What are the monthly What should be normal menstruation. Causes of pain during menstruation

How menstruation goes is an important issue both for young girls whose cycle has not yet been established, and for women who are faced with 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 woman's ability 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:

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.
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.
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, as a rule, is 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.

To better understand the rather complex mechanism of the menstrual cycle, it is necessary to trace its action from the very beginning. At some point (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.

See also:

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 a male germ 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 realize that they could become pregnant due to unprotected sex.

The onset of menstruation is an important event in a girl's life. By the beginning of the first critical days, the child must be mentally prepared. Many modern girls who know how to use the Internet, long before the onset of menstruation, know what this physiological process is. However, this does not relieve mothers from the need to tell their daughters about what menstruation is, when girls begin menstruation, how they flow and what to be afraid of.

We will discuss all the important questions: by what signs can you guess about the imminent onset of menstruation, how to maintain hygiene these days, and whether you need to visit a gynecologist.

When do the first critical days come?

A few decades ago, girls began menstruating at almost 18 years of age. Now puberty comes earlier. The occurrence of the first menstruation at the age of 11-16 is considered the norm. For some girls, critical days come earlier, and for some later.

It depends on several factors:

diseases that were transferred in childhood;
heredity;
nutrition;
living conditions;
physical development.

In addition, if the grandmother and mother began their periods early, then the child is likely to happen the same way. If a girl is ahead of her peers in physical development, then her period will come earlier. Conversely, if the baby grows weak and often sick, then she is likely to lag behind in puberty. Menstruation will come later with poor nutrition, a deficiency of vitamins and nutrients necessary for the growth and development of a young organism.

There are cases when the first menstruation in girls begins at 8-9 years. Early sexual development can be caused by hormonal imbalance, heavy physical exertion. If menstruation has not begun by the age of 17, then this is an occasion to visit a gynecologist. The reason for the lag in sexual development may be insufficient functioning of the ovaries, emotional stress, nervous overload, hormonal metabolism problems, disorders arising from the pituitary gland, exhausting sports training, unfavorable environmental conditions, and dieting.

Signs before the first period

Any mother who monitors the condition and health of her daughter may notice signs that precede the onset of the first menstruation. It is from this moment that you need to start preparing the child for a new life period. About a couple of years before the onset of menstruation, the girl's figure changes (breasts increase, hips become wider). Under the armpits and on the pubic hair begins to grow. In addition, menstruation in girls is preceded by acne on the face and back.

A few months before the first critical days girls notice traces of atypical discharge on their underwear. They can be transparent, yellowish or whitish without an unpleasant odor. All this is normal and does not indicate any disease. If symptoms such as itching in an intimate place, a strange smell inherent in the discharge are observed, then it is worth visiting a specialist.

A few days before the onset of menstruation a girl may show signs of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which occur in adult women:

frequent mood swings, tearfulness;
apathetic or aggressive state;
headaches that occur for no reason;
pain sensations of a pulling nature, localized in the lower abdomen.

How is the first menstruation, and how to prepare the child?

The first signs of menstruation in girls - bloody issues . They can be moderate or very scarce. During the first menstruation, about 50-150 ml of blood leaves the body (depending on the individual characteristics of the girl, hereditary factors). On the very first day, a small amount of menstrual blood is lost. The most abundant discharge is observed on the second day. Then their volume is gradually reduced. The duration of menstruation can vary from 3 to 7 days.

The first time a girl's period may be accompanied by weakness, discomfort in the lower abdomen . With the next menstruation, they can also be observed. These symptoms occur in most adult women, so do not worry about this.

Menstruation has a characteristic odor. It is explained by the fact that during menstruation the mucous glands of the vulva are actively functioning, producing secrets.

The first spotting, slight pains of a pulling nature can scare the child. The task of the mother is to explain to her girl that menstruation is a normal physiological process that occurs in the body of every girl and adult woman. The conversation should be friendly, not instructive.

The mother should tell her daughter:

About the menstrual cycle. Critical days arise every month. Be sure to tell how long menstruation lasts for girls. It should also be noted that the average duration of the menstrual cycle is 28 days, but during the first two years it may fluctuate.
About the need to follow the rules of hygiene. Blood is a very favorable environment for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. They can lead to the development of serious inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system.
About the risks of sexual relations. With the onset of menstruation, every girl enters childbearing age, and intimate relationships with the opposite sex can lead to pregnancy, which is highly undesirable at that age. Childbirth can harm both the young mother and her baby. That is why the girl should be aware of what promiscuity, unprotected sex can lead to.

Features of the menstrual cycle

In adolescent girls, the menstrual cycle (the period from the first day of the previous period to the first day of the next period) is 21–35 days. However during the first two years, not everyone becomes regular. For some, it fluctuates constantly. For example, one menstrual cycle may be 25 days and the next 32 days. This is normal. It does not indicate that the girl has some kind of pathology. If there is any suspicion, then you can visit a doctor. The specialist will tell you exactly whether this is the norm or an ailment.

It is worth noting that intervals between periods can range from one and a half months to six months. Don't worry if your period doesn't come at the right time. At a young age, the menstrual function is not yet fully formed. That is why some girls have long breaks. If menstruation does not occur after a few months, then you need to seek help from a doctor. A long pause between the first and second menstruation in girls may indicate a serious malfunction in the work of the young organism.

With the onset of the first menstruation, the daughter should be taught to keep a calendar in which she could mark when the periods began and ended. This information may not be useful in the first 1-2 years from the start of critical days, because at this time the menstrual cycle has not yet been fully established. But then the calendar will come in handy when consulting a specialist if the cycle remains irregular. Too short or long periods, a small or large interval between periods can be a sign of a disease.

Hygiene and diet during menstruation

Hygiene is an important issue that mothers should highlight when telling their daughters about menstruation. During critical days, all girls and adult women use pads, tampons. For girls, pads are most preferred. Tampons interfere with the natural outflow of blood. The pads are much easier to use. It is best for girls to buy these intimate hygiene products with a cotton layer. Gaskets with a mesh coating (“plastic” layer) are less hygienic and provoke sweating, irritation of delicate skin.

Pads during menstruation should be changed every 2-3 hours. The longer the pad is attached to the underwear, the less useful it will be (the number of bacteria will grow exponentially). If you do not replace the pad for 6 hours or more, then the body will be seriously harmed. Infectious-toxic shock may develop - a condition that occurs as a result of the action of microorganisms and their toxins (body temperature rises, blood pressure decreases, confusion is observed, coma is possible).

What you need to know about the use of pads during menstruation in girls:

be sure to wash your hands before replacing the gasket (pathogenic microorganisms can get from dirty hands to a clean gasket);
do not use expired pads (the less time has passed since the manufacture of the intimate hygiene product, the higher its degree of protection);
do not use pads with aromatic fragrances (chemical components often provoke allergies, skin irritation);
do not save on the purchase of pads (often intimate hygiene products sold at a low price are made from low-quality raw materials, which poses a danger to the girl's health);
it is not recommended to store pads in the bathroom (a large amount of moisture is an ideal environment for the active reproduction of microbes that can penetrate the intimate hygiene product).

Special attention should be paid to underwear. Girls must wear normal panties made from natural fabrics. Thongs are beautiful and sexy lingerie that many teenage girls dream of, but wearing it is completely unhygienic. A narrow strip of thong can be called a kind of bridge for the movement of microorganisms between the anus and the vagina. The intestinal microflora should not enter the genitourinary system, as it can provoke the development of inflammatory diseases.

The onset of menstruation in girls is not a reason to take a bath often. The most suitable option is daily shower . You also need to be sure to wash during the day at least 2-3 times. Soap is not recommended. Gynecologists recommend using special products for intimate hygiene (gels, mousses, etc.), which contain lactic acid. This component does not adversely affect the microflora, unlike conventional soap.

Preferably during the first and subsequent periods avoid physical activity . Sports activities will have to be postponed. It is allowed to perform light physical exercises, engage in recreational gymnastics. In addition, girls need psychological peace.

Another important point to pay attention to during menstruation is dieting . The word “diet” does not mean reducing the amount of food consumed, but revising the diet and removing spicy foods from it. Because of such food, there is a rush of blood to the internal organs of the abdominal cavity. This can lead to increased uterine bleeding. Alcoholic drinks are also contraindicated.

Do I need to visit a gynecologist?

With the onset of the first menstruation, it is not necessary to regularly visit a gynecologist if there is no obvious reason for this: strange discharge with an unpleasant odor, itching, menstrual irregularities. As a rule, the first examination by a gynecologist occurs at the age of 15-16.

The doctor must make sure that the girl is developing correctly and that she has no health problems. If a girl has begun sexual activity, then visits to the doctor should be regular - once a year.

It is worth contacting a gynecologist in cases where menstruation in girls is violated:

critical days last 1-2 days or more than 7 days (too short menstruation indicates insufficient production of sex hormones, impaired functioning of the ovaries, and too long - to poor uterine contractility, a significantly pronounced estrogenic function of the ovaries);
too abundant spotting is observed, requiring frequent replacement of pads or tampons;
after the first menstruation, menstruation was interrupted for a long time (pause for more than 6 months);
after the normalization of the menstrual cycle, irregularities began (the cycle is less than 21 days or more than 35 days);
very large blood clots (the size of a grape) are visible in the spotting.

You should immediately consult a doctor or call an ambulance when spotting is accompanied by very strong pain in the abdomen, dizziness, severe weakness, pallor, fever, nausea, vomiting and intestinal disorders.

Summing up, it is worth noting that the first menstruation can cause fear and panic in a girl. To prevent this from happening, mothers should devote some time to their daughters and talk about the physiological process that will soon begin to occur regularly in a young body, explain why girls begin menstruation at this age.

You also need to be interested in whether menstruation comes regularly, if there are any delays, if there are severe pains. Sometimes girls are embarrassed to tell their parents about it. If deviations are found, it is necessary to visit a doctor.

Informative video about the first menstruation

Answer

The problem of puberty in Russia is relevant in our time. It so happened that in many Russian families, discussions with children on issues of sexual development, marriage, and childbearing are left behind the scenes. But not only parents, but also teachers in schools need to conduct conversations with children, schoolchildren, striving for a competent sexual education of our descendants.

Puberty, as a physiological process, proceeds in a certain sequence.

In prepuberty, rapid growth and the appearance of the first signs of a femininity of a figure are noted: the hips are rounded as a result of growth and a uniform redistribution of fatty tissue, a female pelvis is formed. Many girls become embarrassed by such changes. Therefore, in this important and responsible period, the mother needs to speak very gently and carefully with the girl about sexual development.

In the pubertal phase (10-12 years), the growth of the mammary glands occurs, which is called thelarche; the beginning of pubic hair growth is noted (11 years - 12 years) - this is called pubarhe. The end is the onset of the first menstruation - menarche (menstruation begins in girls aged about 12-13 years), coinciding with the completion of body growth in length.

What is menstruation (menstruation)?

Menstruation, and from the medical side - menstruation, is a rejection of the endometrium (the mucous membrane of the inner layer of the uterus), a rhythmic process that repeats at certain intervals. Menstruation is the completion of the physiological process - the menstrual cycle, which lasts 3 - 4 weeks.

During sexual growth, gonadotropic hormones (FSH-follicle-stimulating hormone and LH-luteinizing hormone) begin to be produced in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which trigger the growth mechanism of the follicle, the production of steroids and the maturation of the egg. In the mucous membranes of the uterus, vagina, cervical canal, cyclic changes occur, corresponding to the phases of the menstrual cycle.

Cycle phases

The menstrual cycle has multiple phases:

phase of rejection of the endometrium, which has individual terms in duration from one day to several days. This is a very complex process, after which the process of endometrial growth immediately begins, which occurs with extraordinary speed;
then the proliferation phase begins (with a normal 4-day cycle) starting from the 5th day and lasting until the 14th day of the menstrual cycle. Every day the process of endometrial growth increases, and by the end of the proliferation phase, the growth of the endometrium in thickness reaches a maximum;
after the proliferation phase, the secretion phase will begin from the 15th to the 28th day of the menstrual cycle. In this phase, the growth of the endometrium stops and it begins to prepare for the acceptance of a fertilized egg, or for rejection (if the fertilization of the egg did not occur).

It should be noted that menstruation is not only changes that occur in the reproductive organ - the uterus, but manifestations of changes in the whole organism.

Changes in the body

Before the onset of menstruation, the body signals this various manifestations, including:

drawing pain in the loin and sacrum;
headache;
feeling of brokenness;
tension in the nipples;
weight gain;
many girls and girls, a few days before the onset of menstruation, begin to discharge copious mucous secretions;
possible, but not always, an increase in body temperature, fluctuations in blood pressure.

In addition to the above changes, the first signs of menstruation in girls can be manifested by changes in the psychological sphere: memory loss, irritability, tearfulness, insomnia.

The amount of blood released during menstruation, on average, ranges from 50 ml to 150 ml. Menstrual blood is darker than arterial or venous blood.

The first 1.5 years after menarche, the frequency of cycles with ovulation (that is, cycles in which the egg matures) reaches 60%. In 1/3 of girls, the first 3-5 years after menarche, menstrual cycles are characterized by insufficiency of the corpus luteum, but most often the cycles are anovulatory. This explains the high frequency of dysfunctional uterine bleeding at puberty.

What factors affect puberty (the onset of menstruation) and at what age do girls begin menstruation?

It should be said that a large number of factors influence the onset and course of puberty. These include hereditary (race, nation), constitutional factors, health status, body weight.

For example, in girls with a large body weight, menstruation occurs earlier, in contrast to their peers who have a lower body weight.

To the question, what time then, on average, does a girl's period begin, there is an answer: upon reaching a body weight of 47.8 + -0.5 kg, when the fat layer is 22% of the total body weight (an average of 12 - 13 years )

In addition to these factors, other (external) factors also influence the onset and course of sexual development: climatic (light, altitude, geographic location) and a balanced diet (with sufficient protein, fat, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins).

Diseases such as heart disease with heart failure, tonsillitis, severe gastrointestinal diseases with malabsorption of nutrients, kidney failure, liver failure can also become sources. All these conditions weaken the girl's body, inhibiting the normal course of the puberty process.

How many days does the first period last?

According to the World Health Organization, in 38% of girls, the menstrual cycle from menarche to the second menstruation lasted more than 40 days, 10% - more than 60 days, 20% - 20 days.

The duration of the first menstruation is from 2 to 7 days, but it can go longer, up to 2 weeks, and on average a girl uses from 3 to 6 pads. But usually the first menstruation in girls are plentiful and long.

And what does Dr. Komarovsky say?

In the article of the famous children's doctor O. E. Komarovsky, it is said that the final setting of the menstrual cycle takes from 8 to 12 years, and for a larger number of adolescents, its duration is from 21 to 45 days.

The first three years, the menstrual cycle, on average, is 28 - 35 days, but with age it is shortened, which is associated with the work of the ovaries.

Allocate the following fluctuations in the menstrual cycle in adolescents:

the first year after menarche - 23 - 90 days;
fourth year - 24 - 50 days;
seventh year - 27 - 38 days.

All this suggests that the menstrual cycle, individual for each girl, is finally established by the age of 19-20 and should not begin and end the same for everyone!

It should be noted that there are signs and conditions that should alert parents and force them to contact a specialist in a timely manner.

These include:

absence of menstruation for 6 months;
symptoms of an endocrine system disorder (diabetes mellitus, obesity);
polycystic ovaries;
active sports (which is often found in girls 12 years old);
loss or lack of appetite, or vice versa, when girls begin to increase their appetite intensely;
taking certain medications, drugs;
tumors of the pituitary gland, ovaries, adrenal glands;
blood diseases.

Exist menstrual irregularities:

amenorrhea when there are no periods for more than 3 months (it is worth saying that there is a physiological absence of menstruation during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in other cases, amenorrhea is pathological and requires treatment);
oligomenorrhea- the interval between periods is more than 35 days;
polymenorrhea- the interval is less than 22 days;
hypomenorrhea- the duration of bloody discharge is less than 3 days;
hypermenorrhea— more than 7 — 10 days;
menorrhagia when spotting continues for 10 to 14 days or more;
opsomenorrhea- rare with an interval of more than 35 days and meager periods.

Stress has a great influence on the installation of the menstrual cycle. If a girl is constantly exposed to stress (at home, at the institute when passing a session), menstruation may be delayed, scarce or completely absent, this is the so-called stress amenorrhea.

It should be noted that menstruation can begin even before the age of twelve, at the age of 8 years, the so-called early menstruation. This will not be considered a pathology if the mother, grandmother of the girl had exactly the same (there is a genetic factor), however, such an early onset of menstruation may be a sign of pathology (comorbidities, stress, pituitary tumors and others).

And it happens that the first menstruation begins and later: at the age of 16 - 18 years. The reasons for the late onset of menstruation can be a lack of body weight, pituitary tumors, past infectious diseases (measles, rubella), stress, psycho-emotional overstrain.

Which is better to use: pads or tampons?

When our grandmothers were menstruating, they used gauze, rags, then they were washed and used again.

In the modern world, a huge number of pads and tampons have been developed and introduced into wide use.

This is really very convenient, because using them allows you to continue to lead an active life, without fear that something will leak somewhere. The question remains, which is better to use: tampons or pads.

It must be said that the use of pads is safer than tampons, because when using cotton rolls, safety and hygiene measures must be observed.

A tampon can be left in the vagina for no more than 2 hours, and longer use creates a favorable environment for the growth of pathogens.

Since the first blood in a girl may appear not at 12 years old, but at 11 years old, and sometimes at 10 years old, it is necessary to tell the girl about menstruation in advance.
It is necessary to look at the child, how actively he shows interest in "forbidden" topics.
It is necessary to find suitable literature, which explains in an accessible language how to tell a girl about menstruation and at what age they should begin (books, magazines, video lectures).

Common questions of teenage girls: “Does it hurt?”, “How much discharge is there?”, “How long does the first period go?”.

Try to explain that the harbingers of the first menstruation are discomfort and moderate pulling pains in the lower abdomen. Allocations flow evenly, sometimes in the form of clots, lasting several days (for example, if menstruation began on December 1, then the next menstruation will begin on December 28).

When the girl's age approaches 11 - 12 years, she begins to wait for her period. During this period, you can purchase hygiene products - pads or tampons. If the girl is not yet sexually active, then it will, of course, be pads. It is necessary to explain to the girl that the pads need to be changed every 3-4 hours or as they get dirty, take a shower twice a day (morning and evening) and wash with each change of the pad.

In addition, explain to the girl that the beginning of menstruation indicates that there is a possibility of pregnancy and from this stage the girl should be more responsible for her health and life.

Menstruation for a woman has become a familiar and routine phenomenon, which is given too little attention. To maintain your health and well-being, you should know how your periods go, what should be the discharge and their amount. Both adolescent girls and women at a more mature age should be able to recognize deviations from the normal course of the cycle.

It can be characterized by the degree of soreness, regularity and the amount of discharge. This process is individual and every woman goes through it in her own way.

Unfortunately, during menstruation, most women experience significant discomfort associated with pain. They provoke spasms of a group of lipid biologically active substances that stimulate the contraction of the muscles of the uterus to remove blood from the body. Some women claim that the pain of menstruation is significantly reduced after the birth of a child.

Painkillers such as tempalgin, tamipull, solpadein, no-shpa help women cope with pain. Reception of antispasmodics should be carried out strictly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. It is not recommended to exceed the dose so as not to provoke side effects. Also, do not take aspirin and apply a heating pad to the stomach, as this increases bleeding.

Although most doctors advise to refrain from playing sports on critical days, moderate physical activity helps to reduce the intensity of uterine spasms. Therefore, with good health, a woman can go for a walk or bike ride. It will only benefit the body.

When a woman notices that menstruation (menstruation) after the age of 35 has become accompanied by more severe cramps and pain, she should be examined by a gynecologist for the development of endometriosis, or the presence of polyps.

Women should be especially sensitive to their health and regularly undergo preventive examinations by a gynecologist. This will help to avoid the development of many pathologies of the organs of the genitourinary system.

Normal does not pose a threat to the body. Moderate blood loss is quickly replenished and is imperceptible for a woman. The rate of discharge during menstruation is in the range from 20 to 50 grams per day. The duration and intensity of the discharge is individual, these figures may vary slightly in each case. The total blood loss does not exceed 250 grams.

Sometimes women complain of copious discharge, which literally "flood" them in the first days. They have to change tampons or pads every two hours, and blood can come out in clots of various sizes. For women of mature age in the pre-menopausal period and for younger ladies, such periods signal a hormonal imbalance in the body.

To correct the situation, you should contact a gynecologist, undergo an examination and, on the recommendation of a doctor, take additional tests. A visit to a specialist with blood loss above the norm is mandatory, since abundant menstrual flow indicates the presence of inflammatory processes in the organs of the reproductive system.

Such a popular method of contraception, as a spiral, sometimes causes heavy bleeding during menstruation. This situation is fixable, it is enough just to draw the attention of your gynecologist to this issue.

From heavy periods, a very effective remedy is sorrel, which is added to food, fresh or boiled. They are also used on the basis of yarrow, chamomile, horsetail, shepherd's purse, lungwort and horse chestnut (bark, leaves or flowers), pepper mountaineer. Effective ways to reduce bleeding are a decoction of stalks and cherry leaves, an infusion of oak acorns. With severe bleeding in the evening, soak flax seeds. The next day, only flax is allowed to be taken as food.

A meager amount of menstruation for only two or three days may be due to the following reasons:

taking contraceptives;
preclimax period;
hormonal failure due to a sharp change in body weight.

If scanty discharge appeared after an abortion or a procedure to clean the uterus after childbirth, you should check for the possibility of gluing the walls of the uterus. Surgery is sometimes used to correct this problem. Weak bleeding occurs sometimes during pregnancy.

Menstrual flow is characterized by a bright red color and a specific smell. Often women notice traces of blood clots on the pads. Their size can range from small grains to large clots. This phenomenon is considered absolutely normal. Enzymes intended for the processing of secretions do not have time to correctly perform the functions assigned to them. Therefore, the blood that remains unprocessed accumulates in the vagina, transforming into clots.

As mentioned above, intrauterine devices contribute to abundant blood secretions, which are also converted into clots. In the presence of a spiral, clots can be explained by the fact that fertilized eggs could not attach to the walls of the uterus and left the body along with menstrual blood.

We found out how normal periods should go in the middle of the cycle. At the very beginning and end of menstruation, instead of bright red blood, a slight spotting may appear. A small amount of discharge has a brownish tint and lasts about two days. A longer release of such blood indicates gynecological problems, the nature of which should be established by the doctor during the examination.

Allocations are spontaneous and irregular. The formation of the cycle can take about a year. As a result, the question of how often menstruation occurs can be answered that the duration of a normal cycle is 28 days with possible deviations of 1-2 days. Some have cycles as short as 25 days (short cycle). The longest cycle, which is not considered a deviation from the norm, lasts 32 days.

The most favorable are regular periods, that is, when the beginning and end of menstruation occurs approximately on the same days of the month. In this case, we can talk about the coordinated functioning of the genitourinary system of the body. When the cycle is constantly changing, lengthening or, conversely, becoming shorter, we are talking about irregular periods. Normal discharge during menstruation and a regular cycle are two parameters that indicate a healthy state of the reproductive system.

Irregular periods are not the result of pathologies, if we are talking about young girls with a still unformed cycle or about the premenopausal period in a woman's life. Sometimes there is a violation of the cycle due to the absence or failure of it. For couples planning children, the ability to calculate the days of ovulation is extremely important, so it makes sense for a woman to make an appointment with a gynecologist.

If a woman has a long absence of menstruation, this cannot be called the norm. If the possibility of pregnancy has been excluded, it should be examined for early menopause, for the presence of hormonal or psychological causes of cycle failure.

Hygiene procedures and intimate life during menstruation

Attitudes towards intimacy during menstruation in women and men often do not coincide. Men seek unprotected sex and the opportunity to experience pleasure, while women are somewhat wary of such experiments. And not in vain. The health of the beautiful half of humanity on such days is especially prone to various diseases due to the ajar cervix. Therefore, if you cannot do without sex, you must follow the basic rules of hygiene, as well as use a condom to protect against the penetration of infections into the female body.

Do not forget what menstruation should be normal and how to keep the body clean so as not to infect. The basic rules of feminine hygiene are:

Twice daily visit to the bathroom.
The use of pads and tampons, selected in accordance with the characteristics of the female body.
Regular replacement of hygiene items.
The use of night-time pads at night to protect clothes and bedding from blood.
Change of pads is carried out as they become dirty, but not less often than after 3-4 hours.

Both pads and tampons are convenient and practical devices. They provide protection of linen from pollution and leaks. For the convenience of a woman, you can try to combine these hygiene products.

Which periods are normal, and which ones indicate the need to visit a doctor, every girl and woman should know. The reasons for deviations from the norm can be: hormonal failure, weight gain or loss, stress, as well as infectious diseases of the genitourinary system. In order not to be lost in conjectures about the state of your health, you should regularly undergo an examination by a gynecologist.

Medicines and folk remedies

Medications:

tempalgin;
tamipul;
solpadeine;
no-shpa.

Folk remedies:

decoction of sorrel;
yarrow;
chamomile;
horsetail;
shepherd's bag;
lungwort;
horse chestnut;
flax seeds.