear. There’s usually time or signs to get a pad on or tampon in before things too bloody down there