Amount of menstrual flow

Know your amount of menstrual flow

The average women will lose around 80ml – 120ml of menstrual fluid throughout the duration of her cycle. This would be an average of 25ml per 24hr period, over a 3-5 day cycle. Taking note that more is lost on the first day or two and less on the final days. Since every woman is different, this amount can be less or more than the above range. Most menstrual cups will hold a minimum of 10 ml of fluid and an average of 20-30ml depending on the brand and size.

The guide below will help you ascertain what sort of flow level you have, and may be useful in determining the correct size menstrual cup. Just because you have a heavy flow, does not mean you must purchase a larger size cup. It may just mean that you need to empty the smaller cup an extra couple of times throughout the day. When you begin using your menstrual cup, you may find it useful to also wear a panty liner while you assess your particular level of flow.

Levels of menstrual flow

• Spotting

Spotting often doesn’t require any sanitary protection, although some women will prefer to wear a panty liner. This level of flow is usually characterised by just a few spots of blood throughout the day.

• Very Light

If your flow level is light, you will most likely only need to change a low absorbency tampon or light pad once or twice throughout the day.

• Light

With this level, you will probably find yourself changing a low absorbency or regular pad 2 to 3 times throughout the day.

• Moderate

This is probably the average flow level and will require you to change a regular absorbency tampon or pad 4-6 times per day (every 3-4 hours).

• Heavy

If you have heavy bleeding you will most likely be changing a high absorbency tampon every 3-4 hours.

• Very Heavy

This level of flow would be similar to post birth, where you have such a high level of flow that few sanitary items work at all. In this instance, you would probably be changing a high absorbency tampon every hour or two.