Distinguishing staining from flow
28 October, 2015
Question:I'm confused at the quantity of bleeding that would be considered staining vs a light flow.
I have had spotting for a few days now. I needed to change my black liners every few hours for about a 12 hour period (used a tampon but it didn't even get full) . I had some light cramping like a period was coming but the next few days it was very light pink, nothing doing at all.
Answer:Distinguishing between stain and flow can be more art than science. When you see blood emerge from your body, that is a flow. When you have bleeding consistent with a light period day, that is usually considered a flow. Needing to change a liner every few hours is also usually a good rule of thumb for identifying a flow (though some women are more particular about changing than others).
It bears noting that blood found on a tampon typically makes a woman niddah even if she is only staining. (So we usually do not recommend tampon use unless a woman is already in niddah.)
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