What happens in the body when menstruation. How do periods go - how a regular cycle is formed and what should be the discharge. The mechanism of the arrival of menstruation

When do girls start menstruating?

In most cases, the first menstruation occurs between the ages of 11 and 13. The appearance of menstruation in girls under 9 years old is recognized as too early. And too late is the absence of menstruation after the age of 15 or for more than 2.5 years after the onset of breast development (usually it begins between the ages of 7 and 13 years).

In both cases, the girl's parents are obliged to seek help from a pediatric gynecologist and endocrinologist if the deviation in the onset of menstruation is significant (more than 2 years - later or earlier than the generally accepted period).

Such violations can be the result of quite serious diseases:

1. Failure of the normal functioning of the endocrine system;
2. Violation of the hormonal background of the girl's body.

How menstruation goes is an important issue both for young girls whose cycle has not yet been established, and for women who have encountered any problems in the reproductive system.

The regularity and stability of the cycle indicate, first of all, the normal functioning of the body and the ability of a woman to fertilize and give birth to a baby. However, due to a number of factors, the body fails and menstruation does not go as it should.

Knowing how many days a period should go, how much, a woman is able to understand the failure that has begun in a timely manner. The individuality of each organism should not be excluded, however, there are certain norms regarding the nature of menstruation.

It is believed that the duration is from three to seven days. For this period, a general deterioration in well-being, pain in the lower abdomen are considered natural.

If the discharge lasts less or more than the specified time, it makes sense to consult a gynecologist.

Long periods or, conversely, very short periods may indicate:

• violation of the normal hormonal balance in the body;
• inflammatory or infectious processes in the organs of the reproductive system.

Calculation methods

The regularity of menstruation in women should be discussed, knowing the exact number of days of the cycle. It should be understood what it is. Some mistakenly take for it the period between allocations. In fact, the cycle includes the total number of days from the first day of the period to the first day of the next period.

(Date of period - date of previous period) + one extra day = cycle length

The norm is 28 days. However, a duration of 21 to 35 days is allowed, these are all variants of the norm.

The duration of the female cycle can be affected by:

• fatigue and overwork;
• stressful situations;
• diets, weight loss or weight gain;
• colds and exacerbation of chronic;
• moving to another climate zone and so on.

To account for their own cycle, the doctor often recommends that girls start a calendar and mark the dates of menstruation in it. This method will allow not only to monitor the state of the body, but also accurately indicate information to the gynecologist when visiting him.

How are periods going normally?

How normal menstruation proceeds, how the discharge should go correctly, every lady needs to know.

Doctors point to various options that are not a deviation:

1. On the first day, heavy menstruation, contains dark-colored blood clots. In the following days, the discharge becomes less abundant and disappears by 5-7 days.
2. The beginning of menstruation is a dark spotting discharge that becomes more abundant by day 3. Further, the intensity of menstruation is on the decline.
3. Change in secretions throughout 5-7 days. Allocations can be scarce at first, and then plentiful, and vice versa.

You can rely on these options if you are concerned about how menstruation goes normally. But another course of menstruation can be quite natural.

How much should be allocated?

Distinguish menstrual flow by volume, they can be:

• normal;

It is normal if up to 6-7 pieces of hygiene products are taken per day. More pads used indicates excessive flow, fewer pads indicate scanty periods.

Reasons for deviations

If a woman understands that something is wrong with her cycle, and the discharge is far from normal, you should go to the doctor and be examined.

A large volume of discharge lasting more than a week can be a symptom of problems such as:

• problems with blood clotting;
• hormonal imbalance in the body;
• the presence of other inflammatory or infectious diseases.

The scarcity of menstruation may indicate such problems:

• violation of the natural balance of hormones in the body;
• improper functioning of the ovaries;
• etc.

What to do if a failure occurs?

If the menses go for a long time, the cause is not always the presence of a disease. It is not uncommon for situations when menstruation goes on, or they do not exist at all, but there is no pregnancy either. The cause of all these conditions must be found by a doctor and appropriate treatment prescribed.

There are such types that require medical intervention:

• Algodysmenorrhea. Often occurs in young girls. The duration of the cycle and discharge is usually normal, but during the days of menstruation, severe pain occurs, which can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and other disorders in the body.
• Amenorrhea. This is the complete absence of menstruation. It is normal during pregnancy and after childbirth.
• Metrorrhagia. Bloody discharge that appears in the middle of the cycle. The reason is often the presence of tumors in the uterus, such as fibroids. May appear after stress.
• Dysmenorrhea. The onset of menstruation much earlier or later than the due date. The reason - in hormones or the impact of any external circumstances - stress, exams, flight.
• Oligoamenorrhea. Rare and scanty menstruation, which can subsequently cause infertility in a woman.

On the video about the menstrual cycle

How menstruation goes, every woman and girl should know. This is especially true for adolescents who are just expecting their first menstruation. Any deviation is a reason to see a doctor. Only an attentive attitude to your women's health will allow you to maintain excellent well-being and the opportunity to become a mother in the future.

Menstruation is the period of the menstrual cycle, during which the girl has a discharge of blood from the vagina. The blood released during menstruation is thick and dark in appearance, and may contain clots or lumps. This is due to the fact that during menstruation, not only blood is released from the cavity, but also sections of the inner layer of the uterus, which is called the endometrium.

Where does the blood come from during menstruation?

Bloody discharge during menstruation appears due to damage to the blood vessels of the inner layer of the uterus. The destruction of these vessels occurs during the death of the uterine mucosa (endometrium) if the woman is not pregnant.

At what age should menses start?

Most girls have their first period between the ages of 12 and 15. Often (but not always) a girl's first period occurs at the same age as her mother. Therefore, if your mother's first menstruation came late (at 15-16 years old), then there is a high probability that they will come to you at this age. However, the first period may come a few years earlier or later than your mother. This is completely normal.

Some studies show that the arrival of the first menstruation in girls occurs when they reach a certain weight, which is about 47 kg. Thus, in thin girls, on average, menstruation occurs later than in chubby ones.

What are the first symptoms of menstruation?

A few months before your first period, you may feel aching pain in your lower abdomen, and you may also notice white or clear discharge from the vagina.

If you notice even a small amount of brown discharge on your panties, this is your first period. Often the first menstruation is very scanty - just a few drops of blood.

What is the monthly cycle and how long does it last?

The monthly or menstrual cycle is the length of time from the first day of one menstruation to the first day of the next menstruation.

Different women have different cycle times. Normally, the length of the menstrual cycle should be from 21 to 35 days. In most girls, the menstrual cycle lasts 28-30 days. This means that menstruation comes every 28-30 days.

What is a regular menstrual cycle?

The regularity of the menstrual cycle means that menstruation occurs every time after a certain number of days. The regularity of your menstrual cycle is an important indicator that your ovaries are working properly.

How to determine the regularity of the menstrual cycle?

To do this, you can use a calendar in which you will mark the first day of your period each time. If, according to your calendar, menstruation occurs every time on the same date, or at certain intervals, then you have regular periods.

How many days should a period go?

The duration of menstruation for different girls can be different. Normally, periods can go from 3 to 7 days. If your period is less than 3 days, or more than 7 days, then you need to contact a gynecologist.

How much blood should be released during menstruation?

It may seem to you that during your period you have a lot of blood, but this is not so. Usually, within 3-5 days of menstruation, a girl loses no more than 80 ml of blood (this is about 4 tablespoons).

To get an idea of ​​how much blood you're bleeding, you can watch your pads. Pads vary greatly in the amount of blood they can absorb. On average, a 4-5 drop pad can absorb up to 20-25 ml of blood (while it looks evenly filled with blood). If during one day of menstruation you have to change pads every 2-3 hours, this indicates that you have heavy periods and you should consult a gynecologist.

Pads or tampons?

Most girls prefer to use pads during menstruation. There is a separate article on our website about which pads are best to choose, how to use them correctly and how often you need to change them:.

Is menstruation painful?

A few days before the onset of menstruation and in the first days of menstruation, you may feel aching or cramping pain in the lower abdomen. This is normal. If the pain in the abdomen is severe, you can take painkillers (No-shpu, Ibuprofen, Analgin, etc.) or use other tips described in the article.

With frequent severe pain in the abdomen during menstruation, it is recommended to consult a gynecologist. You may need to undergo treatment.

Is it possible to play sports during menstruation?

During menstruation, you can play sports if you do not feel pain in the abdomen and if the periods are not too heavy. When playing sports, avoid exercises in which your butt is above your head (for example, you can’t hang on the horizontal bar upside down, do somersaults, do a “birch tree”).

Is it possible to take a bath and go to the pool during menstruation?

Can. A warm bath during your period can reduce stomach pain and make you feel better.

When swimming in the pool, water cannot enter your vagina during menstruation or on other days of the cycle. You can go to the pool if your periods are not heavy and you have used a tampon. At the same time, you should not stay in the pool for a long time, and immediately after swimming, you need to change the tampon, or replace it with a pad.

Is it possible to go to the bath or sauna during menstruation?

No, this is not desirable, as high ambient temperatures can cause increased bleeding.

Is it possible to go to the solarium and sunbathe during menstruation?

No, this is not desirable, because during menstruation, the female body is more susceptible to ultraviolet rays. Sunburn (in the sun or in) during menstruation can lead to increased bleeding or other unwanted symptoms (headaches, weakness, dizziness, etc.)

To better understand the rather complex mechanism of the menstrual cycle, it is necessary to trace its action from the very beginning. At a certain moment (every girl has her own time), a small gland - the pituitary gland, located deep in the mass of the brain, sends its first hormonal signal. Blood carries pituitary hormones throughout the body, but the most sensitive to their action are the ovaries, which in turn also begin to produce special hormones.

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Since birth, each girl has about 100-150 thousand immature eggs in each of the ovaries. When the ovary receives a hormonal signal, one of the eggs begins to mature. The egg is located inside a special sac (follicle), which, developing, increases in size and, as it were, protrudes to the surface of the ovary. Approximately from the 8th to the 15th day of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs: the follicle bursts, and the mature egg safely enters the fallopian tube.

The time of ovulation (i.e., the full maturation of the follicle and the release of a mature egg) is individual for each woman. It can only be calculated approximately, since various factors influence this process. These include diseases of the nervous and endocrine systems, liver, kidneys, etc. Stress and emotional experiences can also cause accelerated or slow development of the egg.

The egg is the largest cell in the human body, although it is difficult to see with the naked eye. Its diameter is 0.2 mm. After ovulation, the mature egg, due to the movement of the fringes that cover the inner walls of the fallopian tube, moves to the uterine cavity.

While the follicle with the egg is maturing, under the influence of the hormones already mentioned, the preparation of the uterine mucosa is being read in parallel. Its thickness increases from 1 to 10 mm, a large number of new blood and lymphatic vessels form in it, it becomes juicy, soft and represents nothing more than a potential bed for a conceived being.

If, as a result of sexual contact, a mature egg in the fallopian tube meets with a male reproductive cell (sperm), the egg and sperm are combined, and fertilization (conception) occurs. The days after ovulation are the most favorable for conception. If fertilization does not occur, then the bed prepared in the uterine cavity turns out to be redundant, the juicy, thickened mucous membrane is rejected and menstrual bleeding occurs. This cycle is repeated in a woman who has reached puberty every month. This is where the second name for this process came from among the people - menstruation.

The beginning of menstruation in a girl testifies to her puberty and the ability to reproduce a new life. This should not be forgotten, because. these days, the onset of menstruation sometimes coincides with the onset of sexual activity. Ignorance of the elementary processes occurring in a woman's body leads to unpleasant consequences. I have repeatedly seen the surprised faces of young girls who did not even know that they could become pregnant due to unprotected sex.

Menstruation, menstruation, or regulation, is the discharge of blood from the uterus through the vagina, repeated monthly, lasting for healthy girls and women, always the same number of days. This is a very crucial moment in the life of a girl. Usually the first menstruation occurs at the age of 13-15. However, fluctuations can be observed here depending on the individual characteristics of the organism, living conditions and climate. For example, girls in the North start menstruating later than girls in the South.

Girls do not always have their periods right away. From menstruation, which came for the first time, to the next one, there may be a break from several months to several years. If menstruation is established after 3-6 months or a year, there is no need to worry, this can be considered normal. Late establishment - more than one year - usually indicates a general underdevelopment of the girl.

In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor who will prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Usually menstruation is repeated after 21-28-30 days. Each of these periods will be considered normal if menstruation always occurs after 21, 28 or 30 days. Menstruation lasts an average of 3-5 days, but there may be fluctuations in the direction of decreasing or increasing the number of days, with moderate blood loss - from 50 to 100 grams.

What causes the onset of menstruation?

With the onset of puberty (by the age of 13-15) in a girl, one of the ovarian follicles increases rapidly every month due to the accumulation of fluid in its cavity. The mature follicle protrudes above the surface of the ovary and bursts. Together with the flow of fluid, a female egg cell that has matured for fertilization is carried into the abdominal cavity. This process (maturation and rupture of the follicle with the release of a mature egg) is called ovulation.

The egg cannot move on its own. Carried away by the current of the fluid that filled the vesicle, it enters the fringes of the fallopian tube and, under the influence of the flickering of the cilia and the contraction of the tube, moves towards the uterus. After the rupture of the follicle and the release of the egg from it, the cavity of the bursting vesicle is first filled with a small blood clot, and the cells lining this cavity and containing a special yellow substance begin to grow rapidly.

Thus, a corpus luteum is formed in place of the burst bubble. During the entire time of maturation of the follicle and until its rupture, the uterine mucosa thickens by about 4-5 times due to increased cell growth. These changes occur in the uterus under the influence of folliculin, a hormone produced by the cells lining the follicle. When ovulation occurs in the ovary and the formed corpus luteum begins to secrete the hormone progesterone into the blood, the mucous membrane of the uterus thickens even more, becomes loose, the lumen of the glands expands and mucus is released. The mucous membrane of the uterus is ready to receive a fertilized egg.

If fertilization does not occur and the egg dies, the corpus luteum shrinks, undergoes reverse development, and the release of progesterone stops. All this leads to the disintegration of the uterine mucosa. Small vessels overflowing with blood rupture, bleeding begins. This is how menstruation occurs. After 4-5 days, the uterine mucosa begins to recover, and the whole process is repeated. During menstruation, the inner surface of the uterus is a bleeding wound, the cervical canal is somewhat dilated and its outer opening is ajar. That is why these days it is very important to observe special rules of personal hygiene in order to protect yourself from severe, debilitating diseases of the genital organs.

It is very important that every girl knows that the appearance of the first menstruation does not yet indicate puberty. The first menstruation is evidence that the eggs began to mature in the ovary and, under the influence of hormones produced by the ovaries, the girl's body began to prepare for the reproductive function. But this does not mean at all that the body is ready for normal pregnancy. A girl, even at the age of 13, if she has already begun menstruation, can become a mother. But how will her pregnancy and childbirth proceed?

As a rule, severe complications occur during pregnancy and during childbirth in such cases. This is very bad for health. After all, the body is not yet ready for the normal performance of the functions of motherhood. Children born to such mothers are often sickly and weak.

Abortion during the first pregnancy in most cases leads to an irreparable misfortune - forever deprives a woman of the joy of motherhood, makes her barren. That is why premature sex life is extremely dangerous for a girl, not to mention the fact that casual sex can lead to infection with venereal diseases. A disease, such as gonorrhea, causes inflammatory changes in the fallopian tubes, they become impassable, and this usually leads to infertility.