If menstruation goes on different dates. Why are menses coming? What is the menstrual cycle

Violations are the most common reason for women to visit a gynecologist. Any woman faced such problems as the irregularity of the cycle, a change in the abundance and duration of menstruation (menstruation). Our article will help you understand what a normal menstrual cycle should be like, how to recognize its violations, and what can cause such changes.

What should be a normal menstrual cycle?

And all these signs are normal. Another thing is that all these signs should not cause significant discomfort.

So, let's designate the main conditions that define the concept of a normal (physiological) menstrual cycle of a woman:

1. Compliance with cyclicality (due to hormonal changes in the body, there should be a sequential change of 3 phases of the menstrual cycle);
2. Normal cycle length (at least 20 days and not more than 45 days). The most common indicator of the duration of a normal cycle is 28 - 30 days;
3. Directly, menstruation for each woman should have a certain duration (2 - 7 days), and this indicator should not differ significantly from month to month;
4. The total blood loss for one menstruation should not be less than 50 ml, and not more than 150 ml;
5. Menstruation should not bring a woman strong and unwell.

The length of the correct menstrual cycle

If deviations from the norm occur occasionally (once a year) and are limited to a few days to a week, this is not considered a pathology, and no treatment is required. Thus, if your period comes earlier or later by a few days, this does not mean that you have an irregular menstrual cycle.

In the case of a break between periods of more than 40 - 60 days, or, on the contrary, earlier by 20 - 25 days (2 times a month), there is definitely an irregular menstrual cycle.

To determine the so-called safe days, you need to subtract 18 days from the number of days of the largest menstrual cycle, and subtract 10 days from the number of the shortest cycle. The resulting numbers will mean the following: the first digit is the number of safe days at the beginning of the month, and the second is at the end. These days will be safe from unwanted pregnancy. But directly the period between these two numbers is the most favorable for.

The most effective method for calculating the menstrual cycle is considered to be regular measurement of one's own. This is the body temperature in the internal organs (measured in the vagina or in the mouth), capable of changing under the influence of female sex hormones. It should be noted that this temperature should be measured early in the morning, immediately after waking up. The obtained indicators are drawn up in the form of a simple graph, the data of which doctors rightly consider the most accurate indicators. Starting to measure the temperature within one calendar month (every day), you will soon notice such changes.

So, the received data is decrypted as follows. From the first day of menstruation until the moment of ovulation, the basal temperature is at around 36.6 - 36.8 degrees Celsius. If on a certain day the temperature dropped to 36.4 degrees, this is the day the ovulation began. The entire period, while the temperature is below 37 degrees, is a favorable period for conception. Then comes the second phase of the menstrual cycle (temperature 37 degrees), this temperature is kept until the beginning of the next menstruation. It is important to know that each woman's temperature fluctuations can be expressed differently. Therefore, for correct calculations, it is necessary to take into account the slightest temperature fluctuations as much as possible (if they are constantly fixed, this will be immediately visible).

What is menstruation talking about? Of course, about women's health. The cycle has gone astray, clots have appeared, the discharge has become abundant or scarce, their color has changed - the body tells you: perhaps you have health problems?

What menstruation can tell about, we will talk on the women's website "Beautiful and Successful".

normal cycle

What regular menstruation is talking about is clear to everyone - everything is in order with the reproductive health of a woman:

• First, the onset of menstruation indicates that the woman is not pregnant. This is especially true for unwanted pregnancies.
• Secondly, menstruation indicates that a woman does not have, which means that the body continues to produce hormones that are responsible for the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Thirdly, during menstruation in the body of a woman, a natural process of getting rid of excess iron in the blood occurs, which eliminates its excessive accumulation and violation of iron metabolism. An excess of iron in the body leads to a serious disease - hemochromatosis. By the way, in order to avoid this problem, men are recommended to do bloodletting periodically.

Most women with a normal cycle can be said to be lucky in this regard.

Each woman's period has its own "character".

The main thing is that they are regular and do not bring tangible discomfort. Regular menstruation is considered to be one that occurs in a timely manner (approximately once a month), while being characterized by a normal amount of discharge and its consistency (not too plentiful and not too scarce), a certain color and smell, as well as a normal duration (at least 3 and not more 7 days).

But sometimes there are periods in a woman's life when menstruation raises a number of questions:

• What does a delay in menstruation mean, except for pregnancy?
• What do painful periods, heavy or scanty?
• What do blood clots indicate during menstruation or brown (black, pink) color of discharge?

Any deviations from the norm may indicate that something is wrong with health.

Delay of menstruation

The absence of menstruation can be natural during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or during menopause. But the delay may come not only because of this.

What else does the absence of menstruation mean? There are several reasons for this condition, and they are not always directly related to gynecological problems.

The weight

The cycle can go astray, and menstruation does not come on time with a sharp weight loss of a woman. Very often, modern women are looking for radical ways to deal with excess weight and turn to all sorts of fast diets, as a result of which the weight drops sharply down, and the process of formation of hormones responsible for the functioning of the ovaries is disrupted. Mono-diets are especially dangerous, with the exclusion of meat products, eggs and fish from the diet.

Lack of weight can cause amenorrhea - the complete absence of menstruation.

Why is this happening? Nature has laid the main function of the feminine to procreation. If a woman loses weight dramatically (more than 10-15% of the total mass in a short period of time) during prolonged fasting, the body receives a signal that it is impossible to fully bear the child: “hard times are coming and you can’t get pregnant!”

Therefore, the egg cannot be released for fertilization, the endometrium, which should accept the egg, cannot be rejected either.

The reproductive system pauses - there are no periods.

Also, a delay in menstruation can occur with excess weight. In this case, the accumulation of the hormone estrogen occurs in the fat layer, the excess of which affects the regularity of menstruation - they either stop altogether or start at the wrong time.

That is, too thin women (below 45-47 kg) need to gain weight, and chubby women need to lose weight. With the normalization of weight, the cycle will be restored. A nutritionist and an endocrinologist will help to remove this cause of a delay in menstruation.

Hormones

What can a delay in menstruation tell you, besides pregnancy? Natural changes in hormonal levels occur with the onset of menopause - hormones cease to be produced in the ovaries. They can also stop being produced if the hormonal system malfunctions at a younger age.

Especially often in women there is a cycle failure with thyroid dysfunction (excessive or insufficient activity of it).

Therefore, with a delay in menstruation, if a gynecological reason is excluded, a woman is most often sent to check the thyroid gland and determine the condition. A referral for examination is issued by an endocrinologist.

Contraceptive drugs

Taking contraceptives can cause a delay in menstruation. This reason is especially relevant at the very beginning of taking hormonal contraceptives, when the body needs time to adjust to the new amount of hormones.

Other reasons

• Menstruation may occur irregularly with gynecological diseases associated with a violation of the integrity of the inner layer of the uterus, whether it be spontaneous miscarriages or abortions.
• Menstruation may not come on time with climate change, after stress and from excessive physical exertion.

What do heavy or scanty periods indicate?

Normal menstruation is characterized by a certain amount of discharge - an average of 50 ml of blood. In case of excess or decrease in the volume of secretions, they speak of hypermenoria (heavy periods) or hypomenoria (scanty periods).

Abundant periods

The main signs of heavy periods:

• Clots come out with blood.
• The largest pads have to be changed almost every hour.
• The discharge is accompanied by aching pain in the lower abdomen.
• Menstruation may occur several times per cycle.
• The duration of menstruation is more than 7 days.

What does heavy menstruation (menorrhagia) mean?

• If your periods were normal before, but this time they are very strong and unusual, then you may have been pregnant and had a miscarriage.
• Abundant periods can be with an unsteady cycle in adolescent girls and in menopausal women. During such periods, the hormonal balance is established, and there may be malfunctions in the system.
• Menstruation is characterized by a special abundance in various gynecological diseases - fibromas, endometriosis, adenomyosis, oncological diseases. The gynecologist determines the exact cause.

Scanty periods

You can not ignore the meager menstruation, which are characterized by the following symptoms:

• Small amount of blood (less than 50 ml). This may be a small amount of drops on a light brown pad or "daub";
• Short duration of menstruation - up to two days or scant discharge over a long period of menstruation - more than 10 days.
• Absence of any pulling (spasmodic) pain in the lower abdomen.
• Decreased sex drive due to lack of estrogen.

What do scanty periods mean?

• First of all, scanty periods indicate a violation of the hormonal level in the body.
• As with heavy periods, the cause of hypomenoria can be gynecological diseases associated with disruption of the organs of the reproductive system: ovarian dysfunction, tumors (malignant and benign), endometriosis, abortion, inflammation of the female organs.
• Disturbances in the work of the thyroid gland are also attributed to one of the reasons due to which discharge during menstruation can be scarce.
• The same reasons that cause a delay in menstruation can reduce the amount of discharge: significant sudden weight loss or obesity, stress, taking contraceptives.
• Menstruation may be scarce or completely absent during lactation - breastfeeding.
• The amount of secretions may decrease with intoxication of the body.

Both with abundant and meager periods, a woman should definitely consult a doctor and get recommendations on how to regulate the cycle.

What menstruation says: clots in the discharge

The blood during menstruation may contain small clots - particles of exfoliated endometrium and epithelium. This is fine. But the secretions also contain enzymes that thin the clots.

Therefore, the appearance of large clots is not considered the norm. What do blood clots indicate during menstruation? Their appearance signals an excessive growth of the inner layer of the uterus, which begins to be rejected during menstruation.

• A common cause of the appearance of strong clots is adenomyosis - the formation in the uterus of tissues similar to mucous membranes, which, during menstruation, begin to be rejected and come out.
• Blood clots can be rejected with myoma, uterine fibroids, polyps on female organs.
• The appearance of clots is accompanied by an abortion.
• Also, clots can appear in violation of blood clotting.

In any case, the diagnosis is made by the doctor, we only point out the possible causes of the pathologies on the website so that you do not hesitate to contact the specialists.

What will the color of the discharge during menstruation tell?

The color and smell of discharge during menstruation can tell about women's health. Normally, they should be a natural, not too bright red color, without a repulsive pungent odor.

Changes in color and smell indicate possible problems in a woman's health:

• Brown discharge is observed after intrauterine interventions, with meager periods, with endometritis. Also, such brown discharge can be with the initial intake of contraceptive drugs. In this case, pain, as a rule, is not observed, but there is a characteristic repulsive smell of discharge.
• Black dark discharge should also alert a woman - they report pathological abnormalities. Black daub in the first days of the expected menstruation may indicate that the woman is pregnant.
• Discharge of a dark color can be during the onset of menopause, as well as on the days of the expected menstruation.
• Too liquid watery discharge of a light (pink) color, which is not typical for normal menstruation, can also speak of malfunctions in the body.

The female body is unique: monthly menstruation suggests that something is wrong with health. It is enough to pay attention to their regularity, color and consistency of secretions in order to seek help in time.

Any deviations that raise doubts or questions should be the reason for contacting a doctor. Watch your health!

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 profuse, 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?

For every woman, a regular menstrual cycle is, first of all, an indicator of health. Normal menstruation without deviations can be attributed to those that go regularly, their abundance, nature, intensity and duration is unchanged from month to month. But, in practice, things are a little different. Most women experience menstrual problems.

Why are periods bad? A question that worries almost every third representative of the weaker sex.

If menstruation is bad and there is very little blood released, the cause should be found out. Deviations from the norm, when less than 50 ml per day, may indicate diseases of the reproductive system.

Every woman should keep a calendar where to mark the days, mark what character and intensity. To find out the exact reason why menstruation is going badly, you need to visit a gynecologist. These indicators will help the doctor to draw a conclusion.

Hypomenorrhea is accompanied by meager discharge, when a woman loses insufficient blood during critical days. Simply put, the volume is less than the physiological norm.

The norm is when a woman loses from 50 to 150 ml of blood. Weak periods can be provoked by physiological factors.

During hypomenorrhea, menstruation looks like drops of blood, which can be either light in color. In the future, with such meager menstruation, they may be shortened in duration or absent altogether.

Why are meager periods - reasons:

• Malfunction of the ovaries. The cause of dysfunction can be various inflammatory diseases, a failure in the hormonal background, and external factors. Diseases such as oophoritis, salpingo-oophoritis, tuberculosis of the reproductive organs - these diseases are considered the main causative ones that can cause the appearance of meager periods.
• Heredity. Sometimes, at the genetic level, meager secretions were passed down the family line. For example, if relatives had bad periods and this was considered within, without affecting conception. In this case, it is not a pathology.
• Diseases and congenital pathologies of the uterus. Weak discharge may also indicate that there is inflammation of the uterus or appendages. Also, hypomenorrhea can be caused by: adhesions, scars, taking hormonal preservatives, manipulations in the uterine cavity of a diagnostic nature. Sometimes tumors of various types in the appendages, cervix and in the uterus itself become the cause.
• Hormonal changes. Failures can occur while taking contraceptives or with a lack of some sex hormones in the body. But scanty periods can also cause other hormonal problems: diabetes during lactation (prolactin levels increase), problems with the endocrine system, when the thyroid gland produces little of the necessary hormones.
• Psycho-emotional state. The emotional state affects the whole body, including the reproductive system. Any positive and negative emotions affect the brain, and it sends a signal to the ovaries, so it can adversely affect their work.
• Other reasons: excessive physical activity, intoxication of the body, overwork, starvation, drastic weight loss, anorexia, injuries, lack of essential vitamins, exposure, exposure to chemically harmful substances, acclimatization and infectious gynecological diseases.

Weak menstruation: what treatment is used

To prevent scanty discharge and not wonder why menstruation is bad, you need to visit a gynecologist on time. The specialist will prescribe all the necessary laboratory and medical examinations, and tell you about preventive measures.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to establish the cause on your own, so it is better not to risk it. A qualified gynecologist will be able to answer the question of why there were deviations from the norm. If necessary, you may need the help of an endocrinologist.

Also, do not forget that you need:

• eat properly;
• lead a healthy lifestyle;
• do sport;
• try to avoid stress.

You need to visit an obstetrician-gynecologist at least once every six months in order to control the state of your body, in particular, the state of the reproductive organs.

Sometimes during treatment, a woman manifests:

• depression, stress;
• lethargy, apathy;
• frigidity.

In such a situation, sessions with a visit to a psychotherapist are added to the course of therapy.

Symptoms of scanty discharge

Gynecologists note that many women are interested in the question of why menstruation is weak. And is it worth worrying if they pass painlessly and do not cause discomfort?

Of course, if scanty discharge occurs during puberty, when the cycle is just being formed, this is the norm. and during the period of milk production, menstruation may go weakly, but it is still necessary to visit a doctor and make sure that everything is normal.

But, if a woman has very little discharge - just a couple of drops - this is an alarming bell! It can also happen that menstruation is small and very scarce, it is necessary to find out the cause of this condition.

If menstruation is weak for the first time, the girl may be pregnant. Daubing indicates implantation or threatened failure. In some cases, weak periods may indicate.

When there is little blood released and everything is repeated for more than one cycle, this situation can only speak of a malfunction in the reproductive system.

Dear women, do not play with your health. If you notice any deviations from the norm, take the time and visit a doctor to make sure that everything is fine. And if a problem is found, so that it can be fixed in time.

Menstruation is the release of blood and endometrial particles from the uterus. For each adult woman, the volume of blood released during is individual. For some, this is two to four tablespoons for the entire period of menstruation. Others have much more. This factor depends on heredity, the presence of certain diseases, as well as methods of protection against unwanted pregnancy. Usually, they are extremely abundant in those who have endometriosis, have polyps in the uterus, and also use it.

The beginning of the menstrual cycle does not mean that. This is only the preparation of the body for childbearing. The bones of the pelvis, chest should be rebuilt, the hormonal background should change.

The duration of menstruation is from three to seven days. Most often, the first day of bleeding is quite abundant, and then gradually subsides. Twelve to fourteen days after the first day of menstruation, ovulation occurs (the process of separation of the egg, during which it can be fertilized). If this did not happen, then in ten to twelve days the next menstruation will come.

Menstruation in an adult woman is regular. The duration of the cycle is individual, the frequency of menstruation every twenty to thirty-five days is considered the norm. The frequency of the cycle can be affected by various diseases, hormonal failure, stress. The first menstruation in girls occurs at the age of eleven or fifteen. Small deviations from this age are the norm. They may be genetically determined. In addition, skinny girls usually start their periods later. In order for hormones to start working, the body must reach a certain weight.

Gynecologists are still arguing whether tampons are harmful to the female body or not. But for women with heavy bleeding, their use is often the only way to avoid leaks during menstruation.

Why do you need menstruation

Every month, a healthy adult woman bleeds from her vagina. With its help, the uterus is cleared of the old porous endometrium, into which a fertilized egg was not delivered. After menstruation, a new layer grows, ready to receive the future embryo. And this happens throughout the entire childbearing period.

If the endometrium was not updated monthly, very soon a woman would lose the opportunity to have a child. Since this porous layer would grow throughout the uterus, preventing the egg from leaving the fallopian tubes.