How Do I Know When My Period Is Due

Your Breasts Feel Tender

Its common for breasts to feel extra sensitive, or even sore, on the days leading upto a period. Breasts can feel sore and swollen due to the fluctuating levels of hormones, explains Dr. Kallen. Why? Estrogen enlarges breast ducts, and progesterone causes milk glands to swell. Both combined can make your breasts feel pretty tender.

Remember, its important to get to know how your breasts normally look and feel. Ideally, examine them in the days after your period ends, when your breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender. Bear in mind that breast tenderness before your period is normal, but if you have other concerns about your breasts or notice a change, you should see a health care professional.

Is There Anything I Can Look For

Probably the most reliable physical symptom of early pregnancy is a missed period. Noticing that your breasts are getting increasingly sore, or experiencing symptoms that you dont usually get around the time of your period, are also signs that you could be pregnant. But again, a blood test will be the best way to know for sure.

First Of All What Is Implantation Bleeding

Once the egg has been fertilized by sperm, it starts to grow and to divide.

This process tells the body to prepare for pregnancy. The embryo keeps growing, and the uterine walls start to change. Although theyre already thick, the walls need to grow and mature to be able to support a growing embryo for the next nine months.

Once implanted, the embryo becomes dependant on the mothers body to provide oxygen and nutrients.

The changes in the endometrium, as well as the embryo growth, are followed by embryo migration. It travels down through the fallopian tube. After it reaches the womb, it burrows or implants itself into the womb lining. Hence, the name implantation.

This process usually happens between the sixth and twelfth day from conception. Once the embryo implants itself, it may cause some blood vessels to burst. This is known as implantation bleeding.

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My Cycle Isnt 28 Days Will This Due Date Calculator Work For Me

Yes. The logic behind our pregnancy calculator works as follows:

• The average cycle length is 28 days
• If your cycle length is shorter, your due date will be earlier
• For every day your cycle is shorter, your due date moves one day earlier

When To Speak With A Doctor

People may wish to see a healthcare professional if they have PMS symptoms that affect their daily life, if the symptoms occur outside of their period, or if they experience any sudden or dramatic changes to PMS or period symptoms.

If a person expects to have a period, but it does not arrive, it is best to speak with a healthcare professional about the potential causes. They may recommend a pregnancy test if someone could be pregnant or other tests if pregnancy is not the cause.

Heavy bleeding and severe abdominal cramping can indicate pregnancy complications, such as pregnancy loss or ectopic pregnancy. Contact a provider immediately if a pregnant person experiences any of the following symptoms:

• Women’s Health / Gynecology

8 sourcescollapsed

• Bai, G., et al. . Associations between nausea, vomiting, fatigue and health-related quality of life of women in early pregnancy: The generation R study.

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What If My Cycle Is Irregular

It can be more difficult to get pregnant if you have irregular periods because you may not ovulate regularly.

There are many possible causes of irregular periods, which may affect your fertility. For example:

• medical conditions such as thyroid problems or polycystic ovary syndrome.

Having irregular periods does not mean you wont get pregnant and there are things you can do to boost your chances of success.

See your GP if your periods have stopped, youre missing monthly periods or you have irregular periods and are struggling to get pregnant.

What Do I Need To Do To Prepare For My First Period

There is nothing in particular you need to do to prepare for your first period, besides having feminine hygiene products and over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen on hand. If you happen to get your period with no access to menstrual products, toilet paper will work in an emergency. If you get your first period at school, your teacher or school nurse will have a pantiliner or pad on hand.

There are a variety of menstrual products available to you:

Disposable pads

These absorbent pads have an adhesive backing that sticks to the inside of your underwear. They are available in different lengths and absorbencies, and some have adhesive wings that wrap around the sides of your underwear. Disposable pads should be changed every 4-6 hours and are thrown out after a single use.

Pantiliners

These are small, thin, disposable absorbent pads that can be used on their own on days of light flow. They can also be used in combination with a tampon, in case of leaks or discharge.

Reusable pads

These are usually made of cotton, bamboo, or other natural absorbent fibres, and are often available at health food stores. They can be washed with detergent and reused. Some have velcro tabs to secure them around your underwear.

Tampons

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What Are Signs Of Period Coming Discharge

Vaginal discharge before period is thick white discharge.

During your menstrual cycle, your vaginal discharge may change from time to time. At the beginning of your cycle, after menstruation ends, vaginal discharge is thick white. Some women may experience vaginal dryness just after period ends.

At the middle of your cycle or just before ovulation occurs, vaginal discharge becomes stretchy and egg white. After ovulation occurs and before your period, vaginal discharge is thick white again.

Changes in vaginal discharge are due to hormone changes during menstrual cycles. Thick white discharge is a sign your period is coming. It occurs due to low levels of progesterone and estrogen.

Is There Anything I Can Do To Treat My Pms Symptoms

Nutrition and lifestyle changes are a first step. The following suggestions are healthy recommendations for everyone and are particularly helpful for young women with PMS symptoms, according to research.

Nutrition Changes:

Lifestyle Changes:

• Fit in exercise. Do aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes a day, 4 to 6 times a week.
• Catch your ZZZs. If youre a teen, you need about 9 hours of sleep each night.
• Try to maintain a regular schedule. This includes meals, exercise, and bedtime.
• Keep stress to a minimum. If possible, try to schedule events that you think could be stressful during the week after your period.
• Avoid alcohol.Drinking alcohol before your period can make you feel more depressed.

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Are There Vitamins Or Minerals That Will Improve My Symptoms

Although more research studies are needed, there are certain vitamins and minerals that may help PMS symptoms. Several research studies show that calcium can significantly decrease many of the symptoms associated with PMS. Make sure that you are getting the recommended 1300 mg/day from calcium-rich foods or drinks or from supplements. Other supplements that could help with PMS symptoms are magnesium , vitamin B6 , and vitamin E , but more research is needed. Check with your health care provider about whether you should try them and how much you should take because taking high doses of supplements can have unpleasant or dangerous side effects. For example, high doses of magnesium may cause diarrhea in some people.

Why Is It Important To Track The Menstrual Period

It is important to track your menstrual period as you dont want to be caught unprepared. Tracking periods can help you plan your lifestyle, fertility period, vacation, social, or work-related activities too. It can help women with PCOS and endometriosis take better account of their irregular cycles so that they can report to their doctors with more accuracy about the changes in their cycles.

One of the first signs of pregnancy is a missed period, so it makes sense that keeping track of a cycle can help you be aware of a possible pregnancy sooner. If you are trying to get pregnant, being aware of your cycle is a helpful tool for predicting ovulation , which is when you are most likely to get pregnant if you are not on birth control.

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Implantation Bleeding Or Period How To Know For Sure

Getting pregnant seems to be an easy task when youre not trying.

For those of us whove known the agony of waiting to see the results and for that little stripe to turn blue after actively trying to get pregnant for months the task seems much more daunting.

Each day that passes seems to last forever. Whats more, those two weeks between the ovulation and period can drag on at times.

Therefore, we look for any sign that we might be carrying a child. Every tug, every feeling we get deep inside of us steers us in the direction that we want to go pregnancy.

We think every need is a potential craving, and every twinge is the newly formed life inside us. We monitor and catalog every feeling. Of course, some signs might be more than a feeling. Spotting is one of them.

In this article, well go over what implantation bleeding is, how it compares to menstrual bleeding, and how you can tell the difference between the two.

How Many Days After Your Period Are You Most Fertile

If your cycle follows the average of 28 days long you will ovulate on or around day 14 although this can be a day or two earlier or later. When you ovulate you release an egg from your ovaries, once the egg is released it lives for 24 hours. The days that you are most fertile in your menstrual cycle are fairly fixed they depend on when you are ovulating rather than on when your period ends. Depending on your menstrual cycle you will ovulate around 10-16 days before your next period.

References

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When To Take A Pregnancy Test

• It is advisable to wait for one week of amenorrhea before taking a pregnancy test. The aim is to avoid false negatives, which may be due to insufficient amount of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone detected in the urine.
• A false negative is a pregnancy test with a negative result even though the woman is actually pregnant, usually for less time than she thinks.

Reverse Due Date Calculator

A reverse due date calculator uses a method thats the exact opposite of a due date calculator.

It works when you know your pregnancy due date and want to figure out when conception happened.

This might be because you want to know when you conceived but cant remember your LMP.

Or perhaps you want to plan conception, and want to avoid having a baby at a certain time or year or month.

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Youre Craving Certain Foods

While it can be a source of comfort to reach for the chocolate box in the days before our periods, theres a perfectly scientific reason for craving certain foods. Once again it all comes down to changes in hormone levels. These hormonal fluctuations can make us crave sweet or salty foods and can affect our appetite at different points in the cycle too.

Sometimes a treat is exactly what we need to pick us up on those difficult days, but keep in mind that maintaining a healthy diet and drinking lots of water can reduce bloating and other PMS symptoms in the lead up to your period.

How To Know When Your Next Period Is Coming

Firstly, you need to know your average cycle length. For this, check the first date when you get your periods.

Add up the number of days between the first day you get your periods and the day before you get your next period. Do this for a number of cycles.

Next, divide the sum total of days by the number of cycles. The result is your average cycle length. Now you can count when your next period is due by counting the average cycle length starting from the last day of your previous cycle.

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Your Mood Keeps Changing

While the main female sex hormone estrogen can make us feel pretty good roundabout ovulation, towards the end of your cycle, estrogen levels have dropped off and instead progesterone levels can give us bouts of feeling low or irritable. If youve noticed changes to your mood it might be because menstruation is right around the corner.

While its normal to experience some mood changes as a part of PMS , if it starts to interfere with your everyday life it may be a sign of PMDD . This is a severe form of PMS and you should consult with a healthcare professional if you think you might be experiencing PMDD as there are ways you can reduce the condition and symptoms.

Why Should I Track The Number Of Days Between Each Period

Whether you do it yourself or use an app, knowing how many days there are between each period can be a big help when it comes to feeling prepared and confident around yourâ¯period.

A few days before your period, you may want to start wearingâ¯ALWAYS Dailies pantylinersâ¯for extra protection and assurance that you wonât be caught off-guard by your period. ALWAYS Dailiesâ¯are super thin and flexible, so youâll barely even know you have one on.

When you know your period is due, be sure to stock up on period supplies likeâ¯Tampax. With a unique shape for better protection against leaks,â¯Tampax Pearl Compakâ¯tampons can boost your confidence during your period because you wonât be preoccupied with staining your knickers or having an embarrassing period accident. Combine this with your new knowledge of how many days there are between periods, and youâre golden!

Knowing when your period is coming can also help you to manage and prepare for any hormonal changes.

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What Is A Reverse Due Date Calculator

A reverse due date calculator is the exact opposite of a due date calculator. A due date calculator works when you know the date of your last menstrual period and it helps you predict babys due date from there. But a reverse due date calculator works when you know your due date, but youre not exactly sure when you had sex or conceived the baby.

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Calculating A Due Date

A typical pregnancy lasts, on average, 280 days, or 40 weeksstarting with the first day of the last normal menstrual period as day 1. An estimated due date can be calculated by following steps 1 through 3:

For example: Your last menstrual period began on September 9, 2010. Counting back 3 calendar months would be June 9, 2010. Adding 1 year and 7 days would bring you to June 16, 2011, as your estimated due date.

This 3-step method is referred to as Naegeles Rule and is based on a normal 28-day menstrual cycle. Therefore, dates may have to be adjusted for longer or shorter menstrual cycles.

You may also estimate your delivery date by using the steps 1 and 2 and the chart:

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Are There Medications That Might Help

If your symptoms dont improve with a few nutrition and lifestyle changes, talk with your health care provider . They may be able to prescribe medicine that will help lessen or get rid of your discomforts. There are many different medicines that are currently used to treat PMS symptoms. The most commonly prescribed are oral contraceptives which prevent ovulation and keep hormone levels even. Most pills can improve symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can improve even more if the pill is taken continuously . Other medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium can help to relieve lower back discomfort and headaches. A mild diuretic such as Spironolactone can lessen bloating and mood changes. If depression is a significant issue, your health care provider may prescribe antidepressants such as Fluoxetine, Sertraline, or other SSRI medicines either for the 7 days before your period or daily.

Why Pregnancy Is Counted From The Last Menstrual Period

Pregnancy is counted from a women’s last menstrual period because the start of a period is easily observable and usually known to a woman whereas the date of conception is much less likely to be known.

Historically, the first day of the last menstrual period became the date from which pregnancy is counted even though conception occurs about two weeks later.

The LMP formula is good for working out an initial age of pregnancy but ultrasound is more accurate. The age of pregnancy may be revised following your ultrasound scan.

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Premenstrual Syndrome And Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

In addition to cramps, some women experience other symptoms during menstruation. These symptoms include bloating, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and mood swings. According to the Steady Health website, up to 85% of women report one or more of these symptoms.

Feeling bloated or moody up to a week before your period is normal, as long as it does not interfere with your daily life. However, if you feel as if your symptoms are so severe that your ability to function during your day to day activities is affected, then you may be experiencing PMS or PMDD. PMS and PMDD tend to be at their worst in the late 20s and early 30s. Then, over time, the symptoms tend to improve as menopause approaches and hormone levels begin to naturally decrease, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

There are two types of PMS. The first kind is characterized by irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression. Researchers believe that this kind of PMS is caused by an imbalance between the levels of estrogen and progesterone. When there is too much estrogen, feelings of anxiety often result. Conversely, if there is too much estrogen, women may feel depressed. The second type of PMS causes sugar cravings, headaches, and fatigue. This type of PMS may be caused by hormones which increases sensitivity to insulin.

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