Blood is a constantly circulating fluid that consists of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets suspended in a liquid plasma that delivers oxygen and nutrition to the body and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. These are the basics, now let's learn a few interesting bloody facts about the blood in a woman's body.
1. Blood Volume
The amount of blood (blood volume) in an individual depends on their size and weight(roughly 8% of your body weight), but the average human adult has almost 5 litres of circulating blood. Women tend to have a lower blood volume than men. An average-sized female (5 feet 5 inches tall, 165 pounds weight) has about 9 pints (4.3 litres) of blood circulating in her body.
2. Extra Blood
From the first point, we know how much blood an average woman carries. The more interesting fact is that the amount of blood in a woman's body increases during pregnancy, increasing by 50% by the 20th week of pregnancy.
The increased volume of blood in pregnant women provides extra blood flow to the uterus and other organs, especially the kidneys. The greater volume brings more blood to the vessels and increases oil gland secretion.
3. Period Blood
Most women do not lose that much blood during their periods. In fact, it is widely accepted that most women lose only 2 to 3 tablespoons of menstrual blood each month. This amounts to approximately 30 to 50 millilitres. However, there is a research that suggests that the average menstrual blood loss may actually be about 4 tablespoons instead, which is almost 60 millilitres.
Another interesting fact to note is that period blood is not just blood. It is a complex biological fluid made up of blood, vaginal secretions remains of an unfertilized egg, and the mucus membrane prepared by the uterus in anticipation of a fertilized egg to attach to. The blood varies from red to dark red and brown, becoming darker getting to the end of your period. This study found that only about 36% of period blood is actual blood.
4. Blood and Stress
In a stressful situation, a woman’s pulse rate will rise, causing her heart to pump more blood. The peripheral blood vessels are constricted during moments of stress, which could force the heart to work harder to pump blood.
5. Pumping Heart
A woman’s heart typically pumps around 10% less blood per heartbeat than a man's.