# Really light period



## Blackcat (Sep 1, 2001)

I have a question. Im on my period and it seems a lot different then normal. Instead of a constant flow Im having next to nothing. (sorry this might get a little graphic) Its brown instead of red and very well, humm whats the word, chunky i guess. It is also very senstive when i put a tampon in. I have never had anything like this and i have been on othro tri-cyclen for like 4 years now. Any advice thanksamanda


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## sabry (Oct 14, 2001)

hi, i'm on the pill for a 4 years straight now....in the last year i always had period like you describe...brown, little, sometimes spots and sometimes like "little pieces" (sorry....)I went to a lot of gynos and docs and all of them told me it's nothing to worry about, since with the birth control pill the lining of the uterus become thinner and this can be a consequence of this....But i know how it feels like....i do not like it since it looks so unnormal....my friends told me that they would like this instead of big periods....but i do not like this a lot....anyway if you ask your doc, let me know what he says....take care


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

Brown blood is old blood. And sometimes chunkiness is because that has been drying out as it's been near the air for a while, or you may need to drink more water, or...you might have an infection.Is this the right time for you to be getting a period? Are there hormonal reasons (i.e. perimenopause) that your periods might be changing? I think a phone call to your dr is in order any time there is a big change in your usual flow.If this is really light, you probably shouldn't be using tampons..they can cause more harm than good. When everything in there is really dry, it's very uncomfortable to take them out, as you have seen. The discomfort could be because your flow is too light for tampons or you could have an infection.


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## Toothgal21 (Feb 28, 2002)

You should feel lucky to barely have a period. I go through a super tampon in 20 minutes.:-(and i have a 10 day period.-kc


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

kc, have you talked to your dr about that? That is a REALLY heavy flow. The Pill would probably lighten and shorten your periods. You also need to make sure all that blood loss isn't making you anemic. Make sure that your dr knows you have an abnormally heavy flow.I used to get heavy, clotty periods that started with AGONIZING cramps for the first 2-3 days of the 8-day period. I LOVE the Pill...it made my periods 4-5 days and SO much lighter. And I still get cramps, but not the superkiller ones of before.


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## Blackcat (Sep 1, 2001)

Well thanks for all the suggestions. It is the 3rd day of my period and its normal now. The flow and color is normal. I still have a little discomfort but nothing bad. I drink tons and tons of water, more now then i used to and the only thing I have changed is my diet. I dont know if that could have anything to do with it. Another wierd thing about this period is that I was in a good mood before and on the first day and that NEVER happens, I am always very craby and in general not happy. Also my cramps were not that bad and I was thinking I have been drinking a tea called Womens Liberty and I think it made this period eaiser on my body to deal with excpt i dont know if it would cause my periods to be soo light.







Anyway I also wondering if anyone knows if a lack of iron would cause a light period. I am borderline animic and latly I havent been eating much meat. But changing my diet has really helped my IBS and skin.







Thanks Amanda


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## K9Mom (Sep 20, 1999)

Thyroid disorders also cause period disturbances.HYPOthyroid causes heavy, long periods.HYPERthyroid causes short, scanty periods.A blood test can be done to check your thyroid. If you choose to have a thyroid blood test, I recommend that you get a copy of the lab report and look for yourself where your blood tests. Seems the standard pat answer from docs is your thyroid is "fine" yet when *some* patients get their lab reports they find that they are testing at the extreme ends of the normal range...which could actually mean that could have subclinical hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism...and be exhibiting symptoms.


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Also, of course, great loss of weight can be a factor too. A few months after I'd lost most of my visible body fat (a couple years ago), things were really, really light for me, too. Since I lost my body fat, I lost my stores of hormones too.


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

Blackcat, I'm glad to hear that things are more normal for you now







Since I've been on the pill, and the longer I'm on it, my periods tend to start really light like that then finally kick in full force after a day or two.As for iron... <vegetarian climbing up on her soapbox> there are lots of sources of iron besides meat. And I'm not talking about supplements. But I just woke up, so my mind is blanking. I eat a lot of cereal, and that is fortified with iron. I just checked the nutritional info... a serving (1 cup) of Crispix has 45% of the RDA of iron. Cinnamin Crispix has 30%, and Clusters has 25%. I eat my cereal dry, and love it that way. I eat some in the morning, and some later in the day as a snack. If you can tolerate them, make sure you are eating leafy green vegetables...those are a good source of iron and other good stuff.Anyhow, check the nutritional labels of your food...you'll probably be surprised just what you are and aren't eating. And make sure to look at the serving size. Often the servings are a lot smaller than what you're actually eating.


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