Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
If youre trying to get pregnant and want to track ovulation, you need to understand your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle is your bodys way of preparing for pregnancy. It begins on the first day of your period and starts over when your next period begins. A typical menstrual cycle is 28 days, but cycles ranging from 21 to 35 days are considered normal.
Lots of changes happen in your body during the cycle, including hormone fluctuations. About halfway through, one of your ovaries releases a mature egg. The egg goes to one of your fallopian tubes, where it waits to be fertilized by sperm. The lining of your uterus gets thicker, too. This prepares the uterus for implantation of the fertilized egg.
If you dont get pregnant, it could mean that the egg didnt fertilize, or that the embryo didnt implant into the uterus. In those cases, the uterine lining sheds and you get your period.
You Have Debilitating Mood Issues Before Your Period
When your estrogen and progesterone drop before your period, you may experience the typical mood swings that can come with premenstrual syndrome .
But if you deal with severe mood swings, irritability, anger, a lack of enjoyment in things you usually enjoy, and other symptoms that affect your life, you may have premenstrual dysphoric disorder . PMDD happens when you experience these symptoms in the week before your period, then they start getting better in the first few days of bleeding, and disappear in the weeks after your period. Its listed in the DSM-5, the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, for good reason: This psychological issue can be devastating.
If you suspect you have PMDD, the one thing I would encourage is keeping a daily record of the severity of your symptoms, Dr. Minkin says. If you notice these symptoms only appearing the week before your period, PMDD might be your issue. If you realize youre constantly dealing with these symptoms and your period just makes them worse, it could be premenstrual exacerbation, which is another way of saying you have a mental illness like depression that gets worse during your period thanks to hormonal changes.
How Long Does A Woman Usually Have Periods
On average, women get a period for about 40 years of their life.6,7 Most women have regular periods until perimenopause, the time when your body begins the change to menopause. Perimenopause, or transition to menopause, may take a few years. During this time, your period may not come regularly. Menopause happens when you have not had a period for 12 months in a row. For most women, this happens between the ages of 45 and 55. The average age of menopause in the United States is 52.
Periods also stop during pregnancy and may not come back right away if you breastfeed.
But if you dont have a period for 90 days , and you are not pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or nurse. Your doctor will check for pregnancy or a health problem that can cause periods to stop or become irregular.
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Basal Body Temperature Method
Also called the temperature method, you take your temperature each morning as soon as you wake up . You use a basal body thermometer, which may go in your mouth or your rectum. A basal thermometer is more sensitive than a regular thermometer. It measures body temperature to a tenth of a degree.
A womans basal body temperature rises slightly during ovulation . If you track your temperatures leading up to ovulation, you should see a sustained rise in your basal body temperature after ovulation.
To help you plan, write your body temperature down each day on a tracking sheet. You should track your temperature for at least three months before using this method for family planning.
However, its important to note that the basal body temperature method is not good at predicting your ovulation when trying to conceive. Once you identify the rise in your temperature, youve already ovulated. However, this method is a good tool to monitor your pattern of ovulation.
How Does The Menstrual Cycle Work
The menstrual cycle is controlled by a complex orchestra of hormones, produced by two structures in the brain, the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus along with the ovaries.
If you just want a quick, general overview of the menstrual cycle, read this description.
For a more detailed review of the physical and hormonal changes that happen over the menstrual cycle, .
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What If My Cycle Is Longer Or Shorter Than 28 Days
A typical menstrual cycle is 28 days , with ovulation occurring halfway through the cycle. The second half of the menstrual cycle is fixed at approximately 14 days, so a woman can count back from her last period to see when she ovulated. So if your cycle is longer, e.g. 35 days, youll probably ovulate later too around day 21. If your cycle is shorter, e.g. 25 days, youll probably ovulate earlier around day 11.
What If I Have Irregular Periods
If you have irregular periods, meaning that your periods are outside of the 2135-day window or if your cycle intervals vary by more than seven days each month , you should speak with your Gyn/OB or a fertility specialist. This irregularity may be due to a hormone imbalance and could make it more challenging to get pregnant using natural family planning methods.
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How Does This Period Calculator Work
This great tool can determine the most important data of your cycle for you, from the fertile days to the period days in your menstrual activity.
The period calculator takes account of the first day of your last menstrual period, the menstrual cycle length and the length of the period.
As you provide this data, by simply pressing the calculate button the form will display you personalized information for the next 12 menstrual cycles on terms of the most fertile days, period start and period end and you can change the data input for as many times as you want with the reset button.
Your Period Often Takes You By Complete Surprise
An unexpected period is a classic annoying menstrual cycle problem. Pour one out for all the times you thought youd have a period-free vacation, only for it to show up right as you hit the beach. Fun! Irregular periods could be due to a number of different things that are in your control, like stress and travel, Dr. Streicher says. But they can also happen because of various health conditions.
Take thyroid issues, for example. Hypothyroidism, which is when your thyroid gland in your neck doesnt produce enough hormones, can lead to an irregular period, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can also cause myriad other symptoms, like heavier than usual periods, fatigue, constipation, dry skin, weight gain, impaired memory, and more. Treatment typically involves taking medication that mimics the thyroid hormone.
On the flip side, hyperthyroidism, which is when your thyroid gland is overactive, can cause light or infrequent menstruation, along with issues like sudden weight loss, rapid heart rate, increased appetite, and more frequent bowel movements, according to the Mayo Clinic.
PCOS and uterine polyps, which we discussed earlier, could be behind irregular bleeding, too.
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What Does A Period Feel Like
Some women will have pain in their belly . This can be a crampy pain or just a mild ache. You may have lower backache on its own or with the pain in your belly. The pain can often be stronger on the first day or two of your period and will vary in strength and severity from one women to another. Some women also have a headache or feel very tired just before their period arrives or on the first day. Mood changes, teariness and easily losing your temper can sometimes be an indicator that you are getting your period, this is referred to as premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual tension . For some women this can be so overwhelming that they are unable to go about their normal lives. Any symptoms that you find hard to manage should be investigated with your GP.
Many women have no symptoms at all. It is not uncommon for women to notice that they have their period only after they have gone to the toilet and found that there is blood on their underpants or on their toilet paper.
Even without overwhelming symptoms, some women still find it comforting to simply take time out when they get their period, and cuddle up with a hot water bottle.
Adolescent girls and women can both experience skin changes and pimples with their periods.
What Can Be Done About Painful Cramping
Prostaglandins hormones compress the cervix during periods and help to remove the shed lining. It is a little uncomfortable and painful during cramping with implantation. But it is tolerable, which can be 1-2 days. The exceptions are so sad for tolerance.
If there is an exception or an unbearable pain for more than two days, then, of course, it should be under a consultant.
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Example Period Calculation And Result:
For a menstrual cycle length of 31 days, period length of 4 days and the latest period starting on November 15th 2014:
Based on your last period starting at November 15, 2014 and having a length of 4 days, the results are:
Your next menstrual period is most likely to start on December 16, 2014
You next period will end on December 19, 2014
This is the Period calendar for the next 12 months:
| Period start |
| May 4 – May 8, 2015 |
| May 20, 2015 |
What It Could Mean
Dr. Brightman says a few more serious health problems can present as spotting, which is why it’s so important to take note of any changes in spotting patterns .
“Some womenobese women, diabetic women, and hypertensive womenare at risk of having an overgrowth of their uterine lining, and that can present as spotting,” Dr. Brightman says. “Certain types of overgrowth we call hyperplasia, and those put them at risk of getting uterine cancer.”
Spotting can also be a sign of a polyp in the cervix. “These polyps are almost always benign,” says Dr. Brightman. “But sometimes they’re not, and that’s why we remove them in women who are spotting.”
And in the rarest of cases, spotting before a period can be a symptom of cervical cancer. But Brightman emphasizes how rare this is, and says if cervical cancer causes any bleeding, it’s typically after sexnot before a period.
Generally speaking, though, some isolated pre-period spotting probably isn’t any huge cause for concern. Just listen to your body and keep track of any new patterns or sudden changes. “If it only happens once and then resolves, don’t worry about it, and you don’t need to check in with your provider,” says Dr. Minkin. “But if it happens regularly, let your provider know.”
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Not Sure What To Do Next
If you are still concerned about bleeding between periods, check your symptoms with healthdirect’s online Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention.
The Symptom checker guides you to the next appropriate healthcare steps, whether its self-care, talking to a health professional, going to a hospital or calling triple zero .
Changes In Your Periods
Your periods can change for example, they may last longer or get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there’s a problem, but it does need to be investigated.
You can see your GP, or visit your nearest women’s clinic or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having sex, or bleeding after the menopause needs to be checked by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck of the womb or, in rare cases, it could be cancer.
You could be pregnant if you miss a period and you’ve had sex. See your GP if you’ve taken a pregnancy test and the result is negative and you’ve missed 3 consecutive periods.
They will investigate the cause and recommend any necessary treatment.
Read more about stopped or missed periods.
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How Do I Know Im Ovulating
Pinpointing ovulation can be tricky. There are several methods people use to track their menstrual cycle and estimate when ovulation occurs. Since each method has its drawbacks, its always best to use more than one for the most accurate answer.
Menstrual cycle
Ovulation happens at around the midpoint of your cycle if you have a 28-day cycle . However, a normal cycle is anything between 21 and 35 days, so this means ovulation is unique to your menstrual cycle. Keep track of your cycle on paper or on an app on your phone for several months. Take note of any unusual symptoms. Most people ovulate 14 days before their period begins, regardless of cycle length.
Calendar method
People using the calendar method to predict ovulation, analyze six months of menstrual cycles to determine when theyre fertile. To calculate when you may be ovulating, you find your shortest cycle and your longest cycle in a six month period. You subtract 18 days from your shortest cycle and 11 days from your longest cycle. These two numbers give you the days in your cycle youre most fertile. For example, if your cycle lengths are 31 and 18, your fertile time is day 10 to 20 of your cycle.
Cervical mucus
Basal body temperature
Ovulation kits
Ovulation kits work similarly to at-home pregnancy tests because you pee on an indicator strip in the comfort of your own home. They work by detecting LH in your pee. LH is the hormone that surges before ovulation. A positive result means youre about to ovulate .
How Do I Know If Im Ovulating
A few days before you ovulate, your vaginal mucus or discharge changes and becomes more slippery and clear. This type of mucus helps sperm move up into your uterus and into the fallopian tubes where it can fertilize an egg. Some women feel minor cramping on one side of their pelvic area when they ovulate. Some women have other signs of ovulation.
Luteinizing hormone is a hormone released by your brain that tells the ovary to release an egg . LH levels begin to surge upward about 36 hours before ovulation, so some women and their doctors test for LH levels. LH levels peak about 12 hours before ovulation.1 Women who are tracking ovulation to become pregnant will notice a slight rise in their basal temperature around ovulation. Learn more about tracking ovulation to become pregnant.
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Period Problems You Shouldnt Ignore
As basically anyone who menstruates knows, certain period problems are just an unfortunate fact of life, like pain radiating through your midsection, a shorter fuse than usual , and bleeding more than you would like to be bleeding from your .
On the flip side, some menstrual cycle problems are a clear sign that you should chat about whats going on with your doctorjust in casebecause they fall outside the bounds of what’s normally expected during menstruation. Here are some period problems that are worth discussing with a medical expert.
Is A Cycle Always 28 Days
The average cycle is 28 days but, for some women, it is as short as 21 days, for others it is as long as 35 days. When you first start having periods, it can also take a while before your periods develop a regular pattern. Your cycle also changes as you get older.
Your menstruation cycle stops temporarily when you are pregnant. Breastfeeding also affects your cycle. At the end of menopause, your cycle stops permanently.
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What Happens During The Menstrual Cycle
To understand the menstrual cycle, it helps to know about the reproductive organs inside a woman’s body. These are:
- 2 ovaries where eggs are stored, developed and released
- the womb where a fertilised egg implants and a baby develops
- the fallopian tubes two thin tubes that connect the ovaries to the womb
The menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones. In each cycle, rising levels of the hormone oestrogen cause the ovary to develop and release an egg . The womb lining also starts to thicken.
In the second half of the cycle, the hormone progesterone helps the womb to prepare for implantation of a developing embryo.
The egg travels down the fallopian tubes. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the egg is reabsorbed into the body. Levels of oestrogen and progesterone fall, and the womb lining comes away and leaves the body as a period .
The time from the release of an egg to the start of a period is around 10 to 16 days.
Watch an animation about how the menstrual cycle works.
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. |
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