What Does It Mean If You Have Purple Period Blood?

It's that time of the month again, and with it brings the oh-so-normal period blood. Many people like to track their cycles in menstrual tracking apps such as Flo, and this includes monitoring period color. And we get it — normalcy is important especially for period blood, as it tells us what's going on with our bodies. Shades of red are the most familiar period blood colors, but what if you're bleeding purple? Like a dark, blueberry color that's close to black — what does this mean?

If truth be told, it can be scary seeing dark, plum-colored blood in your undies. But, many health experts explain it's usually nothing to be fearful of. According to KT by Knix, purple period blood is typically found during certain stages of your cycle and day. For example, these purple or bluish hues are often spotted towards the beginning or end of your period cycle and in the wee hours of the morning.

These purple-y tones also tend to be thicker in consistency than lighter-colored flows such as muted reds and bright reds, points out Rael. Oftentimes this thicker consistency is accompanied by bloody clumps or clots of discharge (per KT by Knix). While these purple clumps might be concerning, seeing blood clots is normal during your period. Rael explains that clots happen when your uterus expels less blood (i.e. you're bleeding less than normal on your cycle). Still, why does it have purple-y hues?

When it comes to understanding purple period blood, there's likely two culprits. The first culprit may be that your period blood is simply older. Similar to other darker period bloods such as brown, the purple or blue-toned hue means that the blood has had more time to oxygenate in your uterus, which in turn causes it to darken in color (per KT by Knix). This explains why purple blood is often seen during the morning time.

On the other hand, purple period blood may indicate a hormone imbalance. In particular, it may hint that your estrogen levels are too high, points out Rael. Other symptoms of high estrogen include bloating, fatigue, breast tenderness, increased symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), irregular periods, and more. While it may be alarming to see this purple blood in your underwear, you don't necessarily need to worry about elevated estrogen levels. Why? Because in some instances, lifestyle factors may help lower these estrogen levels. Factors like consuming a healthy diet, reducing stress, and getting quality sleep all encourage overall wellness and promote hormone balance (via Cleveland Clinic). More specifically, reducing your body fat percentage and limiting exposure to pesticides that have synthetic xenoestrogens may help lower estrogen levels. In aggressive situations, medications may also be prescribed. Without a doubt, it's always best to set up an appointment with your gynecologist to talk about your period if you're concerned.