Growing up, chances are you learned about periods the same way we learn about family money: whispered hints, no real details, and everyone pretending it’s totally normal to know nothing. Most of us were handed a pad, an embarrassed smile, and a lifetime subscription to “just manage.” No one explained anything: least of all why your blood sometimes looks like a makeup color palette.

Thank goodness your period blood is extremely chatty.

Period blood is one of the easiest ways to understand what’s happening inside your body. Doctors have said it. Gynecologists have written entire books about it. Even Reddit has subreddits where women casually compare the color and consistency of their menstrual blood. But in India?

We’re still stuck whispering “woh din” like the universe will collapse if anyone hears us.

So let’s normalise talking about period blood. Out loud. In full colour. 

Stigma, Silence & Zero Actual Education

Most Indian women didn’t grow up learning about period health. We grew up learning how to hide it. You know, the good old, “Don’t stain. Don’t smell. Don’t enter the kitchen. Don’t touch the pickle jar.”

Which means a lot of us never tracked our cycles or paid attention to flow or colour. And honestly, who could blame us? The national period education system was basically one deeply awkward school workshop taught by a teacher who whispered the whole thing.

But your blood? Baby, it’s an open book.
Understanding it is a tiny rebellion. A way of saying, “Actually, I’d like to know what’s happening in my own body.”

What “Normal” Actually Looks Like

Doctors like Dr. Jen Gunter (period queen of the internet) and Indian gynecologists on platforms like SheThePeople say that “normal” has a range, not a single shade or texture.

On Reddit, users describe their period colours with alarming food comparisons, such as “cherry red,” “dark jam,” “brown chai stain.”

Unsettling? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.

A healthy cycle usually moves through a whole spectrum of bright red tpo dark red to brown. Some months it behaves. Some months it shows you new shades like it’s auditioning for an OTT thriller.

Colour Indicators & What They May Mean

Bright Red

Fresh blood. Fast exit. Heavier days. Your uterus is basically saying, “We’re on a schedule. Move.” Very normal.

Dark Red

Shows up when blood takes its sweet time: mornings, end-of-period days. If your uterus could speak here, she’d say: “Let me finish this last bit and then I’ll leave.”

Brown

The grand finale shade. Older blood that’s oxidised. Still completely fine. Your mom might panic about this one, but global gyne experts say it’s literally textbook normal.

Pink

This can show up when your flow is lighter or diluted with cervical fluid. It can hint at low estrogen, especially if you often get very light flows. A lot of Indian women have this during high stress or crash-diet phases.

Orange

This one gets attention. Sometimes it’s just discharge mixing with blood. But if it comes with smell, itching, or discomfort, it might mean infection.

A visit to the gynac is a good idea here.

A Quick Note on Anaemia

India has one of the highest iron-deficiency rates. So if your blood looks watery, pale, or unusually light and you’re feeling like a Victorian lady who might faint dramatically: get an iron test. 

The colour is just a gentle nudge from your body that says:
“Madam… May we have some hemoglobin?”

Consistency & Clots: When Texture Tells a Story

Clots freak everyone out until they realise: your uterus is basically shedding a velvet carpet. Bits are bound to come off.

Small clots 

Totally normal. These little jelly bits are just your body shedding the uterine lining. Most people get them on heavier days.

Large clots

If they’re frequent and bigger than a ₹5 coin, keep an eye on it. Heavy flow with big clots can be linked to hormonal imbalances or conditions like fibroids or PCOS.

Thick or gooey flow

Often because things are moving slower. Hydration actually matters here. No, drinking four cups of cold coffee doesn’t count.

Watery flow

Shows up during lighter days or in those with low iron levels. Again, context matters. If watery flow is sudden or persistent, check in with a healthcare provider.

Flow Patterns

Light, heavy, irregular: every cycle comes with its own personality.

India also has one of the highest rates of PCOS globally, and heavy or unpredictable flow is often how many women first realise something’s off.

That Sassy Thing’s blog on The Impact of PCOS on a Woman’s Life changes points this out clearly:  irregular or very heavy cycles don’t mean danger, they just mean awareness helps you handle things better.

Smell Indicators

Menstrual blood does have a natural scent. It might be earthy, or slightly metallic. Nothing to be alarmed about.

When should you pay attention?
If the smell turns strong, sour, fishy, or rotten. Those can hint at infections like BV or (rarely) STIs. The rule is simple: if the smell makes you pause, don’t Google it. Get checked.

Smell isn’t about being “dirty.” It’s about your vaginal microbiome waving a little flag saying,

“Heeeey, something’s off.”

When to See a Doctor (Memorise These, Please)

Red flags that deserve a professional opinion:

• Soaking through pads/tampons every 1–2 hours

• Large, frequent clots

• Periods lasting over 7 days

• Strong or unusual smells

• Sudden changes in colour or flow

• Extremely painful cramps that don’t improve

• Cycles longer than 45 days or shorter than 21 days

• Bleeding between periods

Think of these as signals, not emergencies. Your body is communicating; don’t ghost it.

Myths India Really Needs to Retire

Myth 1: “Black blood means something is wrong.”

Reality: It’s oxidised old blood. Chill.

Myth 2: “Heavy flow means cleansing.”

Reality: No. Your uterus is not spring-cleaning.

Myth 3: “Period blood is impure.”

Reality: Science disagrees. Strongly. Violently. Passionately.

Myth 4: “If the colour changes, your body is malfunctioning.”

Reality: Bodies change. Hormones fluctuate. Life happens.

These myths died in the comments section of every gynecologist’s Instagram live. We can let them go.

Why Tracking Helps

A notebook works just fine. But if apps make your life easier, here’s a roundup of the best ones.

Even jotting down colour, flow, and mood once a month builds body awareness.

Our blog “Slay Your Schedule with Cycle Syncing” emphasises this beautifully: patterns help you understand energy, mood, and health, not just fertility.

Tracking isn’t obsessive. It’s self-care.

Conclusion

Period blood isn’t something to hide or fear. It’s just your body sending very dramatic monthly updates. 

Sometimes polite, sometimes chaotic, always revealing. 

Talk about your period. Ask your friends about theirs. Laugh about the chaos. Track the details.

It’s your body. Your cycle. Your health story, in fifty shades of red.

About the Author

Madhu (she/her) has been an avid reader of all things spicy since her childhood. She writes sassy blog posts and listicles now so that others may benefit from her wholly inappropriate, wholly informative tastes, too.