Menstruation is called physiological uterine bleeding, which comes monthly to almost all females that belong to placental species of mammals, including humans. Menstrual days occur not only in women, but also in primates, bats and jumping mice.

Throughout the female body, complex sequential processes take place that have been formed over millions of years of evolution so that a person can reproduce similar offspring for himself. On the other hand, menstruation in girls also has a protective function. To understand why menstrual flow occurs and why menstruation is needed in principle, you need to know what happens to the body throughout the entire menstrual cycle. In this article, we will just present all the information about menstruation: what it is, what is their function, what characteristics should be normal and what is considered a deviation.

What is menstruation and what does it look like

Critical days are scientifically called "menstruation", but they can be called monthly in another way, and because of the regularity of the process - regulations. Teenage girls say to each other "the menstrual period has come" or "the red days of the calendar have begun." Under all these names, one very important process for the female body is hidden - the exfoliation of the endometrium (the inner mucous layer of the uterus) and its removal outside the cavity of the reproductive organ.

During menstruation, a bloody secret from a red to maroon color comes out of a woman's genital tract, in which there may be small lumps and clots. In the last days of menstruation, the discharge looks like a dark daub.

Many of the fair sex during critical days complain of pulling pains in the lower abdomen and in the lumbar region, also at this time the chest may swell, weakness and apathy appear. Such symptoms are provoked by hormonal changes that occur at this time in the body, if the pain is tolerable, then this refers to the variant of the norm.

Adolescents at the age of 11-14 come on, the task of mothers is to explain to their daughters until that time that this is a physiological process, and girls need regulations to renew their bodies and be able to have children later.

If a girl is actively involved in sports or lives in a harsh climate, the first "red days" can come to her at the age of 15-16, this is a variant of the norm.

For 1-2 years after the first regulation, periodic delays may occur or, conversely,. This is due to the formation of the hormonal background, so you should not worry about this. Then the hormones come into balance, and the menstrual cycle stabilizes, on average it is 28 days, but a deviation of +/- 7 days is considered quite normal. The discharge itself passes in 3-7 days. For any deviations from the norm, girls should immediately visit a gynecologist, since it is the regularity of critical days and the nature of the discharge that can tell a lot about the health of the female body.

As long as a woman has her period, it is believed that she is capable of conception and bearing offspring. After 45 years, the ovaries are gradually depleted, and the menstrual function begins to come to an end. On critical days they come irregularly, and eventually disappear altogether. This is how the reproductive function of a woman ends, and menopause comes.

Where does the blood come from

When menstruation comes, the inner mucous layer is removed from the uterine cavity, which was not useful in the previous cycle due to the lack of pregnancy. The process of rejection is accompanied by damage to the blood vessels, which explains the presence of blood in the secretions. Since menstrual blood contains a large amount of anticoagulants, it does not clot and goes out unhindered.

Why do women need menstruation - discharge functions

During regular women, the inner epithelial layer in the uterus is updated monthly, undergoing irreversible changes and being rejected as unnecessary. In the new cycle, the process of “rebuilding” the endometrium is restarted, during which the body is preparing for a possible conception.

In simple terms, menstruation is a reminder to a woman of her main purpose, to be a mother.

In addition, menstruation is needed to perform the following functions.

• Update. Since the inner uterine layer consists of epithelial cells, which are characterized by a desquamation process, like cells of the skin, intestinal mucosa and bronchi, menstruation allows you to clean the uterine cavity from old and exfoliated endometrium. After the critical days, the uterus is cleaned and ready to grow a new epithelial layer.
• biological protection. There is a theory according to which the functional uterine layer is able to recognize defective processes in a fertilized egg (chromosomal abnormalities, defective DNA), as a result of which it consciously prevents its implantation, preventing "wrong" pregnancy. The defective zygote dies and is brought out along with the exfoliated epithelium during the next regulation.

How do periods go normally

Normally, a woman of reproductive age should have regular menstruation, which occurs without acute and painful symptoms for 3-7 days, most often 4-5 days. According to the frequency, normal periods should begin every 21-35 days. It is optimal when they come once every 28 days, but a deviation of 7 days in one direction or the other is acceptable.

Number of selections

For the entire period of menstruation should not exceed 100 ml. Blood loss of such a volume will not harm the body and does not significantly affect the well-being of a woman. The intensity of menstrual bleeding allows the body to compensate for blood loss in a timely manner by diluting it and releasing additional blood cells from the depot.

Character

Externally, menstrual flow is different from any other, including uterine bleeding. At the beginning of menstruation, they also include epithelial cells that come out in the form of mucous blood cords and clots. In recent days, the regulation is exclusively blood without impurities, its amount is gradually decreasing. The discharge is dark red to burgundy in color and may have a slight iron odor. If the discharge stinks of rotten meat or fish, there are impurities of pus or a foamy consistency, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Menstruation should not go too plentifully, the volume of secretions can be controlled by the number of hygiene products used per day. Normally, one pad should be enough for at least 2 hours, if it fills up faster, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

You should be careful about hygiene during menstruation, change the pads every 3-4 hours, since various pathogenic bacteria can develop very quickly in the blood, provoking vulvovaginitis and other inflammatory processes in the reproductive organs.

What are the deviations

Menstruation normally almost always follows the same “scenario”: they have the same duration, volume and intensity of discharge, concomitant symptoms and sensations. If any of these parameters deviate from the norm, and several cycles appear in a row, you should definitely consult a doctor, since systematic deviations from the norm may be a sign of an existing pathology.

In order to detect violations in the cycle in time, all women of reproductive age are recommended to keep a menstrual calendar, which records not only the days of the arrival of the next regulars, but also their own feelings during this period. Girls should be alerted to the following changes in the cycle:

• the duration of the menstrual cycle has become more than 35 days or less than 21;
• in the middle of the cycle, uterine bleeding or scanty daub appeared;
• critical days come at different intervals;
• started, during which the pads are missing for 2 hours;
• if spotting has been going on for more than a week;
• if 3 months, and the pregnancy test is negative;
• if they pass in 1-2 days;
• , and the woman loses her ability to work;
• body temperature rises;
• if strongly expressed.

Only a gynecologist will be able to establish the exact reasons why a woman has menstrual irregularities. After a series of diagnostic measures, the doctor selects an individual course of treatment and gives general recommendations to the patient.

What happens to the body

Throughout the entire menstrual cycle, hormonal and physiological changes occur in the body, all of which are cyclical and sequential. Conventionally, the cycle can be divided into the following phases.

• Follicular. Its beginning is considered to be the first day of menstruation, and it ends with the onset of ovulation, approximately on the 11-16th day of the cycle. During menstruation, the exfoliated endometrium is removed, and a new epithelial layer begins to grow in its place, while the woman may feel worse, she feels unwell and lose strength. At this time, under the influence of estrogen, the dominant follicle begins to mature in the ovary, when it bursts, the cycle passes into the next phase.
• Ovulation. At this time, the follicle has matured and burst, the egg came out of it, completely ready for fertilization. It moves along the fallopian tube into the uterine cavity, where it is supposed to gain a foothold in the endometrium, subject to fertilization. Ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle, this time is most favorable for conception.
• Luteal. In place of the bursting follicle, a corpus luteum begins to form, this is a temporary gland that produces progesterone, the hormone of pregnancy. The level of estrogen in this phase gradually decreases. Before menstruation, that is, in the second half of the cycle, the inner layer of the uterus is highly elastic, which is an important parameter for normal implantation of the embryo. If fertilization occurs, about a week later, the constantly dividing zygote is fixed in the endometrium. The state of pregnancy from this moment until the formation of the placenta supports the hCG hormone. If the egg in this cycle is not fertilized or it happened with a “mistake”, the fetal egg is not fixed, the level of estrogen and progesterone drops, and the endometrium begins to break down and exfoliate without the support of hormones. So there comes a new menstruation and a new cycle.

All processes throughout the menstrual cycle are controlled by hormones, so it is very important that the hormonal balance in the female body is always normal. Otherwise, you may need the help of not only a gynecologist, but also an endocrinologist.

Does menstruation hurt?

A woman's feelings during her period can be influenced by many factors:

• hereditary predisposition- some representatives of the weaker sex receive as a "gift" from mothers and grandmothers painful sensations or their complete absence during the regular;
• Lifestyle- stress, irregularity of intimate life, malnutrition, low or excessive physical activity can aggravate a woman's condition on critical days;
• general health- if a woman is sick, has a cold, or her chronic diseases have worsened, then menstruation will only worsen her already poor health.

Since during the regular hormonal changes in the female body are quite intense, the woman's feelings may be different depending on the day of menstruation.

• On the first day, along with copious discharge, aching or pulling pain in the lower abdomen may appear. Such sensations are explained by contractions of the walls of the uterus, which by such actions tries to push out the exfoliated endometrium. At this time, cardiovascular, nervous and digestive pathologies may worsen. Due to vasoconstriction, blood pressure may drop, especially in hypotensive patients. Due to hormonal changes, mood worsens, and due to the release of active prostaglandins, intestinal tone decreases, and disorders occur. At this time, it is recommended to refrain from sexual intercourse, as there is a high risk of infection for both partners.
• From 3 to 6 days, the volume of discharge decreases, the psycho-emotional state of the woman normalizes, she occasionally feels mild pain and other symptoms.
• With the end of the regulation, a woman begins to feel great, not only her well-being improves, but also her mood, her sexual desire increases.

If pain during menstruation affects the performance of a woman, then it can be used as prescribed by a doctor.

It can be Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, a warm shower or a heating pad also effectively helps in relieving spasms. If even the drugs do not relieve the pain, you should definitely consult a doctor, because such symptoms can be a sign of serious illness. Timely diagnosis and treatment will help not only make life easier for a woman, but in some cases save her.

Menstruation or menstruation is the period of the menstrual cycle in girls and women of childbearing age, in which the endometrium (the upper layer of the mucous membrane) of the uterus is rejected.

What happens in the body?

In the last days of the menstrual cycle (before the onset of menstruation), the endometrium is characterized by increased elasticity, as it is preparing to receive a fertilized egg into the uterus.

If pregnancy does not occur, the hormonal background changes in the woman's body, which leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the upper layer of the uterine mucosa, it exfoliates and is gradually rejected. Together with him, the blood that has accumulated due to the rupture of small blood vessels comes out of the vagina - menstruation occurs.

From the second day of menstruation, simultaneously with the rejection of the upper layer, the endometrium begins to recover, it is updated. This process is completed on the 5th-7th day of the cycle. Further, the mucous layer begins to thicken and again prepares for the possible conception of a child.

At the same time, in the first half of the menstrual cycle, an egg matures in the ovaries. Around the middle of the cycle, a woman ovulates: a mature egg leaves the ovary and enters the fallopian tube. If conception occurs at this time, pregnancy occurs, if not, the endometrium of the uterus is again rejected and the whole process begins again.

What are secretions made of?

Menstruation consists of blood, particles of the mucous membrane and vaginal secretions and has a specific odor. Normally, their color can vary from red to dark brown, sometimes with clots. The volume of blood loss during menstruation, on average, for the entire period is about 250 ml (about a glass), and from 20 to 50 ml per day.

During life, the volume of secretions may change. So, for example, in young girls, menstruation may be more abundant than in adult women. However, a sharp change in their color, volume or duration should alert at any age.

If the bleeding from the vagina is very heavy, prolonged (more than 7 days), there are a large number of clots in the discharge, or, conversely, they suddenly become very scarce, and also if the blood is only scarlet during the entire menstruation - this is a serious reason for an unscheduled visit to gynecologist.

How long do they last?

The menstrual cycle is the period that is counted from the first day of menstruation to the first day of the next. On average, for girls and women, it is 28 days. However, for some, the number of days of the cycle may differ: a variant of the norm is considered if it lasts from 21 to 35 days.

As you might guess from the name, menstruation occurs only once a month. But if the menstrual cycle is short, they can come 2 times, and if it is very long (35 days), menstruation may not occur every month.

Periodic menstrual bleeding lasts 3 to 7 days.

The absence of menstruation in women of childbearing age may indicate:

• serious illness
• hormonal changes,
• but most often - about the onset of pregnancy.

If menstruation suddenly stops, you should urgently go to the gynecologist to find out the cause.

At the age of about 55, menopause occurs - the last menstruation, after which the woman's periodic bleeding stops. Menopause can occur at any age from 40 to 60 years.

At what age do teenagers get their period?

When should the first period appear? The exact age cannot be named, it depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. Usually the first menstruation begins at the age of 11 to 14, but there are cases when it occurs very early - at 8, or, conversely, late - at 16.

Most often, a girl's period for the first time comes at about the same time as her mother. However, too early or late arrival of menstruation in adolescents often indicates hormonal disorders, so in this case it is highly advisable for a young girl to visit a gynecologist.

Symptoms of menstruation

What symptoms may indicate the approach of menstruation? All of them are different. Someone does not feel any changes in well-being at all, and learns about the onset of menstruation only when it occurs. However, most of the fair sex still experiences a number of characteristic features.

Most often in girls before menstruation occurs:

• swollen breasts,
• lower abdomen starts to hurt
• they become irritable and quick-tempered.

These are symptoms of the so-called premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which makes itself felt a few days (from 2 to 14) before the onset of menstrual bleeding. According to statistics, at least 45% of women experience it.

In addition to the symptoms listed above, during PMS may also appear:

• feelings of anxiety, sadness,
• irritability,
• aggression or depression
• heartache,
• panic attacks,
• frequent urination,
• heaviness in the lower body
• some even experience bouts of vomiting and a slight increase in body temperature.

However, if such manifestations are so strong that they interfere with concentrating on work, or are accompanied by fever and severe pain, we recommend that you pay the attention of your doctor to them.

What should not be done during menstruation?

Menstruation is not a disease. On the contrary, this is a sign that the girl is in good health and, if desired, she can give birth and bear a child. However, this does not mean at all that at this time you do not need to take care of your health.

During menstruation, it is very important to observe a number of restrictions so as not to harm your body and not increase bleeding.

Experiencing physical activity

On critical days, it is highly desirable to limit physical activity, and this applies to even the most notorious sports fans. Do not lift weights, run, do heavy physical work.

Why? Because all these actions increase blood flow to the pelvic organs and aggravate bleeding from the vagina. Because of this, the level of hemoglobin can significantly drop, there will be a feeling of weakness, drowsiness, fatigue.

By the way, this is why in many schools it is allowed not to go to a physical education lesson when girls have their period.

Drink alcoholic beverages

Alcohol is harmful in itself, so it should be abandoned on other days. But during menstruation, alcohol is also prohibited because, under its influence, the walls of blood vessels expand, which again can lead to more profuse bleeding.

Lead a sex life

Lovers should endure a few days to protect the body from pathogenic organisms. During menstruation, the mucous membrane of the uterus and vagina becomes very vulnerable, and the risk of catching an infection increases several times.

In addition, sex is also physical activity, which is contraindicated during this period. Yes, and there may not be pleasure, since it will be difficult for a woman to relax due to secretions and a special smell.

Take a hot bath, go to the bathhouse, swim in an open pond

During menstruation, girls need to take care of themselves more carefully, regularly wash themselves with warm water to avoid the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Do not take a hot bath and even more so visit the bath. There are cases when, after such visits, women began to bleed so heavily that it was difficult to stop.

Also, during menstrual bleeding, you should not swim in pools and especially open water, as the risk of pathogenic bacteria entering the vagina and uterus increases. Unfortunately, even the use of tampons will not help to provide the necessary protection.

Plan Operations

Doctors warn that during menstruation it is impossible to plan operations, even seemingly insignificant ones, such as tooth extraction, since these days women's blood clotting worsens.

Ignoring this prohibition can lead to complications: large-scale intractable bleeding and large blood loss.

Take anticoagulants

For the same reasons, during the period when menstruation is coming, you should not take aspirin, ascorbic acid and other anticoagulants. They thin the blood and prevent it from clotting, so they can cause profuse bleeding.

Follow a strict diet

On the days of menstruation, you should not adhere to strict food restrictions, and even more so starve or sit on liquid and mono-diets. The girl must fully eat so that the body is not depleted due to the simultaneous loss of blood and malnutrition.

The result of a diet during menstruation can be a serious deterioration in well-being and fainting.

If a girl takes care of herself, eats right and does not overwork, then critical days will pass with her without any negative consequences.

Video: what is menstruation and why is it needed?

Every girl and woman living on our planet knows what a "charm" is menstruation. But not everyone thinks about the meaning of "monthly". In most cases, they are an integral part of the life of every female representative and something that is sometimes very annoying.

Importance of menstruation

Some older civilizations interpreted the menstrual cycle as something "impure" and the blood produced during this period as "corrupted." In this regard, women in ancient times at the hour of menstruation were almost isolated. And in some tribal communities, she could be driven away for this period altogether.

And in the 20th century, a biased view of this feature of the female body was preserved. A striking example of this was the ban on donating blood during menstruation, as it was believed that it would enhance the process of destruction of red blood cells. Such prejudicial opinions still exist today, but perfect confidence in them has been lost.

In some states, quite the contrary: menstruation is considered an excuse for pride. Here they symbolize fertility and conception, growing up. In addition, representatives of some cultures organize large and multi-day celebrations in connection with the first menstruation of a girl.

Start and duration of menstruation

The beginning of this process for any girl does not depend on anything. Sooner or later, she will begin her menstrual cycle. The first time "critical days" come in 10-16 years. They will come until the menopause begins - up to 45-55 years.
During this period, menstruation comes on average 500 times, has an average duration of 3-7 days. During one period, a woman loses 0.150-0.250 liters of blood.

What happens in the female body?

The onset of menstruation is evidence that the fertilization of the mature egg did not take place, and it did not move into the uterine cavity. Then the level of hormones in the blood drops steeply, which provokes a vasoconstriction on the inner mucosa of this female reproductive organ. Thus, the level of its blood supply decreases.

As a result, the mucous membrane gradually exfoliates and is torn away from the uterus. Her remains are brought out together with blood, which has accumulated due to ruptures of small vessels.

The regularity of this process is approximately 28 days. It stops only as a result of the fertilization of the egg or the onset of menopause.

premenstrual syndrome

With a painful course of menstruation, it is advisable to visit a doctor, because various diseases can manifest themselves in this way. After ruling out this cause, the gynecologist may recommend other ways to help relieve pain.

Along with this, during menstruation, various stressful situations and hard physical work should be avoided. Yoga, light exercise and warmth will greatly alleviate the condition. Medication can be anesthetized only after consulting a specialist.

Irregular periods: causes

Irregular periods can be in those girls who have just begun. It takes some time for the cycle to establish. If the duration of menstruation and the cycle fluctuates over a considerable period of time, you should definitely visit a gynecologist. He will prescribe an examination to check the hormonal levels.

Obesity can also affect cycle instability. This also applies to being underweight.

Another common reason for the failure of the menstrual cycle is the presence of stressful situations and physical overstrain. Even individual sports activities can call for a temporary cessation of menstruation.

Hygiene during menstruation

The most popular and widely used hygiene "tools" are pads and disposable tampons. Other ways to collect menstrual blood are various reusable pads and menstrual cups.

The latter are funnel-shaped containers that must be placed in the vagina. They are very convenient to use due to their compactness, the ability to use for a fairly long period of time. Also, a menstrual cup is an ideal option for long-term cruises to those regions of the country where it is not possible to purchase other hygiene products.

"Cons" of menstruation

At the level of psychology and physiology, menstruation is far from an expected process in a woman's life. This is associated with a considerable number of unpleasant symptoms. During this period, a woman experiences different sensations of discomfort, pain, irritability.

Sometimes, in connection with the arrival of menstruation, it is necessary to cancel some plans and deeds. For example, taking a bath or sunbathing.

Benefits of menstruation

But there are also pluses of monthly. They play an important role, as they have a direct impact on the duration of existence and the state of women's health. Among them are:

1. Possibility of conceiving a child. A woman can do this every month during ovulation. It occurs in the middle of the monthly cycle. If pregnancy does not occur, menstruation comes again, and the body is fully prepared for a new attempt to become pregnant.
2. Opportunity to see pathological symptoms, disease in time
3. If the cycle is very short or long, while characterized by instability, the presence of pain, unusual discharge - this is the first signal about the presence of some kind of disruption in the hormonal or reproductive systems. They are also signs of many infectious diseases or a special structure of the female organs (bend of the uterus).
4. In order to eliminate them, a woman must definitely seek medical help from specialists in a timely manner. Or maybe you need to change your lifestyle.
5. Cleansing the Reproductive System Every month, when mucus is released from the uterus, excess microbes are removed. Also during this process, the woman's body gets rid of unnecessary iron, which reduces the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
6. Slow down aging. Until the moment menopause occurs, the female body is considered fully capable of continuing the human race. Because in it there is a hormonal release by the reproductive system, which indicates its functioning state.
7. The menopause stage is the biological obsolescence of the body, as hormonal production stops.
8. Maintaining normal weight. During the menstrual cycle, the activity of the hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuates. As a result of this, first the retention and then the removal of water and salts from the body occurs. During menopause, the level of their activity decreases significantly, and after a while it stops altogether. Therefore, there is nothing to remove unnecessary water and salt. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully regulate the amount of components used.

Changes in the timing of menstruation or its termination cannot be done in a natural way. You can significantly reduce the number of menstrual cycles per year by taking hormonal contraception. But this is not suitable for all women. In addition, these drugs have a large number of side effects.

With a difficult or painful course of menstruation, the doctor may prescribe hormonal drugs in order to normalize the condition as much as possible. But before you start taking any medication, you should always consult with your doctor.

Young girls who will become mothers in the future should know what menstruation is and what they are for. This cyclical process will accompany them until the completion of reproductive functioning. This article will tell you everything about menstruation: their duration, frequency of occurrence, changes in the body that they provoke.

Before talking about cyclic physiological features, you need to find out what menstruation is.

This term refers to the stage of the cycle, which is characterized by peeling and rejection of the outer layer of the uterus - the endometrium. Menstruation is a regular process that begins on the first day of the cycle.

Critical days are often accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Therefore, before their completion, it is difficult for a woman to maintain her ability to work.

The process of separation of the uterine endometrium in gynecology is called desquamation. During this period, blood comes out of the vagina, which may contain small clots and particles of the endometrium.

After desquamation is completed, the outer uterine layer becomes thicker. Due to its compaction, favorable conditions are created in the body for the attachment of a fertilized egg.

That is, the main function of critical days is to prepare the body for pregnancy. If conception did not occur, purification becomes their main mission. After the completion of the reproductive stage, which occurs at about 45–48 years of age, the endometrium does not separate from the uterus.

May start at 12 years old. In gynecology, they are called "menarche". Most adolescents at this age become sexually mature. That is, the presence of menstruation indicates the readiness of the body to conceive and bear the fetus.

For more information about what is happening in the body at this time, read a separate article on our website.

Type of menstrual flow

Sometimes menstruation in girls indicates the development of a pathological process in the body. Therefore, to maintain reproductive functioning, you need to know which discharges are considered normal and which are not.

Classification of menstrual flow:

1. .Appear mainly a few days before the onset of desquamation. Brown color. If discharge is observed during menstruation, this may indicate erosion of the uterine cervix, exhausted ovary syndrome, polyps or neoplasms in the genital area, and other ailments.
2. Very scarce. The volume of such secretions does not exceed 35–40 ml. They occur due to hormonal failure. Sometimes meager periods appear before some important event, such as a wedding, that is, during a period of strong psycho-emotional stress.
3. . There is no need to worry about the presence of clots in the monthly discharge, because in fact it is coagulated blood. They often form if a woman leads a sedentary lifestyle.
4. Abundant. The volume of such secretions is more than 80 ml. Usually they do not pass on the 6-7th day. Their presence may indicate cancer, uterine polyps, endometriosis. Also, a large output of monthly blood is a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy.

- bright red. In the second half of desquamation, they turn brown.

As for the exit from the vagina on critical days of a yellow or green foamy liquid, this is a pathology. Its presence may be associated with an inflammatory process in the pelvic organs, as well as candidiasis and other gynecological diseases.

What happens in the body

On critical days in women, the endometrium is actively torn away from the uterus. This process is accompanied by bleeding from the vagina. Your monthly discharge contains enzymes that keep it from clotting.

The blood flow contributes to the rapid removal of endometrial remnants from the body. The amount of fluid depends on the duration of menstruation and other cyclic features.

If the egg has been fertilized, the endometrium is completely renewed. For 9 months, it serves as additional protection for the fetus.

In the absence of pregnancy, the updated upper layer of the uterus is excreted from the body along with monthly blood.

Critical days symptoms

Most women experience discomfort on critical days. Their occurrence is associated with increased hormonal activity at this time.

The main symptoms of menstruation:

1. Aching or drawing pain in the region of the ovaries (lower abdomen).
2. Nausea. Sometimes it may be accompanied by vomiting.
3. Breast swelling.
4. Increased irritability, a tendency to sudden mood swings.

It is worth noting that not all of the fair sex are faced with this unpleasant symptomatology. According to statistics, 45% of women do not experience discomfort on critical days.

Additional signs of desquamation:

1. Anxiety, apathy.
2. Pain in the region of the heart.
3. Frequent urination.
4. Panic attacks.
5. Slight increase in body temperature.

The duration of menstruation

Menstruation in women goes until the completion of reproductive functioning, that is, until the onset of menopause.

The duration of the period of menstrual bleeding in girls is different. On average, periods last from 3 to 7 days.

The first desquamation is usually not characterized by profusion and duration. In 12-year-old girls during menarche, the amount of vaginal blood released does not exceed 10 ml.

What is the menstrual cycle

Every mature woman regularly faces physiological changes. The monthly (menstrual) cycle is called periodic changes in the female body. Each stage is controlled by hormones.

The frequency and duration of this period

The number of days in one cycle is from 21 to 33. Its average duration is 27–28 days. Every day, under the influence of sex hormones, changes occur in the girl's body. These chemicals prepare the body for pregnancy on a monthly basis.

The monthly cycle begins from the first day of desquamation, and ends with the onset of the next critical days.

Cyclic duration depends on the body's production of sex hormones, in particular estrogen and progesterone.

What changes occur during the cycle

Women who want to understand the specifics of their physiological nature should know what happens during the menstrual cycle in their body and when critical days begin.

In the first half of this stage, the production of estrogen, one of the main female hormones, increases. This chemical substance not only prepares the body for pregnancy, creating favorable conditions for conception, but also strengthens bone tissue. However, its main function is to thicken the endometrium.

In parallel with the increase in the body's production of estrogen in the ovaries, a follicle grows and develops, which is a small bubble, inside which the egg is located.

Approximately in the middle of the cycle (on the 14-16th day), the follicle leaves the ovary and enters the fallopian tube to meet the sperm there. This process is called ovulation. Its main characteristic is the accelerated production of sex hormones, which ensures the creation of favorable conditions for pregnancy.

The highest chances for a successful implantation of the embryo exist 2-3 days before the onset of ovulation and on the first day of this phase. That is, if during this period the egg meets the sperm, it is likely that the woman will become pregnant.

If conception does not occur, menstruation occurs. After monthly discharge, the endometrium is re-updated.

How and why to keep a calendar

The beginning of menstruation in girls is marked on the calendar. This is done to control cycle stability. The implementation of the calendar method allows you to determine not only the duration of the cycle, but also the possible onset of pregnancy.

That is, if menstruation does not begin by the expected date and the delay is more than 5 days, the girl may soon become a mother.

Maintaining a menstrual calendar is convenient. With it, you can track cyclic failures. If they were not provoked by psycho-emotional stress, physical overwork or other external factors, it is necessary to undergo a gynecological examination. Regular cycle shifts may indicate a pathological process in the body.

Why menstruation occurs and why girls have menstruation are questions related to the physiology of the human body.
After all, only a girl who was born already has an “assortment” of eggs that are still sleeping, but will grow and develop with the girl, waiting in the wings. When adolescence comes, they decrease, and in subsequent years they also continue this process due to lack of demand.

Monthly or - this is the physiological period of the menstrual biocycle of a sexually mature girl or woman, during this period, the separation of the mucous membrane inside the uterus, which is obsolete for a month, is performed. The course itself is accompanied by the outflow of a menstrual mixture from the organ of the uterus, in which most of it is. But if we take the composition of menstrual blood, then it includes: blood, pituitary secretion of glands from the cervix, vagina and endometrial junction.

At the beginning, the mammary glands develop and grow, and then, along with further breast growth, the first menstruation appears. Until the onset of “menarche”, girls have atypical leucorrhoea, these are harbingers of the first menstruation. The discharge itself has a whitish, yellowish, transparent color. They don't have any odor. But the secretions of menstruation themselves have an individual smell. It depends on the work of the mucous gonad, it begins to quickly form a secret. The very first menstruation “menarche” is from another Greek phrase (month + beginning). This usually occurs in the 11-14th year of a teenager's life. The “menarche” itself is an important sign of fully functional sexual development in girls.

The first menstruation is considered the boundary between childhood and adolescence, a step into a new life, a girl is reborn into a girl. But after the first menstruation, the next ones may not go in a month, but after 2-3 months. During this time, the hormonal background in the body of the girl stabilizes. It will normalize, become more stable and regular somewhere within 24-30 months. When menstruation has already become regular, this indicates that the girl’s body is making a kind of basis for the unborn child. If there was no procreation, a single egg dies, and it must be removed from the body along with the place.

Menstruation is a kind of cleansing of the body from unnecessary, waste material. The female body through menstruation removes all the bad fluids that have gathered during the month. And as a result, there is an improvement in the body of girls. At the same time, during menstruation, the output of the old and the birth of a new egg is obtained, the place for the embryo is being prepared. Menstruation is a natural manifestation in the body of a girl. They occur after the hormonal work of the female body. Menstruation passes by day individually for each girl. The girl's hormones, estradiol and progesterone in the body, which are secreted by the ovaries, form the menstrual and ovarian biocycle. When a regular menstrual cycle is established, the discharge may be insignificant.

The norm of blood released during menstruation can be considered a volume of 80-90 ml. In natural secretions, clots should not be present. And the color of the blood should not be pronounced. The normal healthy color of menstruation is dark red without clotting. You should also understand what is the menstrual cycle in girls. Why does he appear? Here we need to go a little deeper and understand all the processes connected with this period that occur in the body of girls.

Biocycles include 4 main stages:

1. menstrual period is the first day of the monthly cycle.
2. Follicular- Estrogen stimulates the growth of follicles. In the middle of them are the sex cells of the girl. There is a dominant one among the follicles, it is ready for fertilization. When ready, this phase ends.
3. ovulatory- during ovulation, the egg itself moves to the male seminal fluid through the fallopian tubes.
4. luteal- the most recent period is ovulation, the development of hormones is underway.

With hormonal growth, endometrial growth also occurs to strengthen the fertilized egg. If there is no fertilization, the corpus luteum detaches. The production of progesterone is waning and the endometrium is ending its growth. There is a menstrual phase. In connection with this reason, the girls again begin new periods in the next month.

All these stages of origin are repeated from month to month until the moment of conception of the baby. Menstruation continues until the end of childbearing pores. In our modern time, menstruation in girls begins earlier than in the old days. The menstrual cycle itself depends on several reasons:

• The physical development of the girl;
• What heredity carries;
• Past illnesses;
• living conditions;
• Climate;
• Nutrition.

Delays

There are delays in girls, except for pregnancy, for many reasons:

1. due to drastic climate change.
2. Unbalanced, poor nutrition.
3. Diseases of the endocrine system.
4. Viral, infectious diseases.
5. Great physical activity.
6. Transferred stress.
7. Large or small weight.
8. Received injuries of the genital external and internal organs.
9. Failure in metabolism.

It must be remembered that the physical condition before menstruation worsens. There are pains in the lower abdomen, back. I want to lie down with a warm heating pad. Plus a terrible emotionality is evident. But all these symptoms will quickly disappear, literally after the first day of the onset of menstruation.

If it’s quite simple, then the question about menstruation can be answered like this - monthly cycles are like an appeal, a reminder to a girl that she is destined to introduce another life into this world. The menstrual process is long, difficult, so that a fertilized egg is born, can firmly gain a foothold in the uterus and begin to fully develop throughout pregnancy in order to come into this world as a healthy, desirable and beloved baby.

Medical workers have studied and noticed that women have a longer life expectancy, are healthier in body, mind and more resilient than men due to the fact that menstruation takes place monthly in their work of the body and removes waste material from the body. And it's updated.