What is menstruation for and what is this process? Why do you need periods?

Any representative of the fair sex who reaches a certain age sooner or later faces a dilemma - why do we need periods?

The appearance of a girl's period is the first sign that she has already crossed the line of growing up and has become a full-fledged woman capable of childbearing. This usually occurs between the ages of 10 and 14, depending on predisposition and development.
Let's touch on the biology of the female body. Even from school courses we know the fact that the inside of the uterus is covered with endometrium. This is the name of the mucous layer, which is ready to receive a fertilized egg into its womb every month. During the period of maturation of the egg in a woman’s ovary, the endometrium increases in size, fills with blood, and membranes appear in it.

Around the fourteenth day of the cycle, the female body has all the prerequisites to become pregnant, and if this does not happen, all preliminary preparation turns out to be unnecessary. Therefore, the natural process is the need to get rid of useless material, which occurs in the form of menstruation, usually on the 28th day.

A few days before the start of menstruation, changes in hormonal levels can lead to outbreaks of irritability or, conversely, increased sensitivity and tearfulness. Try to pull yourself together, because these are just short-term phenomena. A few drops of motherwort tincture or a valerian tablet will help pacify up-and-down emotions. Sometimes they can bother you, which you can get rid of with no-shpa.

Hygiene products for menstruation

Having figured out why menstruation is needed and how to avoid some discomfort, it is impossible not to mention the hygiene products used during this period.

Fortunately, in modern supermarkets and pharmacies you can find a huge variety of pads, menstrual cups and tampons that guarantee dryness and comfort. Where to stop? Over time, each girl chooses the most optimal remedy, taking into account her physiology and lifestyle.

Tampons are a very convenient thing when you have an active lifestyle. They absolutely do not interfere with playing sports, swimming, or going to the pool. In addition, you feel quite relaxed with them, wearing light summer clothes or tight knitwear. But remember that a tampon that does not change for more than 4 hours becomes a time bomb and creates a favorable environment for the proliferation of bacteria, fungi and other harmful microorganisms. Therefore, if you cannot give them up at all, try to alternate them with pads. There are medical contraindications for the use of tampons - these are the presence of inflammatory processes of a gynecological nature, uterine prolapse and sexually transmitted diseases.

Every year, becoming more and more improved, they position themselves as the most hygienic and healthy remedy for menstruation. The gel filler significantly distinguishes modern thin models with practical wings from their great-grandmothers - awkward, thick and uncomfortable. Their only drawback, perhaps, can be considered irritation on the skin and an unpleasant odor during the summer heat. In this case, you should give preference to tampons.

Menstrual cups or reusable mouth guards, which have been quite popular in the West for a long time, have appeared on pharmacy shelves relatively recently. The mouthguard is simply inserted into the vagina, where blood collects. It can be easily removed and washed at any time. Once you learn how to do this, you will be able to appreciate this device.

Superstitions about periods

For many centuries, the answer to the question: why are they needed, did not sound very flattering to the fairer sex, forcing ladies not to appear in society at this time.

Why? It was believed that during this period a woman was unclean and posed a threat to others. Under no circumstances should she admire the newborn, so as not to accidentally jinx him. The girl's first period was a special concern for the mother; the latter had to give her daughter a slap in the face in order to preserve her beautiful blush. It was undesirable to go to funerals during this period, so that some of the female uncleanness would not be transferred to the deceased. This could prevent him from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. But the ban on visiting the temple during menstruation applies to women even today, especially you cannot touch shrines. In such a state, a woman was not allowed to sow, bake, cut bread, or ferment cabbage.

If you're interested in the menstrual cup innovation, you can see how to use it in this video:

The question of why menstruation is needed naturally arises in every girl who enters adolescence. When faced with such an essentially unpleasant phenomenon as menstruation, a child uninitiated in this topic will not understand the reason, will suffer, and may even be afraid. Therefore, the task of every loving mother is to tell her daughter in time that this is a natural process that occurs in the body every month, necessary so that she can feel the joy of motherhood in the future.

Physiology of the female reproductive system

The menstrual cycle is periodically recurring changes in the organs of the reproductive system. The establishment of the cycle occurs gradually, over approximately 1-1.5 years, and then it persists throughout life until the onset of menopause. Consists of two phases:

1. The first phase (follicular) is characterized by the maturation of the egg, rupture of the follicle and the release of the egg (ovulation).
2. The second phase (luteal) ensures maturation corpus luteum. At the same time, growth (proliferation) of the inner layer, the endometrium, occurs in the uterus.

Moving along the fallopian tube, the egg meets the sperm, fertilization occurs, and then the embryo is implanted into the prepared endometrium. In the case when fertilization does not occur, the uterus begins to contract and reject the no longer needed endometrium, and menstruation occurs. And in the reproductive system, the cyclic changes described above occur again in the same sequence.

Menstruation is the discharge of blood and clots from the genital tract that occurs at the end of the uterine cycle. Discharge appears at the beginning of the follicular phase. It is generally accepted that the first day of menstruation begins the first day of the cycle, which lasts 28 days, but can individually vary from 21 to 35 days. Its duration is 3-7 days.

Now you can easily understand why menstruation is needed. If bleeding appears on approximately the same day every month, this means that the woman is healthy and in the reproductive period of life. Cyclicity disorders, on the contrary, indicate the inability to conceive and give birth to a child. This condition requires mandatory treatment, even if there is no desire to have children, since it is a signal of a hormonal imbalance in the body, and in the future can lead to irreversible consequences.

How to prevent periods from interfering with your normal life

Previously, in the so-called dark times, a woman during menstruation was considered unclean and unworthy. The questions “why” and “why” were associated with this event; there were many superstitions and mystical assumptions. This was led to by an elementary misunderstanding of the causes and essence of this phenomenon. Currently, there is an exact answer to the question of why menstruation is needed, the physiology of the reproductive system is well studied, knowledge is passed on from generation to generation, so monthly “critical days” do not frighten anyone and do not cause surprise.

Menstruation may not cause any inconvenience at all if you adapt to it correctly.

• Due to the fact that this event occurs every month, the girl needs to have a calendar on hand in which she will mark the first day. Over time, in the process of observation, it will become clear how many days the cycle lasts; it is not difficult to remember, and maintaining a calendar may no longer be necessary.
• The duration and amount of discharge help to select the necessary hygiene products. Girls decide to use pads or tampons independently, depending on the rhythm of life, the sensitivity of the external genitalia and personal preferences.
  During the day, during the most active times, it is better to insert a tampon. They are divided by size for scanty, moderate and heavy discharge. Tampons are inserted for a fairly short time (2-4 hours), so it is better to use a pad at night. These products also come in different configurations and thicknesses.
• If you are experiencing excruciating pain at this time, modern medicine has developed many antispasmodics that will relieve these unpleasant sensations; you just need to choose the right medicine and take it according to the instructions.
• Every healthy woman knows on what day her menstruation will occur, so you can confidently plan important events and activities, trips and trips to make these days as free and calm as possible.

At the age of 12-14, every girl becomes a girl, she has her first one, she doesn’t know yet, so her mother must explain to her everything about the female body. Naturally, at first such phenomena will frighten the young lady, but they should not be afraid, because this is a completely natural physiological process.

In order not to pronounce the long word “menstruation”, many girls replace it with “red days of the calendar”, “these days” or simply “menstruation”. The last name is primarily due to the fact that this process occurs once a month. But what is it and what are periods for?

Menstruation is a state of the body in which your egg is fully mature. During this process, the uterus, in which blood accumulates, increases in size in order to accommodate the egg in the event of fertilization. However, this does not happen, so the egg is destroyed, and the uterus narrows and blood comes out. It is the latter that we see every month, each time asking the question: “Why are periods needed?” Some days the blood flows quite quickly, so you have to constantly change the pads. However, this process ends soon and is repeated on the same day of the next month (or with a shift of 2-3 days).

The role of menstruation cannot be underestimated, because they are the first sign of a woman’s health, so only those planning a pregnancy can rejoice in their absence. In other cases, non-occurrence or delay means the emergence of a problem. When this occurs, you no longer rack your brains over why periods are needed, but, on the contrary, you look forward to their arrival.

Not all women experience the onset of “these days” the same way. For some, this is a completely ordinary day of the calendar, differing only in the undesirability of sexual intercourse. For others, the onset of menstruation means several days of constant pain and tears. Both reactions are completely normal, so you shouldn’t be too scared. However, experts believe that pain during menstruation can appear as a result of hypothermia of the ovaries, so you need to be careful during “these days.”

What are periods for, besides fertility? Naturally, the blood lost as a result of menstruation creates conditions for the body in which it is forced to produce it again, which helps to improve its level and new saturation with vitamins and minerals.

The few days before your period may seem like hell to your partner, and you - the main character in it. As the body undergoes restructuring, women’s mood often changes. Even the most insignificant little thing can upset them to tears and even enrage them. On such days, it is advisable for a man to treat the girl more gently and not create conflict situations.

We hope that you understand why periods are needed in a woman’s life. I wish you health and happiness. Remember that health is the key to our future happiness, so take care of it from a young age.

Why do we need periods and why do they occur if they cause unpleasant painful sensations? Yes, and from the point of view of hygiene, such manifestations of the body are not always convenient and cause some discomfort. Such conditions, which occur in every healthy female body upon reaching a certain age, bring very noticeable restrictions on a full-fledged existence. And is menstruation really necessary and why do they occur? Without knowing the answers to such questions, it is impossible to correctly assess the capabilities of the female body.

Biological features

Why do we need such processes that occur in women’s bodies every month and cause inconvenience and even pain? The appearance of the first menstruation is considered a sign of the maturation of the body, which will soon be ready for childbearing. From this moment on, the girl begins to feel like a woman and perceive her surroundings in a new way. Growing up occurs not only in the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics, in the roundness of the figure and other feminine charms.

Enormous changes also occur inside the female body, as they all occur under the influence of hormonal changes. Advice for girls - from the first days, take care of your reproductive abilities, since at first the body does not have enough strength to withstand various destructive processes.

Purpose of menstruation

Do you need periods or not? Considering the female body, from the point of view of physiology, all processes of one menstrual cycle are arranged as follows. The inside of the uterus is lined with a mucous layer designed to secure and further develop the fertilized egg. While the egg is developing, the endometrium increases in thickness and by the time of ovulation it becomes completely ready for pregnancy. When conception does not occur, all preparations are in vain and the body gets rid of materials that have become unnecessary. The cleansing process occurs along with menstruation. Why do we need periods? This question is most often asked by young girls, since mature women have long guessed about all the benefits of this event.

Menstruation plays a large role in the processes occurring in the reproductive system; it is capable of cleansing the body of the old and unnecessary and giving rise to new reproductive processes. Hormonal changes that occur in the body throughout the month can cause psycho-emotional disturbances on certain days. Unreasonable irritability or the appearance of apathy and drowsiness are possible. Some pain may also bother you during menstruation. But all these inconveniences are nothing compared to the changes that occur in the genitals every month throughout life.

What is considered normal

The appearance of the first menstruation, as a rule, occurs from the age of 13, but for some it may happen earlier, while others will experience menstruation for the first time a little later. Everything is very individual and depends on the developmental characteristics of the body. And although the cycle is called menstruation, the onset of the next menstruation, as a rule, will not occur earlier than in 2-3 months. There is no need to worry about this, since in any case the cycle will be able to establish itself during this time and menstruation will occur in accordance with the norm, on average after 28 days. Of course, minor deviations in one direction or another are possible, but this is also considered the norm.

The main thing that you should really pay attention to is that menstruation should be cyclical with equal intervals between them. Their duration may also vary slightly among different women, but not beyond the norm, which is considered to be the interval between 2 and 7 days.

If you need periods, then why? There is no need to try to cope with them in any way or stop them with the help of medications, since this is a natural physiological process given to a woman by nature. With the help of menstruation, she was able to renew herself monthly and, as it were, begin her development anew. It’s not for nothing that women are believed to live longer than men; perhaps this is partly due to menstruation!

Any girl who has experienced menstruation asks this question. Any person - both woman and man - must know the physiological characteristics of the female body. Only thanks to these features is the continuation of the human race possible.

Summary of the article

What are periods?

Once a month, the girl’s body is cleansed, this is a cyclical process. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, an egg is formed, which grows, develops and leaves the ovary to “meet” fertilization. If it does not happen, then menstruation occurs - a natural cleansing, during which the empty egg, along with the dead layer of the endometrium, comes out. This process is typical for absolutely all women and indicates the healthy functioning of the body. A girl's first menstruation begins at the age of 11-14 years, but this does not indicate that she is ready to give birth, it indicates that she is physiologically ready to conceive.

Even from school anatomy lessons, many people know the pattern according to which the menstrual cycle develops. Every month, an egg matures in one of the ovaries; after 12-14 days, it is released and enters the fallopian tubes. It stays there for about two days, waiting for a sperm. The uterus, lined with mucous membrane (endometrium), is ready to receive male cells. If fertilization of the egg does not occur during ovulation and pregnancy does not occur, then after 14 days the process is repeated.

And the girl gets her period, which can be a little painful - with cramps, back pain, and ailments. The cause of such conditions is the detachment of the spent mucous membrane inside the uterus. Its remains come out together with the egg and blood. Such cleansing is the key to successful renewal in the next cycle; such cycles continue until pregnancy occurs.

If pregnancy occurs during the ovulatory phase, the fertilized egg enters the uterine cavity, where it is safely attached to its walls and the development of the unborn baby begins.

Society about menstruation

Modern media have blurred the line between ethical and physiological standards. Open advertising of pads, tampons, and menstrual pain makes this intimate process an unnecessary discussion. Every self-respecting woman tries to advertise her critical days less, sharing her condition only in very narrow confidential circles.

For all women, menstruation occurs differently and this depends on the structure of the reproductive organs, general health, past illnesses and much more.

Church society treats menstruating women separately. She should not visit the temple on critical days or even cross its threshold; since ancient times, such a woman was considered “unclean.” In addition to church, on critical days a woman was forbidden, for example, to have her hair cut by a barber or to preserve food. Now we know that this is a prejudice, but several centuries ago society believed that menstruation was a woman’s sin.

The modern world understands that menstruation is a physiological need and nothing more. Naturally, this is not a sin at all, but nevertheless, many still believe that menstruation every month is needed in order to:

• Prove to society about the ability to bear children;
• Confirm the absence or occurrence of pregnancy;
• Cleanse the uterus;
• Understand the state of a woman’s reproductive functions (by the number of days of menstruation, by the volume of blood released).

The role of menstrual days is invisible at first glance, but it is irreplaceable. Only through monthly cleansing is it possible for procreation and pregnancy. Without menstruation, it is impossible to determine when the cycle began, when ovulation occurred and the egg is ready for fertilization; from them you can understand a lot about women's health. It is advisable for every girl to keep a menstrual calendar in which to track her menstrual days.

If your period doesn't come

If menstruation does not occur due to a long-awaited pregnancy, then this is undoubtedly a reason for joy. If there are no periods and no pregnancy, then this is a reason for concern. We are not talking about any serious health problems, but this is a signal to reconsider your lifestyle.

There are many cases why the body begins to malfunction and the date of menstruation changes.

• Physical stress;
• Ecology;
• Poor nutrition;
• Stress and mental disorders;
• Past infectious diseases and medications;
• Irregular sex life.

A woman should understand from childhood that periods exist for a full life, that this is a normal female condition. Renewal within a month contributes to bearing a healthy child. This is a cyclical, natural process for the body, it is a gift given by nature for the continuation of the human race.