is it normal to have dark menstrual blood at the beginning o

it's sort of worries me. i am 18 and this has happened the last few of my periods. i've had std scares and i can't afford to go to the doctor. should i be so worried?

Rasha L,

I'm 18 too and I get this fairly regularly. I have never had an std or pregnancy scare and as far as I'm aware I'm in pretty good health. It tends to start off brown or even blackish brown and then turns brighter red as the week progresses. I don't know what causes it but I don't think it's cause for concern, I've been having those for years with no ill effects.