Take the Higham test

How do we know if our periods are heavy?

Thanks to the Higham test, find out your score and the nature of your flow.

Higham score for measuring menstrual abundance

Enter your number of sanitary pads used per day in the table and find out your Higham score. A score above 100 points means that you are bleeding more than 80ml of blood and that you have menorrhagia. Consult your midwife to find out more.


Per day J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8
Number of lightly soaked sanitary pads
Number of moderately filled sanitary pads
Number of very saturated sanitary pads
Number of small clots (less than 1cm)
Number of large clots (greater than 1cm)
The panty we recommend for the day
The panty we recommend at night
Scroll horizontally in the table to fill in your sanitary protection consumption from D1 to D8.

Your Higham score




Calculate your Higham score for free!

To calculate your Higham score, you just have to enter the number of disposable sanitary protections used daily, whether it is a tampon or a sanitary napkin for example, during the duration of your period, from the first day (D1) to the end of your period (until D8 if necessary). You also need to indicate how full or empty the sanitary pads you use are, and whether there is a clot in your menstrual discharge.

To calculate your result reliably, it is most useful to note on your next cycles exactly how many disposable pads you use each day for the duration of your menstruation. Then take an average over 3 cycles and use our tool to calculate your Higham score.

What is the purpose of the Higham score?

A Scottish gynecologist, Jenny Higham, created this test to evaluate the volume of blood loss for the medical profession. The Higham test allows you to know theabundance of your period by calculating an estimated volume of blood loss at each cycle. Thanks to this result, you are able to identify whether you suffer from hypomenorrhea, hypermenorrhea or menorrhagia, which correspond to heavy periods.

Indeed, a score is given to you according to the data entered. This score can be interpreted in the following way:

  • Less than 20 points or 15ml: light period
  • Between 20 and 50 points or 15 to 40 ml: average flow
  • Between 50 and 65 points or about 40 to 50 ml: "normal" menstruation
  • Between 65 and 100 points: rather heavyflow
  • More than 100 points or 80 ml of blood: menorrhagia
  • More than 150 points: hemorrhagic periods requiring urgent treatment


However, periods can be spread out over a variable length of time: the feeling of the abundance of periods will not be the same, but in the end, it is the volume of blood lost during each cycle that is most important, in particular to find out if you are suffering from an underlying pathology or anemia.

How does our Higham Score tool work?

The tool assigns a specific number of points to each type of protection and according to their saturation. We calculate the Higham Score based on the following equivalencies:

  • 1 lightly filled sanitary protection = 1 point
  • 1 moderately soaked sanitary protection = 5 points
  • 1 very saturated sanitary napkin = 20 points
  • 1 small clot = 1 point
  • 1 large clot = 5 points


According to the result, our custom-made tool advises you the model of menstrual panties Elia to use during the day and during the night, according to your flow of the day.