Why Is My Period Blood Watery?

We all know that periods can vary over the course of a lifetime, and even throughout each cycle. Sometimes you may find your cramps more severe, or your flow heavier. Perhaps you are experiencing thin and watery menstrual blood, and are wondering to yourself, why?

Changes in flow, symptoms, and period blood consistency are, for the most part, perfectly normal and often little cause for concern. That being said, if you experience persistent watery blood in period, this may warrant attention.

There can be various factors involved here, so it can be helpful to gain a good understanding of your lifestyle, hormonal health, and how you feel on the inside, to help you identify what may be the issue at hand.

Join us in this article as we unpack seven common reasons why your period may be watery, what this could mean, and when it may be time to see a doctor.

Is Watery Period Blood Normal?

To begin, it is always important to remember that some variation in color and consistency over the course of your period is completely normal. See below for some examples of how your period blood can change in appearance:

To be able to notice these changes and identify whether or not they may be potential causes for concern, it’s key that you first know your personal baseline - that is, what’s typical for you and your period. What may be normal for your friend or relative may not be normal for you.

Watery period blood isn’t always anything to worry about, but if you have noticed your menstrual blood has suddenly become watery throughout your whole period, when it never used to be, there may be an underlying issue at hand. 

Why Is My Period Blood Watery? 7 Common Reasons

Start or End of Your Period

Sometimes, you may experience runny menstrual blood at the start or end of your period. This can be due to your menstrual blood mixing with vaginal discharge, making it look more watery in consistency.

Is your period blood bright red and watery? If you notice this at the start of your period, it could be due to new blood being released quickly without time to oxidize (when it darkens and thickens in color and consistency), resulting in bright red, more runny menstrual blood. 

On the other hand, at the end of your cycle, your flow is lighter, with less blood left to release, which may also make it seem thinner than usual. 

Low Estrogen Levels

Your hormone health can have a huge impact on how your period and overall menstrual cycle looks and feels. Estrogen is a key hormone in your reproductive health, and if your estrogen is low, can lead to your period blood seeming lighter and more watery in appearance. 

Reduced estrogen levels can be due to a variety of factors, including over-exercising, approaching or experiencing menopause, eating disorders, or premature ovarian failure.

It can be difficult to identify whether low estrogen levels are the cause of your watery period. Here are some commonly associated symptoms you can look out for:

• Fatigue

• Headaches

• Mood swings

• Vaginal dryness

For a more data backed way to identify any hormonal fluctuations, you could try using a hormone tracker. Our Hormone Monitor, for example, can be used to track LH, estrogen and progesterone metabolites in urine, and FSH over time, to visualize hormonal imbalance.

You can take your test easily every morning using our Wands, which sync automatically with the Mira App, providing you with clear, scientific insights into your hormone patterns, so you can notice any patterns, and spot any abnormalities.

Hormonal Birth Control

Hormonal birth control can be an excellent form of contraception for many women, allowing you to enjoy protected sex and help make your periods more regular. However, as it is a hormonal form of protection, it can trigger some changes to how your period may look.

Your period often becomes lighter when on hormonal birth control, as they can thin the uterine lining, and thus less tissue to shed, resulting in a lighter and thinner flow than what you may be used to.

Perimenopause or Menopause Transition

Menopause is a huge change all women eventually go through, typically occurring during your late 40s and 50s. Before menopause arrives, women enter a transitory stage, known as perimenopause, which tends to begin for women in their 40s, although this can vary.

With perimenopause comes dramatic hormonal changes, in turn affecting your period - largely due to significant fluctuations in your estrogen levels. 

Navigating your late reproductive changes can be tricky, which is why we offer a Menopause Transitions Kit. This guided kit can help you through this stage in life, and with the option to switch your Mira App to Menopause Transitions Mode, can make this process easier to understand and monitor – helping you navigate your reproductive health through all stages of life.

Weight Changes

Did you know that your weight can play a key role in your hormones? 

A change in weight, whether this be weight gain or weight loss, can disrupt your normal hormone production, altering the flow and consistency of your period. While small weight fluctuations are a normal part of life, if you’ve recently gone through a drastic change in weight, it could be a driving factor in why your period may look different, or more watery, than usual.

Stress and Hormonal Disruption

Emotional or physical stress can throw off your hormone balance, sometimes triggering a drop in your estrogen levels, leading to potential changes in your cycle and your period (see above for more on low estrogen levels). 

Managing stress is key not only for your mental health and wellbeing, but for your internal health too. Try being more mindful of your stress levels to help restore balance to your mind and body. 

You could even try incorporating more balanced food and drink into your diet to help you, such as herbal tea - our Mira Fertility Tea, for example, is a natural support tool to reduce stress and balance hormones during cycle irregularities.

Underlying Health Conditions

While the above causes can often be remedied or accepted as a natural part of life, a watery period can, in some cases, be an indicator of something not being quite right.

Watery blood during menstruation can at times be linked to certain health conditions, such as fallopian tumors, fibroids, PCOS, and adenomyosis - a condition in which your uterine lining begins to grow into the muscle of your womb’s wall. 

If you’re experiencing symptoms such as bloating, larger than usual blood clots in your period, as well as any pain in your abdominal or pelvic area, we recommend seeking medical attention to confirm whether something serious is amiss, and the next steps you may need to take.

While there are many fertility conditions women may have, PCOS is among the most common. While it cannot be cured, the symptoms can be alleviated through medical support and certain lifestyle changes, or taking supplements targeted for PCOS. Our PCOS Supplements support hormone regulation and address light or irregular bleeding, helping you live with the condition more comfortably.

Watery Period Blood vs. Implantation Bleeding

"Is this my period or spotting from implantation? My period blood is light pink and watery."

This type of light bleeding, often pink or watery in appearance, is sometimes an early sign of pregnancy, known as implantation bleeding. Implantation is the process when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine lining, usually 1-2 weeks after fertilization. Although completely normal, it can easily be mistaken for an unusually light period.

But how can you tell if it is a watery period, or implantation bleeding? We’ve put together a simple table to help you distinguish between the two:

When to See a Doctor

So, when is it time to see a doctor about all this?

While in some cases there is little need for alarm, remember you can always seek advice from your healthcare professional if you have concerns about any changes you may be experiencing.

If you do experience any sudden or persistent changes, however, it is important to book an appointment with your doctor. Here are some other key symptoms that may be a sign that something is not quite right:

• Needing to change your sanitary protection every 1-2 hours

• Passing larger than normal clots

• Periods lasting longer than 7 days

• Pelvic pain

It can be handy to try and narrow down what could be the root cause, to help your doctor have a better understanding of what you are experiencing. The Mira Hormone Health Clinic for Fertility can be helpful for users with irregular or unexplained watery periods, offering personalized hormonal coaching that can uncover what may be amiss.

How to Track Changes in Your Cycle

Tracking your period is a great way to get a better understanding of your cycle, even if you are regular and have yet to experience any unexpected changes. Many women opt for keeping a journal or using a period tracking app to help them keep an eye out for any unexpected changes and predict when they are due to enter each stage of their cycle.

Our Hormone Monitor, alongside our Wands and Mira App, is perfect for logging consistency, flow, and symptoms over multiple cycles, providing you with real time results and insights into your hormonal fluctuations and monthly cycle.

We also suggest tracking symptoms such as cramps, flow, period blood color, and how you feel emotionally. This can help greatly during any medical consultations, as well as help you easily identify any out of the ordinary changes.

Takeaway: Don’t Ignore Unusual Period Symptoms

To wrap up this article, changes in your period are normal, but can at times be an indicator of something that may require attention. While watery period blood isn’t always alarming, it is important to listen to your body and notice if this is a sudden or persistent change you have noticed in your cycle.

A woman's cycle is complex, and unique to her. What may be normal for one individual, may not be normal for somebody else. At Mira, we always encourage advocacy for your health, taking the time to look after yourself, and knowing that you can seek help if you are ever in doubt.

We hope you found this article helpful. You can discover more about your period, fertility, and more via the Mira blog page, which is filled with expert reviewed information and resources to help you along your reproductive health journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

My period blood is light pink and watery, is this normal?

A change in flow and period color is not unusual. However, if this change has appeared suddenly and your period has not returned to its usual appearance, consider speaking to your medical professional.

I had brownish pinkish watery spotting for 2 days and I missed my period. What does this mean?

Brownish pink spotting alongside a missed period may be implantation bleeding. Try taking a pregnancy test to confirm and help you decide your next steps.

Why do I have bright red period blood?

Bright red period blood is often due to blood being released quickly from your uterus, without time to oxidize. This is most common when your flow is at its heaviest.

My period is bright red and light, I'm on my 4th day is this normal?

A runnier, bright red period is often a sign of a heavy flow, which can last several days for some women. However, if this lasts longer than 7 days, and you find yourself soaking through period products within 1-2 hours, consider speaking to your doctor.

Why is my period so light this month?

Your period may be lighter than usual due to a variety of factors, such as eating disorders, dramatic weight change, change in medication, overexercise, and more. Fluctuations are normal, but try to notice if your flow returns to what’s typical for you.