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Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle: What is Normal and What Isn't

Your menstrual cycle is a natural and essential part of being a woman, just like breathing, eating, and sleeping. However, it can sometimes be shrouded in mystery, leading to confusion or concern. Understanding the intricacies of your menstrual cycle is crucial for maintaining good menstrual health and recognizing when to seek medical attention.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the fundamentals of the menstrual cycle, exploring what's considered normal and what's not. You'll learn how to differentiate between typical variations and potential red flags, empowering you to take control of your reproductive well-being. This knowledge will also give you the confidence to know when to consult a gynaecologist, ensuring you receive the necessary care and support.

What is the Menstrual Cycle?

The menstrual cycle is a monthly process that prepares your body for pregnancy. It involves changes in your hormones and reproductive organs. Typically, the cycle lasts about 28 days but can range from 21 to 35 days. It’s divided into several phases:

  1. Menstrual Phase: This is when you have your period. If there's no pregnancy, the lining of the uterus sheds, resulting in bleeding that usually lasts 3 to 7 days.
  2. Follicular Phase: This begins on the first day of the bleeding period and continues until ovulation. Hormones signal the ovaries to produce follicles, each containing an egg. These follicles will develop, and one of them will rupture and discharge an egg.
  3. Ovulation: Around the middle of the cycle, usually day 14 in a 28-day cycle, one of the matured eggs is expelled from the ovary into the fallopian tube. At this point of the cycle, you stand a better chance of conceiving.
  4. Luteal Phase: After ovulation, the body prepares the uterus for pregnancy. The hormone progesterone increases, and if the egg isn’t fertilized, the progesterone levels drop, leading to the shedding of the uterine lining and the start of your next menstrual period.
What is Considered Normal?
  • Cycle Length: Typical menstrual cycles range from 21 to 35 days. This is an average, and it is not uncommon for the cycle to vary slightly in length from month to month and/or for the pattern to change with time.
  • Period Duration: Most women will have their menstrual periods last between 3 and 7 days. Periods are commonly light in the beginning and during the end and heavy in the middle of the course.
  • Flow Amount: Menstrual blood flow varies per individual. For example, on average, during each cycle, women lose about 2 to 3 tablespoons of blood. Some may use pads while menstruating, while others use tampons, menstrual cups, or a combination of both.
  • Menstrual Pain: Mild to moderate cramping before and during periods is typical. Symptoms make it possible to lead normal day-to-day activities except for severe symptoms, which are occasionally managed with over-the-counter drugs or heat pads.
  • Menstrual Irregularities: Irregular cycles are common, especially among teens or within the first few months after stopping the birth control pill. Irregularity may also be in response to stress, changes in weight, or other causes.
When to Seek Help

Although slight menstrual cycle alterations are natural, certain symptoms could suggest an underlying problem. You should weigh the possibilities of contacting a doctor if you experience:

  • Heavy Bleeding: Experiencing heavy clots and migraines accompanied by dizziness when changing a tampon/pad every hour.
  • Prolonged Periods: Further assessment may be warranted if menstrual periods are habitually extended past seven days.
  • Severe Pain: Severe pain in the abdomen or back can indicate conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, even though mild cramping is typically experienced.
  • Absence of Periods: If no menstrual cycles occur for more than three consecutive periods, it may be a sign of pregnancy or other reproductive health issues.
  • Irregular Cycles: Cycles shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, especially if accompanied by other symptoms, may require further investigation.
  • Other Symptoms: Unexplained weight gain, excess hair growth, cystic acne, and irregular periods could point to conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
How to Keep a Record of Your Period?

Keeping a record of your menstrual cycle can help you recognize patterns that are customary for you and those that are not. You can do this with paper and pen, using a calendar, or through a period tracker mobile app. Write down the start/end dates of each cycle, the intensity of the bleeding, any pain or other symptoms, and any changes that may be helpful.

Conclusion

By knowing more about your menstrual cycle, you ensure that you pay attention to your menstrual health. While most of the modifications that affect a woman’s menstrual cycle are within normal limits, it is still a good practice to know your baseline so that if there are any abnormalities, you can address them in time. If that happens, or there’s reason to believe something abnormal is happening, it’s time to seek medical attention. Your gynaecologist will assist in evaluating the symptoms and advising on treatment or management options. Finally, let us not forget that maintaining good menstrual health is essential to overall well-being!

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  • pregnancy
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  • menstrual health