Spotting Vs. Light Flow

[AdamsV88]

What do you consider to be spotting and what do you consider to be actual light flow? Some people have told me that spotting is using a pantiliner and light flow is filling up a tampon or regular flow pad... Others have told me that flow is having to use anything at all (like a pantiliner) and spotting is seeing stuff only when you wipe and not in your underwear.

??????????

I had an odd period a couple weeks ago and I am trying to figure out if I put it down in my chart right... did I spot or did I have light flow? lol My periods are always super heavy and all I had to do was use a pantiliner for a few days, I couldnt fill up a pad or a tampon at all.

TIA,
Veronica

[AdamsV88]

No one?

[Rainy229]

I have the same question... although I generally know when I'm on my period vs. spotting vs. odd bleeding.

MY interpretation of spotting is more color related and clot related - generally, for me, spotting is much more brown than flow, and flow generally has clots in it, where spotting doesn't. I can also associate spotting with a cause - ovulation or sex generally causes a bit of spotting, any blood after cd 35 without O is anovulatory spotting, anything after CD35, at least 10 dpo I consider flow...

HTH... I'd love to hear more responses too...

--Rainy

[AdamsV88]

Originally Posted by Rainy229

I have the same question... although I generally know when I'm on my period vs. spotting vs. odd bleeding.

MY interpretation of spotting is more color related and clot related - generally, for me, spotting is much more brown than flow, and flow generally has clots in it, where spotting doesn't. I can also associate spotting with a cause - ovulation or sex generally causes a bit of spotting, any blood after cd 35 without O is anovulatory spotting, anything after CD35, at least 10 dpo I consider flow...

HTH... I'd love to hear more responses too...

--Rainy

Thank you for replyiing, my "period" was bright red and VERY watery and it had no clots in it... it was enough to fill a pantiliner one and a half days and then just a few spots here and there the next day and a half. If I count the first day as light flow then my previous cycle was 29 days and I dont know when I ovulated because my daughter ran away with my bbt thermometer and hid it on me for the last two weeks.... lol.

[FairyMe]

Hmmm...let's see. When I'm spotting, I normally see it when I wipe and a tad bit on a pantyliner. A light flow for me could fill up half a panytliner or so. My light flows are usually reddish-brown and my spotting can be either brown (end of cycle) or bright red (cycle about to start). HTH