The female body is fraught with many mysteries. And it is sometimes very difficult for an ordinary person to deal with all of them. Therefore, in this article I want to talk in detail about what the monthly cycle is. The norm and deviations will also be described below.
Understanding concepts
First of all, I would like to define the concepts themselves in order to fully understand what is at stake. So, the monthly (or more correctly - the menstrual) cycle is a special physiological process that is characteristic exclusively for the female body (sexually mature person). It has a regular nature, affects mainly the reproductive system. All these processes are controlled by hormones that are produced by the ovaries, as well as the brain.
When does a woman begin to form a monthly cycle? The norm is the time of puberty for a girl. This happens on average at 11-14 years. The menstrual cycle disappears in women with the onset of menopause (most often it comes at the age of 45-55). This is a normal physiological process, as a result of which a woman already becomes unable to conceive and bear a baby. The external manifestation of the menstrual cycle is spotting, or menstruation.
How to count?
Not all women know how to correctly calculate their female cycle. So, first of all, it is worth saying that it is necessary to start counting from the first day of spotting, to finish - the last day before a new menstruation. Ideally, the monthly cycle is 28 days. But this is not the case for all women. The norm is also considered a deviation from this figure in one week. That is, if a lady's cycle lasts within 21-35 days, there is nothing to worry about. If not, you should definitely consult a doctor for qualified advice. It is also important to remember that the cycle should be regular. If one month it has 25 days, and the second - 32 - this is not normal. Variations are possible within 1-3 days. Otherwise, again, you need to contact a gynecologist for advice and search for reasons.
Nuances
Consider further the monthly cycle in women. What other terms do you need to know here?
- Ovulation (translated from Latin as "egg"). This is one of the processes of the menstrual cycle. At this time, the follicle breaks, and the egg comes out of it, completely ready for fertilization.
- Menstruation. Occurs approximately 12-15 days after ovulation. These are spotting, with which, as unnecessary (if pregnancy has not occurred), exfoliated endometrium comes out.
Phases
The phases of the menstruation cycle - that's what else needs to be said in this article. So to thisThe question can be approached in different ways. According to one version, there are only two phases of the menstrual cycle:
- Folliculin.
- Luteal (secretory, or corpus luteum phase).
Why is there such a separation? It's all the fault of hormones, which in a certain period are dominant in the reproductive organs of the female body. You can often see information that there are two more phases of the monthly cycle:
- Phase of menstruation.
- Ovulation phase.
However, most scientists believe that it is not entirely correct to single them out in terms of hormonal levels. However, it is believed that they more clearly show the processes occurring in the ovaries and uterus. In addition, these phases are very important during pregnancy planning, so they cannot be completely excluded. All four phases will be discussed below.
First phase: menstruation
The normal cycle of menstruation begins with the first phase, which is calculated from the first day of spotting. These are the so-called menses. At this time, the previously rejected endometrium is released along with the blood. This process can also be called preparation for receiving a new egg. As for the duration, this phase has only 3 to 6 days. It ends even before the end of bleeding in women. What else is important to say when studying the cycle of menstruation? How much blood should a girl normally produce? No more than 80 ml for the entire period of menstruation. If a woman changes pads or tampons more than 10 times a day, this is a reason to see a doctor. You should also seek help if spotting has been going on for a week or more.
Possible problems
What problems can arise in this phase?
- Amenorrhoea (prefix "a" means no). This is the complete absence of bleeding. However, this diagnosis can only be made if a similar phenomenon has been observed for six months.
- Algodysmenorrhea (the prefix "algo" means pain). These are painful periods when a woman feels very ill. At this time, the lady's work capacity is sharply reduced.
- Menorrhagia. It's too much bleeding. This diagnosis can be made if a woman's menstruation lasts more than 7 days or the amount of discharge is more than 80 ml.
Second phase: follicular
Let's study the monthly cycle. The norm is when the second phase in a woman lasts about two weeks after the completion of spotting. At this time, the woman's brain begins to send certain impulses, under the influence of which the follicle-stimulating hormone is actively produced, and follicles grow in the ovaries. Gradually, a dominant follicle is formed, which will be a haven for the maturation of the egg in the future. At the same time, a woman's body is actively producing a hormone such as estrogen. He's working on updating the lining of the uterus. Also, this hormone affects the cervical mucus so much that it becomes immune to sperm.
Problems
Violation of the cycle of menstruation in the secondphase can cause various stresses and diseases. In this case, the third phase of the female cycle will come a little later than usual.
Phase Three: Ovulation
This is the middle of the monthly cycle. At this point, there is a restructuring of hormones in the female body. The level of FSH, i.e., follicle-stimulating hormone, decreases significantly, but immediately there is a release of LH, i.e., luteinizing hormone. Time frame of the period: three days. What happens to the female body at this time?
- LH makes the cervix very receptive to sperm.
- Egg maturation ends.
- The egg is released from the follicle, after which it enters the fallopian tubes and awaits conception (term - about two days).
Phase Four: Luteal
Also, it can also be called the "yellow body phase". After the follicle is released, it begins to actively produce the hormone progesterone, the main task of which is to prepare the uterine mucosa for implantation. At the same time, the cervical mucus dries up, and the production of LH stops. If there is a normal monthly cycle in women, then this phase lasts no more than 16 days (for a maximum of 12 days, a fertilized egg should attach to the uterus).
- If fertilization has occurred: in this case, the egg enters the uterine cavity, implants, and the production of the so-called pregnancy hormone begins, which will be active throughout the entire period of bearing the baby.
- If fertilization has not occurred: in this case, the corpus luteum and eggdie off, production of progesterone stops. This causes the destruction of the endometrium, which entails its rejection and the onset of the first phase of a new menstrual cycle - spotting.
Cycle and conception
Every lady should know her correct period. After all, this is very important in that situation, if you want to prepare for the conception of a baby, or, conversely, to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. After all, as everyone knows, there are favorable and dangerous days of the female cycle. More on this:
- Max chance of conception - a couple of days before ovulation or at the time of the second phase of the menstrual cycle.
- It is worth remembering that male sperm live up to seven days in the female tract, so fertilization is possible even if unprotected intercourse occurred a week before ovulation.
- Favorable days for those who do not yet want to have children: a couple of days after ovulation. The egg has already died at this time, fertilization will not occur.
However, it should be said that it is very difficult to accurately predict ovulation. After all, the female body is not a perfect machine. If you do not want to get pregnant, it is best not to rely on your calculations, but to additionally protect yourself with modern means, say, condoms.
Basal body temperature
Let's study the monthly cycle. The norm and deviations must be known to every woman. Here I also want to talk about how you can independently identify with the phases. Forit is enough to trace the graph of basal temperature (as you know, this is a measurement of temperature indicators in the lady's vagina or in the rectum). In the first days after bleeding, the temperature should be kept within 37 ° C. Further, it usually decreases slightly, and then "jumps" by 0.5 ° C and is normally more than 37 ° C. At this indicator, the temperature is kept almost all the time, but a few days before the onset of menstruation, it decreases again. If this did not happen, we can say that the girl became pregnant. If the temperature has not changed at all throughout the cycle, this means that the third phase - ovulation - has not occurred.
About failures
Modern women very often suffer from such a problem as a violation of the cycle of menstruation. What symptoms can signal this:
- Increase in the interval between periods, its significant fluctuation.
- Change of days in the cycle (deviation more than three days in any direction).
- Coarse or scanty spotting.
- Complete absence of periods for at least two months (unless, of course, this is a sign of pregnancy).
- The appearance of bleeding in different phases of the menstrual cycle (not only in the first).
- Bleeding for more than a week or less than three days.
These are the main problems that should alert the lady. In this case, you should definitely consult a gynecologist and find out the reasons for the data.phenomena.
Reasons
If a woman has lost her monthly cycle, the reasons for this may be as follows:
- Weight change - obesity or sudden loss of it. Starvation, as well as the consumption of foods harmful to the body and overeating, affects the entire body as a whole, and especially the reproductive function of a lady. Accordingly, for the menstrual cycle.
- Stress. In this state, the woman actively begins to produce the hormone prolactin, which is able to inhibit ovulation and cause a delay in menstruation.
- Physical activity.
- Acclimatization. If a woman changes her stay belt - from heat to cold or vice versa, the body turns on defenses, which can affect the female cycle.
- If a lady's monthly cycle has gone wrong, the reason for this may be a hormonal failure (disturbance in the production of certain hormones).
- Women's diseases. The cycle can go astray if a lady has the following problems: inflammation of the uterus, pathologies of her cervix, cysts, polyps of the uterus, her appendages.
- Taking oral contraceptives. If a woman is just starting to take birth control pills, at first, while the body is adapting, there may be certain failures. However, after a maximum of three months, if the medications are chosen correctly, a clear and normal menstruation cycle will be established.
- Adolescence and menopause. During these periods, the female cycle may be irregular, which is not an indicator of special problems with the body. For a young girl, the first cycle of menstruation will never be an indicator that in the same mode andfurther will pass monthly.
- A lady will completely stop menstruating if she becomes pregnant.
- There will be huge problems with the cycle in case of involuntary or planned abortions.
Diagnosis
If a lady starts her period in the middle of a cycle or has any other problem, she should definitely seek medical advice. After all, this can be the cause of quite serious problems with the body. What indicators will the gynecologist use to diagnose?
- Survey (obtaining complete information about the possible causes of violations).
- Gynecological examination of a patient.
- Taking all swabs required for testing.
- Blood and urine tests.
If these procedures did not give complete answers to the doctor's questions, the lady may be assigned additional studies:
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs or abdominal cavity.
- Testing for hormones.
- MRI - magnetic resonance imaging (determination of pathological changes in tissues, as well as the search for possible neoplasms).
- Hysteroscopy (examination of the walls of the patient's uterus with a special instrument).
Only a combination of these methods of studying the patient's condition can give a complete picture of the causes of her illness, which will lead to the correct diagnosis and the appointment of competent treatment.
Diseases
Above it was said a little about what problems may arise with the femalemenstrual cycle and what diseases develop against this background. However, this is not a complete list.
- Hypomenorrhea. It's very scanty spotting.
- Opsomenorrhea. A significant shortening of the duration of spotting in a lady.
- Oligomenorrhea. This is an increase in the interval between spotting ladies.
All these issues should cause concern. Every woman should remember that timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease is very important.
Complications
If a woman has lost her cycle (between menstruation, for example, there are different periods of time) or there are other problems with women's he alth, you should immediately consult a doctor for qualified advice. After all, if the disease is not diagnosed and treated in time, it can lead to serious complications, which will be extremely difficult to cope with. It is worth remembering that later detection of pathologies that cause menstrual irregularities can lead not only to the inability to become pregnant, but even to the death of a young lady.
Treatment: simple tips
If a woman has minor menstrual irregularities, you can try to correct the situation without the intervention of doctors. To do this, it is enough to correctly adjust your daily routine and nutrition. That is, you need to exclude all harmful foods from food, pay more attention to the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as cereals. In sufficient quantities, the lady should also rest: at least seven hours of sleep a night, work breaks, physicalactivity and being outdoors - only these nuances can correct the female cycle with minor disruptions.
Treatment by a doctor
If the girl still needs to seek medical help, treatment will be prescribed based on the reasons that led to the hormonal failure.
- If the cause is stress, the patient will be given sedatives.
- If there is a problem with spotting, a woman may be prescribed hemostatic drugs, aminocaproic acid (to eliminate bleeding if menstruation occurs in the middle of the cycle).
- With heavy bleeding, a lady can be infused with donor blood, plasma.
- Surgical intervention is possible (including hysterectomy, i.e. removal of the uterus).
- In some cases, the girl may be prescribed antibiotics (if the cause of the failure is infectious diseases).
- The most common methods of treatment are the appointment of hormonal drugs to regulate hormonal levels.
