
Period blood loss chart
Peer reviewed by Dr Hayley Willacy, FRCGP Last updated by Danny ChadburnLast updated 30 Oct 2017
Meets Patient’s editorial guidelines
- DownloadDownload
- Share
- Language
- Discussion
- Audio Version
Using a period blood loss chart helps your doctor to get an idea as to how heavy your period is.
Video picks for Periods and period problems
Period blood loss chart for printing off

Each time you change a tampon or towel, place a mark mark in the column against the picture which most closely resembles your tampon or towel. (Some women use tampons, some use towels and some use both when the period is heavy.)
If you have a clot, mark roughly how large it is using different coins as a guide. In the UK for example, the size of a 1p, 2p, or 50p coin can be used.
Flooding means you have blood flow enough to stain your underwear (or worse) despite using a tampon, towel or both. If you have any flooding, place a mark in the flooding section.
The example shows a woman who over one day had five heavily blood-soaked tampons, one moderately blood-soaked tampon, one heavily blood-soaked towel, one moderately blood-soaked towel, and one clot the size of a 50p coin.
Patient picks for Periods and period problems

Women's health
Should you buy a menstrual cup? Eco-friendly period products
Disposable pads and tampons generate more than 200,000 tonnes of waste per year, dumped in landfills, clogging sewers and eventually ending up in the ocean. And it's been estimated that the average British woman spends as much as £18,450 on their periods over the course of their lifetime. We explore the environmentally friendly menstrual products that could be good for your wallet, as well as the planet.
by Georgia Gallant

Women's health
Why are more young women losing their periods due to restrictive diets and excessive exercise?
Experts have become alarmed by the increasing number of people losing their periods as a result of restrictive dieting and excessive exercise. There are concerns that this increase in so-called 'functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea' is connected to the content young people consume online.
by Emily Jane Bashforth
Continue reading below
Article history
The information on this page is peer reviewed by qualified clinicians.
30 Oct 2017 | Latest version

Ask, share, connect.
Browse discussions, ask questions, and share experiences across hundreds of health topics.

Feeling unwell?
Assess your symptoms online for free
Sign up to the Patient newsletter
Your weekly dose of clear, trustworthy health advice - written to help you feel informed, confident and in control.
By subscribing you accept our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. We never sell your data.