The menstrual cycle, menstruation, or periods is considered to be an important part of a woman’s physical growth. Menstruation refers to the blood discharge through a woman’s reproductive organs, which happens as a result of hormonal changes, as a woman ages.
People are mostly aware of the changes in the body that occur during menstruation and its importance, but why menstruation occurs and what changes happen in the body, most people are not aware of it. This is because till date, people, especially women, used to avoid talking about this topic openly, due to certain social and religious beliefs associated with it. But now, as our society is progressing, women are less hesitant to talk about periods.
What Is The Menstrual Cycle And What Is Its Process
Upon reaching adolescence, the hormones called estrogen and progesterone are produced by the ovaries in the female body. Due to these hormones, the lining of the uterus begins to thicken once every month. Some other hormones signal the ovaries to produce and later release undesired eggs from the body.
If a girl or woman does not have sexual intercourse around the time of menstruation, the layer of the uterus that was getting thicker and ready for pregnancy breaks down and is passed out in the form of blood. The blood passed out by your body also contains tissues that have been destroyed during this process. This cycle is repeated every month and is known as the menstrual cycle and by many other names.
During the menstrual cycle, there are hormones produced in the body that keep the body healthy. Every month, these hormones make the female body ready for conception. The duration between two cycles is counted from the first day of one cycle to the first day of another cycle next month.
Usually, the gap between two cycles is about 28-35 days long. It usually starts in girls at the age of 12 or 13 years. But, in some girls, the onset can be delayed due to various reasons. The cycle in some females menstruation lasts for 3 to 5 days and in some for 2 to 7 days. Menstruation in females occurs till a woman has menopause, which usually occurs sometime in her 40s. With menopause, the reproduction cycle in women comes to an end and she can no longer conceive.
4 Stages of a Menstrual Cycle
- Menstruation
When a girl reaches the age of 11-15 years, her body ovaries are developed enough to start the production of eggs. Every month, a mature egg arrives in the ovaries. The layer made up of blood and mucus starts breaking with this egg is not fertilized and with the bleeding, menstruation takes place.
- Follicular Phase
This phase begins from the first day of your period till you ovulate. Here, 5-20 sacs of follicles are produced, each one of which contains immature eggs. One of these eggs, sometimes even two of them, eventually mature and come in contact with the sperms during sexual intercourse, leading to pregnancy.
- Ovulation Phase
During this phase, the chances of a woman getting pregnant are comparatively high. On the 14th or 15th day of the menstrual cycle (may vary according to the duration of the cycle), a mature egg from the ovaries travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it comes in contact with a sperm and a woman can conceive. This mature egg remains active for 24 hours and if not fertilized, it dies and is passed out of the body.
- Luteal Phase
After the egg is released from the follicle, it turns into corpus luteum, which results in increase in the levels of estrogen and progesterone. With the help of these two hormones, the lining of the uterus thickens, which helps contain the egg ready for reproduction. At the time of conception, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) hormones are produced in the body, which works in keeping the uterine lining thick. At the same time, after the birth of the baby, the level of progesterone in the body starts decreasing and the uterine lining begins to come back to the normal state and the menstrual cycle starts again.
Main Causes Of Irregular Menstruation
- Pregnancy
- Neoplasia or fibroid in the uterus
- Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD)
- Taking contraceptives
Common Menstrual Problems
The symptoms of menstruation and its effects are seen differently on women. Some of the common problems faced by women during this time are as follows:
- Problems such as abdominal pain, bloating, irritability, headache, fatigue, and backache are common in women due to hormonal changes occurring before the period. This phase before the beginning of menstruation is known as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).
- Many girls have pain or cramps in the lower abdomen. This condition is also known as Dysmenorrhea.
- Some women have more than normal or heavy bleeding during menstruation.
- The absence of menstruation is called amenorrhea. This condition or irregularity of periods is not normal unless it is during pregnancy or when a woman is breastfeeding. In such a situation, contact your doctor immediately.
