Jelly Like Blood Clots During Period: Is It Normal?

If you found your way to this blog, I'm assuming you or someone you love is experiencing jelly-like clots during a period.

So let's pretend we're sitting at a coffee shop. I'm sipping my iced oat milk latte with honey, you're enjoying your coffee shop drink of choice, and I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about clotting during your period.

Remember, your period is considered a vital sign, and the type and consistency of your menstrual flow is relevant to the vital sign conversation. Just like we pay attention to things like heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, the details of your period can tell us a lot about what's going on inside your body.

What Jelly-Like Blood Clots Are

Before we talk about whether jelly-like blood clots during your period are normal, let's make sure we're all talking about the same thing.

Typically, menstrual flow has a consistency similar to what you would expect if you cut your leg. It is more flowy and liquid.

Jelly-like blood clots are exactly what they sound like. They're thicker, more mucousy, and have a jelly-like consistency rather than a liquid consistency.

One way to think about it is to imagine when you have a sinus infection and blow your nose. The mucus is often thicker and more jelly-like than what you would normally expect. Jelly-like blood clots during your period are similar in consistency, just with menstrual flow instead.

Why Blood Clots Form During a Period

To understand why blood clots form during a period, it helps to understand a little bit about the anatomy of the uterus.

The uterus has three layers: the endometrium, the myometrium, and the perimetrium. The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus that is shed during your period. The myometrium is the muscular layer of the uterus. The perimetrium is the outermost layer.

When your period starts, the uterine lining needs to be expelled from the body. To do that, the myometrium contracts. In many ways, these contractions are similar to labor contractions, just much less intense. In fact, period cramps are the sensation created by those uterine contractions.

When I hear that a patient is experiencing clotty periods, one of the things that immediately gets my attention is the muscular layer of the uterus. The uterus needs to contract efficiently to move menstrual blood out of the body. If there's an issue with how the uterus is contracting, blood can pool inside the uterus before it is expelled. When blood sits and pools, it can become thicker and form the jelly-like clots that many women notice during their period.

This is one reason the consistency of your menstrual flow can be an important part of the conversation when we're talking about your menstrual cycle as a vital sign.

When Period Clots Are Considered Normal

Not all period clots are a cause for concern.

In general, blood clots that are smaller than a quarter are considered normal. Many women will notice small clots from time to time during their period, and that alone is not necessarily a sign that something is wrong.

What gets my attention more are clots that are larger than a quarter. Clots of that size are considered abnormal, especially if they are happening frequently rather than as a one-time occurrence.

If you are consistently passing blood clots larger than a quarter during your period, it deserves further evaluation and a more thorough workup to determine why it is happening.

Common Causes of Larger Blood Clots

Some of the most common causes of larger blood clots during a period include:

• Fibroids

• Polyps

• Adenomyosis

• Endometriosis

Typically, I become more suspicious of one of these diagnoses when larger blood clots are present. In many cases, one or more of these conditions can affect the muscular layer of the uterus, the myometrium.

As we discussed above, the myometrium is responsible for contracting and helping expel menstrual blood from the uterus. When the muscular layer is affected, it may not be able to contract as forcefully or efficiently. As a result, blood can pool inside the uterus before it is expelled, increasing the likelihood of larger jelly-like blood clots during a period.

How Clotty Periods Can Affect Fertility

The clotty periods themselves do not directly impact fertility.

What I am more concerned about is the reason behind the clotting. As we discussed above, some of the most common causes of larger blood clots during a period include endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, and polyps.

Depending on the diagnosis, these conditions can affect the environment of the uterus. They can also affect implantation, particularly if there is a structural issue within the uterus itself.

This is one reason I pay attention when someone tells me they are experiencing frequent clotting during their period, especially if they are also trying to conceive. The clotting itself is not necessarily the problem. The underlying cause is what deserves further evaluation.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Hopefully, you are already seeing your gynecologist annually if you are menstruating. If you're experiencing clotting during your period, this is absolutely something worth bringing up during that visit.

If you feel like you need more time to discuss the issue, consider scheduling a problem visit specifically to talk about your symptoms. That gives you and your healthcare provider more time to discuss what's happening and whether additional evaluation is needed.

I would be especially likely to recommend discussing this with your healthcare provider if you are consistently passing blood clots larger than a quarter or if the clotting is becoming more frequent.

I would also recommend scheduling an appointment if you have been trying to conceive for longer than six months and are experiencing clotty periods. Depending on the cause, the same conditions that contribute to clotting can also affect fertility outcomes, making it an important part of the fertility conversation.

Next Steps

If you are experiencing period problems like clotty periods, we would love to help.

At The Cycle Script, we believe that your menstrual cycle is a vital sign and that your menstrual cycle impacts fertility. You deserve answers, and you deserve a thorough workup to help determine what is causing your symptoms.

We believe that "everything looks normal" and "just keep trying" shouldn't mean changing nothing. There are often actionable steps that can be taken to better understand your symptoms and optimize your health and fertility.

If you would like to work with us, you can find more information and sign up here.

Once you sign up, you will receive intake forms to complete. After we review your forms, we will send you a personalized action plan based on your signs and symptoms that you can begin implementing right away.

Your personalized action plan may include recommendations for additional testing, movement recommendations, nutritional recommendations, a lab review, supplement recommendations, and a medication review.

Every action plan is reviewed by a pharmacist and a pelvic floor physical therapist who is also a Pelvic Rehab Fertility Specialist, allowing us to take a comprehensive look at your symptoms and help you determine your next steps.