How long is my period? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail.
The duration of menstruation in women is influenced by a huge number of factors, which also include physiological characteristics, lifestyle, the presence of certain acute or chronic diseases of the genital area and the endocrine system. Significant deviations from the norm, as well as instability of the menstrual cycle, are the main symptoms of pathologies of the organs of the reproductive system.
And in this case, only an examination by a gynecologist will help to establish the exact cause of these disorders. You can not postpone going to the doctor in the hope that the cycle will improve on its own. Advanced forms of the disease are much more difficult to treat, and their consequences can be very serious.
So, how long is your period?
Norm and pathology of menstruation in reproductive age
The duration of bleeding during menstruation is normally 3-7days. These days, a woman's body is weakened due to blood loss. She has fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headache. Such ailments can be the norm only when they do not last long, and disappear with the end of menstruation. The norm is also characterized by the release of menstrual blood in a volume of 30 to 100 ml. In he althy women, the duration of the monthly cycle is usually 21-35 days. How long does a girl's period last, consider below.
The presence of pathological disorders can be said in cases where menstruation lasts less than three days or longer than 7 days, and the blood volume is less than 30 ml, or more than 100 ml. When dark spotting occurs before or after menstruation, which increases the number of critical days, this can also be considered a violation. How many days last menstruation is interesting to many.
Factors that affect the duration of menstruation
How many days your period lasts may depend on the following factors:
- Genetics. In some women, menstruation lasts up to 10 days in the absence of pathologies. In some cases, this is also considered the norm if such a duration of menstruation is observed in women of a particular family.
- The presence of inflammatory and infectious pathologies of the genital organs, the occurrence of benign neoplasms (myoma, polyp, cyst), or malignant tumor processes in the uterus and ovaries. In these cases, there is a violation of the structure of the mucous membranes, damage to blood vessels and tissues,causing periods to become heavy and last longer than they should.
- Ovarian dysfunction. The factors for the occurrence of this disorder can be diseases of the genital organs, abortion, the introduction of an intrauterine device, the use of hormonal drugs. During ovarian dysfunction caused by hormonal disorders in the endocrine system, menstruation usually lasts 2 days, and sometimes less.
- Disturbances in the work of the endocrine glands. These organs are responsible for the hormonal background in the body, with changes in which, the duration of menstruation also changes.
In addition, the number of days of menstrual bleeding can be sharply reduced in the presence of active physical activity (sports, weight lifting). Nervous strain, psychological defects, depression can also cause heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding that lasts more than 10 days, or disappears for several months.
Starvation and lack of vitamins in the body also lead to hormonal changes, a reduction in the number of menstrual days or their complete cessation. Smoking and alcohol abuse, exposure to adverse environmental conditions can give such a result.
How many days do girls have their period?
Duration of periods in adolescence
At the age of 12-14, girls begin to have their first menstruation. In the body during this period, a serious hormonal restructuring begins, which is associated with maturation.ovaries. Menstruation in girls usually comes irregularly, sometimes with long delays. This has been happening for two years. At the same time, the volume of menstruation can be different, and the number of critical days can vary from 2 to 10.
It is difficult to say exactly how many days exactly such periods should last until their nature is finally determined. This in he althy adolescents depends on the characteristics of the body. Their duration gradually returns to normal - 3-5 days. The girl is recommended to have a special calendar in which the days of the beginning and end of menstruation should be noted. How long the period lasts, the mother should tell her daughter.
When deviations
If any deviations appear (menstruation does not come, ends too quickly or drags on), the girl's parents have no reason to panic. There can be many factors that provoke this - all kinds of overwork, diets, weight changes, sports loads, mental instability, climate change, etc. Such violations should disappear after the elimination of their causes. However, if they are persistent, and menstruation is too painful, you should consult a doctor. Such symptoms may indicate the presence of certain diseases of the girl's reproductive organs.
How long menstruation lasts for girls is normal, not everyone knows. In any case, you can always contact a specialist for advice.
Period during pregnancy
During pregnancy, women's periods should disappear, but there arecases when they occur at the usual time, which is an obstacle to determining pregnancy. If menstruation came during the first month of pregnancy, this is due to the fact that the fertilization of the egg occurred at the end of the monthly cycle, when part of the endometrium had already exfoliated. Blood is released in very small volumes.
Sometimes it happens that the eggs of both ovaries mature at the same time. One of them can be fertilized, and the second goes outside. There is some bleeding that looks like a scanty period for 1-2 days.
If during pregnancy, menstruation occurs for more than two months, this may indicate an incomplete cessation of the production of some sex hormones, which is due to physiological characteristics. However, in any case, a woman should be under the supervision of a doctor, since the appearance of such discharge during pregnancy may portend a miscarriage or speak of endocrine pathologies.
Next, let's look at how long menstruation lasts after childbirth.
Period after childbirth
The timing of the first menstruation depends on the nature of the birth and the general condition of the woman. If she is breastfeeding, she should not have her period during breastfeeding. If the child is transferred to artificial nutrition immediately after birth, then the woman’s menstruation begins in about 10-12 weeks, after the inner layer of the uterus and hormonalbackground.
Cycle stability
After childbirth, as a rule, the menstrual cycle is characterized by stability. If a woman had previously had too heavy and prolonged periods, then in the postpartum period, their indicators begin to approach the norm. They tend to become more painless. This fact is due to a change in the position of the uterus, as a result of which the outflow of blood from it improves. The number of days of menstruation largely depends on the nature of the hormonal changes that have occurred in a woman.
How long does a woman's period last while taking birth control?
Menstruation while using oral contraceptives
Contraceptives contain the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Their action is aimed at suppressing ovulation by changing their ratio. After several months from the start of the use of such funds, the body begins to adapt to changes in the hormonal background, and the nature of menstruation also changes. How many days they last, as well as their intensity, depends on the chosen hormonal drug. Periods can become long or very scanty and short.
If after 3 months their duration does not return to normal, you should consult a gynecologist or change the drug. Doing it yourself is also not recommended.
We looked at how long your period should last.
