What are the three stages of blood clotting?

The three stages of blood clotting are the vascular phase, the platelet phase and the coagulation phase. The entire process of blood clotting may be referred to as hemostasis. The process takes place in order to prevent the body from losing too much blood due to injury.

When the human body is injured, a natural healing process is initiated in order to avoid blood loss. This process takes place in three stages as detailed below.

1. The Vascular Phase
When a blood vessel is damaged or cut through an unfortunate incident, vascular spasms of the smooth muscle within the vessel wall start taking place. This activity leads to vasoconstriction, which in essence stops or reduces the flow of blood. Vasoconstriction can last for up to 30 minutes and only affects the area that is hurt.
2. The Platelet Phase
In this stage, platelets start producing a substance that makes the endothelial cells sticky. This effect leads to formation of a mesh-like structure that is then deposited at the damaged region in order to initiate the healing process.
3. The Coagulation Stage
This is the third and final stage of clotting whereby platelets are reinforced by other substances in order to ensure the damaged area does not allow blood to ooze out of the damaged vein. After two to three days, the area will be completely sealed, making it almost impossible for further hemorrhage to take place.