Can I collect a sample during my period?

It is OK to collect a sample during your period as the presence of the period blood will not affect the sample, however, many women experience hormone related changes to their bowel movements related to their monthly cycle.  Some women become more constipated in the days leading up to their period and experience more loose bowel movements during the first day of their period. In these cases, it would be better to collect the sample from any of the other days of the cycle (e.g. day 3-26 for a 28 day cycle).