How Long Does The Average Period Last

What Is A Normal Period

How often should I have my period, and how long should it last?

A normal period is different for every woman. Each month, one of your ovaries releases an egg. Meanwhile, your uterus gets ready to help your baby grow if that egg gets fertilized. If it does, youâre pregnant. If it doesnât, your body sheds the lining of your uterus through your . Thatâs your period. It happens, on average, every 28 days.

Think about how old you were when you got your first period. Now think about how old you may be when you enter menopause. Your body and life will change a lot from one to the other, right? So does your menstrual cycle.

When it comes to periods, “normal” covers a lot of ground. Use the broad range of factors below as a guide. And remember: The only true normal is what’s normal for you.

Create A Restricted Space

Its unrealistic and cruel to keep your little pup in a crate for the duration of the dog period. Its also nearly impossible to keep an eye on your dog in the heat 24/7.

The answer? Provide a restricted space in your home where she can roam safely and freely, saving you the cleaning trouble.

Choose an indoor space away from other dogs in your home. Also, make sure theres no way for other dogs from the outside to get in. Its better to remove the carpet from the floor, but you can put some old blankets or soft bedding to make your dam more comfortable. You can also furnish the area with their bed and cover it up with old towels to absorb the discharge.

What Underlying Conditions May Cause Prolonged Menstrual Bleeding

A visit with your gynecologist or other healthcare professional is the first step in determining the cause of your prolonged menstrual bleeding. Your doctor will make a diagnosis after performing a series of tests.

Depending on your age and other symptoms, your doctor may test your blood for pregnancy, hormone levels, and thyroid function. Other diagnostic tests may include Pap smears, endometrial biopsies, ultrasounds, laparoscopic surgery, or other procedures.

A wide range of medical conditions can be the cause of abnormal menstrual bleeding. These include:

Recommended Reading: How Can I Stop My Period Early

Youre Medically Overweight Or Obese

Obesity can affect your menstrual cycle, says Dr. Horton, because larger bodies produce excess estrogen, which can affect how often you have your periods and eventually cause you to stop ovulating regularly. When you stop having periods every month, the lining of the uterus will become thick, and eventually shed, resulting in very heavy and prolonged bleeding.

Losing weight can help you regulate your periods, she says. Your doctor may also prescribe birth control pills or progesterone to help with the prolonged heaving bleeding.

Physiology Of Prolonged Periods

Normal Menstruation: How Long Should Your Period Last?

Let us first discuss what are the normal physiological conditions in which a prolonged period for more than 2 weeks can occur.

1. If you have missed your periods for a month or two, the next period can last for more than 2 weeks.

It is a normal tendency when you have just had your first periods ever.

During teenage, to be more precise when you have menarche, it might happen once or twice that you miss your periods.

The reproductive monthly cycle does not attain the perfect rhythm and pace right from the beginning. So, prolonged periods can be a case at such times.

2. If you are on a continuous medication that involves a blood thinning agent like aspirin, then it can be a case that you have a prolonged period for more than 2 weeks.

3. Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy can also lead to prolonged and ample bleeding. If it occurs during any time of the gestation period, immediate consultancy with a doctor is essential.

Don’t Miss: What To Do To Relieve Period Cramps

What Qualifies As Heavy Bleeding

You know your body best. If bleeding is heavier than what you typically experience, seek medical health. More generically, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists define heavy bleeding as:

  • Requiring more than one pad at a time
  • Requiring pad changes during the night
  • Menstruating blood clots that are larger than a quarter
  • Bleeding for over 7 days.
  • Soaking through one pad or tampon every hour repeatedly.

If one or more of the above symptoms is prompting you to ask, how long does a period last, please seek medical attention.

You Have Uterine Polyps Or Fibroids

“Uterine abnormalities, such as polyps or fibroids, can cause prolonged periods because they distort the endometrial cavity which can lead to increased blood flow,” Dr. Toth explains. Basically, your body senses something in your uterus that isn’t supposed to be there, and tries extra hard to get rid of it.

Polyps and fibroids sound scary, but they’re pretty commonup to 80 percent of women will have at least one before they’re 50, per the OWH. On their own, they don’t indicate a serious disease, like cancer. Important to note: Black women are two to three times more likely to have fibroids than white women, and the reasons for their increased risk are not well understood or well studied due to lack of representation of Black women in research, notes Dr. Horton. Black women are also more likely to be hospitalized due to fibroids due to heavy, prolonged vaginal bleeding, pain, and symptoms from anemia.

But for many people, these benign growths don’t have any symptoms, and if they do, it’s usually prolonged periods, says Dr. Toth. Most likely your doc will just recommend keeping an eye on them, but if they cause pain or grow very large they can be surgically removed.

Read Also: First Period After Iud Removal Heavy

How Long Can Exercise Induced Asthma Last

exerciseinduced bronchoconstrictionsoonexerciselast

Exerciseinduced asthma, also known as exerciseinduced bronchoconstriction , is caused by prolonged exercise. As many as 90 percent of people with asthma experience EIB. This type of asthma usually hits five to 10 minutes after exercise ends the symptoms often go away on their own after 30 to 45 minutes of rest.

Similarly, is exercise induced asthma bad? When exercise causes bronchoconstriction, it can lead to wheezing, coughing, and chest pain, which may be mild to severe. Up to 90 percent of people who have asthma experience EIB during exercise. According to the AAFA, EIB might be one of the most common causes of asthma symptoms in teenagers and young adults.

Also Know, what does exercise induced asthma feel like?

Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma include wheezing, tightness or pain in the chest, coughing, and in some cases, lasting shortness of breath. Someone with EIA may: get winded or tired easily during or after exercise.

Can you die from EIB?

The symptoms are often mild to moder- ate in severity and may cause impairment of athletic performance, but are not severe enough to cause significant respiratory distress. However, severe episodes of EIB can occur, and respiratory fail- ure and even death have occurred in rare cases .

You May Like: Do Pregnancy Cramps Feel Like Period Cramps

How Long Does Menstruation Last

Periods- What’s normal, what’s not | Explains Dr. Sudeshna Ray

On an average a period lasts between 3 to 5 days. It is normal for a girl to have irregular periods in the beginning. During this time, the duration of her periods may vary from as short as 2 days to as long as 7 days. It can take up to a year for periods to become regular.

References:
  • Menstruation and the menstrual cycle fact sheet,
  • Menstrual cycle: What’s normal, what’s not,
  • Next Article

    Registered Office: 304-Harvy Himalaya Complex, Subhash Chowk, Gurukul Road, Memnagar, Ahmedabad-380052, Gujarat, IndiaCIN: U80301GJ2022PTC128874

    Recommended Reading: How To Get Your Period To Start

    When Do Periods Start

    Periods start during puberty. The average age for puberty to start in girls is 11, but can be earlier or later.

    Periods usually begin at around the age of 12. Some girls will start them later, and some earlier everyone is different. To start with, periods might not happen every month but from the ages of around 16 to 18 most people who menstruate will find their periods are regular.

    It can be helpful to keep a note of your period dates and symptoms using a calendar, a diary or an app. This can help you know when to expect your period and have period products with you.

    If you havent started your period by around 16 though, its a good idea to see your doctor to find out why it hasnt happened yet. However, a delay in starting periods isn’t usually anything to worry about.

    What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor

    Discuss your perimenopause symptoms with your healthcare provider. It might help to keep a journal of your menstrual cycles including when they start and stop and the amount of bleeding.

    Some questions you should ask are:

    • Are these symptoms of perimenopause?
    • What can I do to relieve my symptoms?
    • How long do you think I will have these symptoms?
    • Would hormone therapy be an option for me?
    • Do I need to start taking medication or vitamins?
    • Are there any tests that should be done?
    • Can I still become pregnant?

    Don’t Miss: Can You Get A Pap Smear On Your Period

    How Long Is A Typical Menstrual Cycle

    The typical menstrual cycle is 28 days long, but each woman is different.2 Also, a womans menstrual cycle length might be different from month-to-month. Your periods are still regular if they usually come every 24 to 38 days.3 This means that the time from the first day of your last period up to the start of your next period is at least 24 days but not more than 38 days.

    Some womens periods are so regular that they can predict the day and time that their periods will start. Other women are regular but can only predict the start of their period within a few days.

    How To Regulate Your Period

    Menstrual Cycle Phases

    Many women prefer to regulate their menstrual cycle. Doctors may even recommend it for women whose periods are consistently irregular.

    Regulating the menstrual cycle focuses on strategies and treatments to ensure that a womans period comes within a set frame of time and lasts for a time frame between the normal two to eight days.

    The most common way to regulate your menstrual cycle is through birth control pills, or other similar hormonal contraceptives like the patch or the NuvaRing. Some of these contraceptive methods will trigger a womans period once a month, while others may only give her a period once every three or six months.

    Other methods of regulating the menstrual cycle could involve treatment for eating disorders that are causing severe weight loss, or modifying diet and lifestyle. If youre able to reduce stress, that could also reduce irregularity of your period, too.

    While every woman is a little different and her normal will be unique, there are symptoms that indicate its a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider. These symptoms include:

    If you suddenly get a fever and experience flu-like symptoms after using tampons, seek immediate medical attention. These symptoms could indicate a dangerous complication called toxic shock syndrome.

    Recommended Reading: How To Know You Got Your Period

    You Had An Early Miscarriage

    Early miscarriages are much more common than you may realize. Up to half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, often before the woman even realizes she was pregnant, according to the .

    Sometimes the only sign is an extra-heavy or long period. Your menstrual cycle length should return to normal within one to two cycles if it stays abnormally long after three cycles, call your doctor, Dr. Toth says.

    About one in 100 women suffer from repeat miscarriages, so it’s important to rule out a condition that affects fertility, like endometriosis.

    General Overview Of The Menstrual Cycle:

    The menstrual cycle includes several phases. The exact timing of the phases of the cycle is a little bit different for every woman and can change over time.

    Cycle days

    The first day of menstrual bleeding is considered Day 1 of the cycle.

    Your period can last anywhere from 3 to 8 days, but 5 days is average.

    Bleeding is usually heaviest on the first 2 days.

    Days 6-14

    Once the bleeding stops, the uterine lining begins to prepare for the possibility of a pregnancy.

    The uterine lining becomes thicker and enriched in blood and nutrients.

    Day 14-25

    Somewhere around day 14, an egg is released from one of the ovaries and begins its journey down the fallopian tubes to the uterus.

    If sperm are present in the fallopian tube at this time, fertilization can occur.

    In this case the fertilized egg will travel to the uterus and attempt to implant in the uterine wall.

    Days 25-28

    If the egg was not fertilized or implantation does not occur, hormonal changes signal the uterus to prepare to shed its lining, and the egg breaks down and is shed along with lining.

    The cycle begins again on Day 1 menstrual bleeding.

    You May Like: Can You Be Pregnant And Have A Normal Period

    How Often Should I Change My Pad Tampon Menstrual Cup Sponge Or Period Panties

    Follow the instructions that came with your period product. Try to change or rinse your feminine hygiene product before it becomes soaked through or full.

    • Most women change their pads every few hours.
    • A tampon should not be worn for more than 8 hours because of the risk of toxic shock syndrome
    • Menstrual cups and sponges may only need to be rinsed once or twice a day.
    • Period panties can usually last about a day, depending on the style and your flow.

    Use a product appropriate in size and absorbency for your menstrual bleeding. The amount of menstrual blood usually changes during a period. Some women use different products on different days of their period, depending on how heavy or light the bleeding is.

    What Affects The Length Of Your Period

    How Long Does a Period Last?

    Even after you have passed through those teen years, your cycle can still change and so can the length of your period. Tons of different factors can affect how heavy your period is, how much pain it causes, and how long it lasts.

    Here are just a few:

    1. Hormonal contraceptives

    Using hormonal birth control, like the pill, patch, vaginal ring, IUD, or implant, can affect the number of days your period lasts.56

    It takes a while for your body to adjust to a new form of birth control, but many users will experience shorter or lighter periods over time. Why? Because the synthetic hormones in these products are designed to overpower and override hormones that your body normally produces to regulate your menstrual cycle.

    For example, the estrogen in the combined contraceptive pill, which contains both estrogen and progestin, tricks the uterus lining to build up much less than it would naturally. This means that the lining to be shed during the placebo week is much thinner than normal.

    Another interesting fact? Your period when on birth control pills is actually known as breakthrough bleeding and its different from your usual period. Learn more about breakthrough bleeding in this blog post.

    In addition, certain progesterone-only birth control methods, like progesterone-containing IUDs, contraceptive implants, and injectable contraceptives , can shorten the number of days you have your period or even eliminate it altogether.6

    2. Day-to-day stress

    3. Underlying illnesses

    Recommended Reading: Missed Period And Negative Pregnancy Test

    Your Period On The Copper Iud

    Many people experience heavier and longer bleeding while using the copper IUD, especially in the first 6â12 months . This may happen due to vascular changes and changes to blood flow in the uterus . Bleeding may be accompanied by an increase in large clots and cramping. Using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may help reduce bleeding and pain .

    Copper IUDs are non-hormonal, so you will experience the same fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone across your cycle as you did when you werenât using a copper IUD.

    How Long Does The Bleeding Last When A Dog Is In Heat

    The first stage of the dogs cycle is called Proestrus. The dog exhibits the first physical and behavioral signs of being in heat during this phase. These include:

    • The swelling of the vulval lips
    • Red-colored discharge from the vulva
    • Occasional swelling of the nipples and mammary glands
    • A raised interest and active search for male dogs while on a walk.

    The Proestrus stage is often the most stressful for first-time dog owners. Not only can your dog display defiant and unruly behaviors, but the bleeding causes an extra mess.

    At the beginning of the heat cycle, the bleeding begins with a reddish discharge. But it can turn into a mucous and slightly yellowish purulent discharge as the cycle progresses.

    On average, the bleeding phase lasts for around nine days. However, the timeframe can vary for every dog.

    Its entirely normal for dogs who go into their first heat to bleed for more than two weeks. Some mature females can continue showing scant bloody discharge even past the Proestrus phase and as they enter ovulation.

    But dont worry. The bleeding phase wont last forever!

    On average, dog periods last around 20-30 days. The bleeding will gradually weaken as the cycle progresses and cease entirely after around three weeks.

    Since some female dogs lick themselves vigorously during the heat, theres a chance that you may not even notice the bleeding and the mess that comes with it.

    Don’t Miss: When Do You Ovulate After Your Period

    Is It Normal For A Period To Not Stop

    For some women it may seem as if the bleeding literally doesnt stop, continuing through the entire month. But this isnt usually the case.

    Since the time between cycles is counted from the first day of your period, a woman who has a 24-day cycle with eight days of bleeding will experience only 16 days period-free. It may seem like youre always having your period even though youre within a standard timetable.

    Related Posts

    Popular Articles