Period- This is the most important indicator of women's health. By the nature of the discharge, the volume of blood and other signs that appear on menstrual days, you can learn a lot about the state of a woman’s health. Regular periods are proof that a woman has no problems with the reproductive system. If menstruation has arrived, it means that the woman has not become pregnant, which is extremely important for those who are afraid of an unwanted pregnancy. If a woman menstrual cycle regular, which means she has not yet reached menopause, during which the body stops producing the most important hormones for the cardiovascular system. Menstruation helps the body get rid of excess iron, the excess of which can lead to the most unpleasant disease - hemochromatosis.

How do normal periods proceed?

Menstruation occurs individually for each representative of the fair sex. The most important conditions are a regular cycle and the absence of discomfort during menstruation. In this case, the woman’s health is fine. It is impossible to determine the exact norm for women: after all, everyone’s body is unique. The abundance of discharge or its scarcity may depend on a variety of factors: women’s habits, dietary habits, lifestyle, heredity, etc. It is important to comply.

Discharge: volume, character

It is normal to change the gasket 3-4 times during the day. This amount may vary depending on the girl’s physique and her lifestyle. For example, if a girl is fragile and petite, then she may have less discharge. Also, if she plays sports or dances actively, the discharge also decreases. There should not be less than 30 ml per day menstrual blood, if this day is not the last day of menstruation. The discharge should not be spotty or brown. If a girl changes her pad every hour or every 2 hours, she should immediately contact a specialist. Particular attention should be paid to blood clots that appear during menstruation. In the first 2 days they may be present, and this is considered normal, but if the clots are large, you should also consult a doctor. A normal menstrual cycle lasts on average 28 days, but within the normal range the cycle ranges from 21 to 34 days.

Normal symptoms during menstruation

During menstruation, the female body undergoes several changes. After all, this process includes the nervous and endocrine systems. Women's appetite may increase during menstruation. Knowledge about . These days also affect your emotional state. Menstruation sometimes provokes mood swings; a woman can become especially irritable these days. Don’t forget about the cramps that appear in the first 2 days. Headaches are also possible, but usually mild. The skin also undergoes changes, and acne often appears these days. The chest becomes sensitive to touch. During menstruation, problems with sleep occur. The abdomen may become swollen and there may be swelling.

Pain during menstruation

If menstruation proceeds normally, then it should not cause severe and unbearable pain. It is quite possible that a woman will experience discomfort, pain in the lumbar region and lower abdomen, but these sensations should not cause serious discomfort and affect the woman’s life these days. Pain usually appears in the first 2 days. If you have severe pain, you should consult a specialist. The smell from the vagina, which can be felt during menstruation, is also considered quite natural. But it should not be harsh, associated with a fishy smell. In this case, consultation with a specialist is necessary.

A woman should take care of her health and know what periods are normal. It is imperative to visit a gynecologist regularly, even if a woman seems to have no problems in the intimate sphere. Checking will never be superfluous.

Normal periods are a topic that is relevant for every woman of reproductive age. The frequency of menstruation, duration, and color of discharge are associated with the condition of the female body and indicate the absence or presence of pathologies. How many days does menstruation last and how to count the cycle correctly? What are the causes of cycle disturbances, and what symptoms indicate disruptions in the body? Knowing the answers to these questions, it is easier to understand whether there are problems with women's health.

Knowing about the normal course of the monthly cycle, it is easier to notice problems with it

Menstruation cycle

The menstrual cycle is a monthly change in the female body, repeated at regular intervals and manifested by bleeding.

Menstruation begins in adolescence, at the stage of puberty in girls, and ends with menopause. The norm in gynecology is the onset of menopause at 45-55 years of age.

Duration

The duration of the cycle is taken into account from the first day of menstruation to the first day of the next menstruation. The result of the calculations is individual for each woman and depends on the physiological characteristics of her body.

How long is the ideal monthly cycle? 28 days. But there are women for whom its duration varies between 21-35 days.

How long should your period last? Normally – from 3 to 7 days. The process is accompanied by weakness, heaviness in the mammary glands, pain in the lower abdomen. If the duration of the critical days is longer or shorter, it is recommended to consult a gynecologist. Deviations from the norm may be a symptom of inflammation or hormonal imbalance in the body.

The menstrual cycle is on average 28 days

First menstrual cycle

In medical language it is called “menarche”. Typically, girls' periods begin by the age of 12, but they can appear at other ages - a period of 10-15 years will be the norm.

The cycle does not stabilize immediately: for some it takes 2-4 months, for some girls it takes a year for it to improve. Until the cycle stabilizes, it is difficult to talk about the frequency of menstruation, because some girls may not have them at all.

Not all teenagers know how long the first menstruation lasts. It usually lasts 3-5 days and is characterized by scanty brown discharge or a few drops of blood. This is explained by hormonal changes in the teenage body and should not worry girls and parents.

The menstrual cycle stabilizes by the age of 14 - from this moment on, girls are recommended to control its frequency. If your period lasts 1-2 days or more than a week, consult your doctor.

Menstruation in the postpartum period

How long should it take after childbirth or a “caesarean section” for women to regain their periods? The average period is 6 months provided breastfeeding. If the child is artificial, then the body recovers faster - the first menstruation can begin in 2-3 months.

The first menstruation after childbirth is often accompanied by heavy bleeding - many women are worried about this condition because the symptoms are similar to bleeding. Heavy discharge in this situation is normal, but if it has an unnatural smell and color, it is better to consult a doctor.

The period of recovery of the cycle after a “caesarean section” is the same as after a natural birth – closer to six months. Sometimes the operation is accompanied by complications - then menstruation may begin later because the uterus and ovaries require more time to recover, especially when stitches are applied.

Periods after childbirth begin around the 6th month

How to calculate cycle duration?

You already know that the normal menstrual cycle is 28 days with permissible fluctuations up or down. It is determined from the first day of menstruation to the next first day. The calculation formula for women looks like this: the date of the start of menstruation in the current month - the date of the start of menstruation in the last month + 1 day = cycle duration.

What causes cycle fluctuations?

The menstrual period in women is interconnected with any changes occurring in the body. The cycle duration may decrease or increase against the background of:

1. Stress.
2. Increased stress at work.
3. Viral and colds.
4. Changes in region, country of residence and climate.
5. Unfavorable environmental conditions.

The autumn-spring off-season, when chronic diseases worsen, can also cause cycle fluctuations. 6-7 day deviations from the norm in the cases listed above are considered acceptable.

Poor ecology can disrupt the monthly cycle

What factors influence the number of critical days?

Menstrual flow can occur twice a month or once every two months, lasting longer than a week, which is due to:

1. Genetics. If one of the women in your family had periods for 8 days, there is a high probability of the situation repeating for you. The genetic predisposition cannot be treated with medication, so medical attention is not required.
2. Individual characteristics. Critical days can be prolonged due to poor blood clotting. The structural features of the uterus also affect the duration of menstruation.
3. Diets and other eating disorders, sudden weight loss are accompanied by hormonal changes. As a result, the menstrual cycle is disrupted - scanty or heavy discharge bothers women for more than a week, and sometimes stops altogether.
4. Exhaustive exercise in the gym affects the length of your period.
5. Oral contraception shortens the duration of menstruation and leads to its complete cessation.
6. Malfunctions of the endocrine system are a common cause of disorders.

Doctors must determine the cause of deviations from the norm; treatment is prescribed only after examination and an accurate diagnosis.

Sudden weight loss disrupts hormonal balance

Normal menstrual flow

Homogeneous spotting during menstruation is normal; there may be small blood clots in it, which is also normal. Indeed, during critical days, along with vaginal secretions, the rejected layer of the epidermis comes out.

At the beginning and towards the end of menstruation, the discharge may be brown - there is nothing wrong with a change in color. There is little blood at these stages; it has time to clot under the influence of oxygen and vaginal microflora.

During this period, the discharge may be pink. This is explained by the fact that the process of cleansing the uterus from mucus and rejecting unnecessary epidermis has not yet begun or has already ended. Blood is released in small quantities - a few drops, therefore pink in color.

When should pink be a red flag?

Menstruation lasts for several days, but instead of the characteristic bloody discharge on the pad there is pink mucus with an unpleasant odor and heterogeneous consistency. What does this mean and how long can it last:

1. Pink discharge can be a consequence of hormonal imbalances, progesterone deficiency. This condition is treated with hormonal therapy.
2. During the postoperative period, women may experience pale pink mucus instead of blood. As the body recovers, the cycle normalizes.
3. This color of menstruation occurs with cervical erosion, cyst, lipoma, pregnancy failure. In such cases, you should immediately be examined by a gynecologist. The period of treatment and restoration of the normal menstrual cycle is individual.
4. Pink discharge in women that lasts more than 10 days is a symptom of infectious diseases, disorders of the thyroid gland, and other pathologies.

Light discharge in the postoperative period is considered normal

What colors should you be wary of?

How many symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases do you know? One of them is purulent or orange discharge during menstruation, which often occurs with gonorrhea. They are often accompanied by itching, sharp pain during urination, and have a specific fishy smell. Such menstrual flow is abundant and has a thick consistency. Vaginosis also causes orange discharge.

Black menstruation in women occurs with inflammation of the appendages or cervix; it is accompanied by nausea, dizziness, and fever. No matter how much you put off visiting a gynecologist, it will have to be done - it will not resolve on its own.

Black blood sometimes occurs after termination of pregnancy, difficult childbirth, or operations during the recovery period. The body is restored - the color of menstruation is normalized.

Green menstruation is an anomaly caused by an excess of leukocytes in the female body or serious inflammation of the genital organs.

You can solve the problem yourself if its cause is climate change, nervous strain, or changes in diet. In other cases, you cannot do without qualified medical help.

The onset of the first menstruation in girls: harbingers and character. Normal duration, color and volume of girls' first periods.

The first menstruation is a very important and quite exciting moment for young ladies. Some girls are waiting for this moment with interest, and some are incredibly afraid of it.

In this article we will try to figure out what time girls can expect puberty to begin, what its symptoms are and its duration.

At what age do girls get their first periods? Is it normal for girls aged 11, 12, 13 to have their first period?

• Just a few decades ago, girls reached puberty at the age of 17-19 years. Today, young people are developing much faster and more rapidly. The same applies to the development of their genital organs
• Modern girls typically begin menstruation between the ages of eleven and sixteen.
• Later menstruation at 17-18 years old is considered a delay in a girl’s puberty
• There are cases when a baby’s period begins at 8-9 years old. This is also considered an abnormal phenomenon and may be due to disruptions in the hormonal development of the baby. Excessive physical activity can also be the cause of early puberty in girls.

The onset of menstruation in girls depends on several factors:

• diseases suffered in early childhood (encephalitis, colds and viral diseases, meningitis, head injuries, chronic tonsillitis)
• physical development (weight, height)
• genetic predisposition
• lifestyle
• food quality
• emotional background
• place of residence
• race

• If a girl suffered serious illnesses in early childhood, then in adolescence this may affect the timing of her puberty. Often, these girls begin their periods much later than their peers.
• If a girl’s mother or grandmother began her period at an early age, then there is a chance that she will start her period just as early.
• A lack of vitamins, microelements, as well as unbalanced and inadequate nutrition can lead to delayed development of a child. This also applies to puberty. From an early age, a girl should receive sufficient quantities of useful and nutritious substances for the full development of all her systems and organs.
• It is believed that southern and eastern women begin to mature sexually much earlier than representatives of northern and western nationalities
• Childhood emotional traumas, constant worries and stress can also leave their mark on a girl’s puberty. They can provoke both too early and late onset of menstruation.

Symptoms and signs of girls' first periods

The following external manifestations can signal the imminent onset of a girl’s first menstruation:

• changes in the figure (taking on more rounded shapes)
• breast enlargement
• hip extension
• the appearance of hair on the pubis and under the arms
• acne on the face, back and chest
• increase in the volume of the external female genitalia
• darkening of the genitals
• increased oily scalp, dandruff
• presence of whitish vaginal discharge

In addition to external changes, the girl may experience some emotional changes:

• frequent mood swings
• tearfulness
• fast fatiguability
• weakness
• apathy
• aggression
• headache
• lack of appetite
• nausea

Can girls experience pain during their first period?

• The first menstruation may be accompanied by symptoms familiar to adult women. That is, the baby may experience nagging pain in the lower abdomen, extending slightly to the lower back. Typically, these sensations last from one to two days.
• After this time, the pain should subside
• In order for the girl not to be afraid of such sensations, a conversation should be held with her in advance. She must have complete information about all processes occurring in her body

Not all representatives of the fair sex experience elevated temperatures on the eve of their first menstruation.

However, a rise in body temperature to 37.5 degrees before menstruation is not considered a deviation and can be considered normal.

What do girls' first periods look like?

• The first menstruation in girls can be manifested by the presence of small drops of blood on the underwear. On average, during the first menstruation, blood loss can range from fifty to one hundred and fifty milliliters of blood. These figures are relative; the amount of discharge will directly depend on the characteristics of the female body
• The most abundant discharge will be on the second or third day of the cycle.
• The first bleeding, as a rule, has a peculiar smell. This is due to the work of vulvar secretions

Are girls' first periods always brown?

The color of a girl's first period can vary from bright red to dark brown. This is explained by the fact that during the release, the bloody discharge mixes with the mucous membrane of the inner uterus (endometrium), as well as discharge into the vagina.

Thus, light brown, dark brown, cloudy red, and scarlet discharge are considered normal. These menstrual colors should not cause concern.

How many days does the first period last?

Typically, the first menstruation can last from three to ten days. Everything, as always, will depend on the individuality of the female body.

There are cases when the first period passes in the form of weak ointments for a couple of days. This also should not frighten the girl. Most likely, next month she will have full discharge.

The monthly cycle at the first menstruation is quite unstable. Its formation takes place throughout the whole year.

The intervals between the first menstruation can range from two weeks to three months. This is considered the norm.

Heavy discharge during the first menstruation is also an indicator of the norm and directly depends on heredity and the characteristics of the girl’s body.

Girls' first periods, how to determine the cycle?

• The adjustment of the menstrual cycle in girls occurs during the first two years. Therefore, you should not expect any kind of consistency during this period.
• The first cycles can last from 28 to 34 days. For some babies, the gaps between periods sometimes last up to six months.
• It happens that the first menstrual cycle is twenty-four days, and the next one is thirty, or vice versa. This is also considered normal

• In order to at least roughly predict the next period, a girl needs to get herself a calendar. In a special calendar you need to mark the start and end dates of menstruation.
• Such records will not give critical days the opportunity to take the girl by surprise. In addition, if a girl’s monthly cycle does not stabilize in the future, such a calendar will help the gynecologist trace the entire history of the onset of menstruation
• In any case, a week before the expected date of menstruation, the girl should always have all the necessary hygiene products with her. This will protect her from difficult, unforeseen circumstances and embarrassment.

When will your first period start - test for girls?

Today on the Internet you can find a lot of different tests for girls that help determine the approximate age at which the first menstruation may begin.

Such tests are based on a series of questions. Questions help elicit information related to factors that directly influence the onset of your first period. Here are approximate wordings of such questions:

1. How old are you?
2. When did your mother (grandmother) have her first period?
3. What is your height?
4. What is your weight?
5. Have your breasts started to grow?
6. Do you have hair under your arms and on your pubic area?
7. Have you noticed any discharge on your underwear?

After analyzing the girl’s answers, we can predict when approximately she will start her first period.

• In any case, whenever a girl’s first period begins, she should be mentally prepared for it. Her mother, grandmother or older sister can help her with this
• The girl needs to be explained that menstruation is a natural process and there is nothing shameful about it
• Also, the baby should know about the rules of hygiene these days, and in her purse, just in case, she should always have feminine hygiene products
• In addition to the rules of conduct during critical days, the girl must be properly informed about the possibility of becoming pregnant after the start of menstruation and the need to use contraception.

Video: Girls' first periods

Menstruation (or menstruation) is regular monthly bleeding from the genital tract of a girl/woman, which is considered part of the menstrual cycle. The essence of menstruation is that they complete it if fertilization of the egg matured in the ovary has not occurred. In everyday life, many people perceive the “red days of the calendar” as a certain process of symbolic “cleansing” of the female body, in particular the uterus and vagina, from everything superfluous and unnecessary.

The first menstruation - menarche - appears during puberty. As a rule, this happens at 12-15, more often at 12-13 years. The timing of the onset of menstruation depends on many factors: the girl’s physical development, her nutrition, past illnesses, etc. Within approximately 1.0 - 1.5 years after the onset of the first bleeding, a regular monthly cycle is established, which is about 28 days, and bleeding lasts from 3 to 7 days; blood loss averages 50-70 ml.

We will tell you about what a healthy woman’s periods are like in this article.

WHAT ARE NORMAL MENSURES?

A few days after the start of menstruation, the level of estrogen, female sex hormones, increases. At the same time, the transformation of the endometrium begins - the mucous layer lining the uterus from the inside. It grows, increasing in volume and thickness. At this time, the follicle with the next egg begins to mature in the ovary.

Approximately on the 12-14th day from the start of menstruation, ovulation occurs - the release of a mature egg from the ovary. This period is the most favorable for conception. In the ovary, in the place from which the egg was released, the so-called corpus luteum is formed, which begins to produce progesterone - one of the main hormones necessary for the development of pregnancy during its first three months. You can determine the moment of ovulation in the monthly cycle by measuring your basal temperature.

Then the egg, completely ready for fertilization, moves through the fallopian tube to the uterus. She is programmed to ensure that after merging with a sperm, a human baby will grow over the next nine months. Therefore, during the cell’s journey, the endometrium, under the influence of the hormone progesterone, intensively produces nutrients for the initial nutrition of the egg with the embryo.

Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube, then the dividing cell enters the uterus and is implanted in it, that is, immersed in its inner layer, where it begins to develop.

In the vast majority of cases, in the absence of fertilization, the monthly cycle does not end with pregnancy. Therefore, the endometrium, whose function was never realized, becomes unnecessary, and somewhere around the 14th day from ovulation (this is approximately the 28th day of the menstrual cycle), the level of female hormones - estrogen and progesterone - drops, and the rejection of internal layer of the uterus. Menstruation begins and stops around the 5th-7th day. In this case, in the first days the blood is bright scarlet, in the end it is dark, with a specific odor. The amount of blood lost is about 50 - 100 ml. With the end of bleeding, the circle closes, and then the entire process of the monthly cycle is repeated.

SIGNS OF PERIOD

• bleeding from the vagina;
• nagging pain in the lower abdomen;
• swelling, heaviness and pain of the breast;
• pain in the lumbar region;
• irritability;
• fatigue, heaviness in the legs;
• dizziness, apathy;
• sometimes - increased libido.

HOW MANY DAYS ARE YOUR MENSORS?

The menstrual cycle is the period from the first day of the onset of bleeding to the first day of the next. The normal menstrual cycle for healthy women is 20-35 days. The duration of monthly bleeding is from 3 to 7 days. You can track your menstrual schedule using a calendar, regularly marking the dates of arrival and end of discharge. There are also various special applications for mobile devices that can be downloaded on the Internet. The regularity of the monthly cycle is determined by the constructed schedule in the calendar. This indicator is very important for women’s health, as it indicates the proper functioning of the ovaries.

How to find out how much blood is during menstruation?

Usually during this period we use special hygiene products - pads or tampons. Let's try to use them to determine possible blood loss. For example, a regular 4-5 drop pad absorbs up to 20-25 ml of blood. If in one day a girl changes her pad every 2-3 hours, it means she has heavy periods and needs to consult a specialist.

Scanty periods last less than 2 days and have a brown tint. Such brown periods appear due to the fact that the process of separating the remnants of the endometrium is very slow and the blood has time to clot, which causes this color. Scanty periods may indicate a violation of the second phase of the cycle and insufficient thickness of the endometrium. Among other things, this situation creates very real problems for the onset of pregnancy.

PROBLEMS WITH MENSURE - WHEN TO GO TO A GYNECOLOGIST:

• the first menstruation appeared before 10 years;
• at 15-16 years old, menstruation has not yet begun;
• menstruation lasts 1-2 days or more than 7-8 days;
• blood discharge is very scanty or very copious;
• the monthly cycle lasts less than 20 days or more than 40;
• severe pain in the lower abdomen during “critical days”;
• bleeding between periods;
• “those days” have not been around for a couple of months.

In all these cases, as well as in others associated with failure and delay of menstruation, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist-endocrinologist. At our medical center, on certain days, a teenage gynecologist-endocrinologist sees patients.

Menstruation is the main indicator of women's health. Every girl should mark the beginning and end of her period on a monthly calendar in order to notice any deviations in time.

In order not to miss possible symptoms of various diseases, all women should definitely know how their periods normally go. We will tell you about this in this article.

How should a normal period go?

Each girl experiences her critical days differently. However, there are norms, deviation from which may be caused by the presence of pathologies of the woman’s reproductive organs or serious diseases.

So, normally, menstrual flow lasts from 3 to 7 days. In the first two days, bleeding may be profuse, but on the remaining days it may be scanty. In addition, special attention should be paid to the duration. A lunar cycle of 28 days is considered ideal, but any deviations between 3 and 5 weeks are considered acceptable.

A woman’s daily blood loss can range from 20 to 50 grams, and during the entire period of her critical days, a girl should not lose more than 250 grams of blood.

How do girls experience their first periods?

Typically, at the age of 11-16 years, a girl experiences her first menstruation. Modern teenagers are already quite well prepared for changes in the functioning of their body, and they are not afraid of the appearance of spotting. However, a mother must tell her daughter about the physiological characteristics of the female sex.

Most often, the first menstruation is quite scanty. The total blood loss on these days ranges from 50 to 150 grams, with the most abundant discharge observed on the second day. Many girls report feeling unwell, weak and uncomfortable in the lower abdomen.

A girl's menstrual cycle can be irregular for 2 years, and the breaks between critical days can be up to 6 months.

How are the first periods after childbirth?

After childbirth, menstruation usually occurs no later than 2 months from the date of termination of breastfeeding; in some women, menstruation begins during the period of feeding the child. In most cases, postpartum periods are the same as before pregnancy. However, sometimes young mothers note that menstrual flow has become more scanty.

How do menstruation go during menopause?

At the age of 47-49, most women experience menopause. During this period, reproductive function gradually decreases, which subsequently leads to a complete cessation of menstrual flow. The total duration of menopause can be about 5-7 years. Menstruation during this period becomes less abundant, and each time their duration decreases. The duration of the menstrual cycle is usually also reduced, but sometimes, on the contrary, it can increase.