Critical days are coming. Intimate life during menstruation

What happens to the body during critical days

At its core, the process of puberty is quite unique. Menstruation begins for the first time in young girls and is the first stage in the process of puberty. During this period, brain hormones affect the ovaries. In the process of such an effect on the ovaries, a hormonal signal “forces” one of the eggs to mature, and there are from 100 to 150 thousand of them in the female body. At the same time, the process of preparing the mucous membrane in the uterus is underway and its thickness increases several times. The lining of the uterus becomes soft, ready to receive an embryo.

Somewhere after two weeks, from the initial stage of maturation of the egg, ovulation occurs (the release of a mature egg into the fallopian tube. If it does not unite with the sperm there and is not fertilized, the egg dies. It turns out that the prepared “bed” for future life is not necessary and the body rejects such a wall of the uterus. Such a process in a healthy woman should occur monthly, before menopause occurs.

How can critical days unfold?

Critical days begin between the ages of 11 and 15 - this depends on the individual characteristics of girls and on hereditary characteristics. If the process of menstruation does not begin until the age of 17, then you need to contact a specialist, because this is a serious violation in the development of a girl. The normal duration of the menstrual cycle is from 21 to 35 days. If there are serious deviations from the desired cycle, then you need to consult a gynecologist, as ovarian function may be impaired. Menstruation should last 3-7 days. Especially heavy discharge in the first 2 days, then insignificant discharge. If a woman has an intrauterine device, her periods may be more profuse and painful. If critical days last more than seven days, then you urgently need to consult a doctor for examination.

Such a natural process as menstruation can occur with various symptoms. But the symptoms are understandable, since brain hormones affect the entire body. Usually these are symptoms such as swelling and pain in the chest, nagging pain in the lower abdomen, dizziness, and weakness. For some, breathing quickens, blood pressure rises, and pulse quickens. Women also complain of pain in the lumbar region, heaviness in the legs, and frequent urination. Many of us have experienced this and these are signs of premenstrual syndrome. Also, some women do not observe any changes in the body at all. All these symptoms depend on the characteristics of each woman’s body. But if one of the symptoms is so strong that it is impossible to get up from the pastel, then this is a reason to seek help from a specialist.

What not to be afraid of during menstruation

Many women panic that they have heavy discharge during menstruation and have an unpleasant specific smell. A woman should not be afraid of this, the specific smell is normal, and the blood that she loses during this process tends to be restored quickly.

Also, many women have fears due to the fact that the discharge occurs with blood clots. But there is no need to panic, this phenomenon occurs due to the fact that enzymes cannot cope with the abundance of secretions and allow blood clots to pass through. Blood clots are blood that collects and coagulates in the vagina. In addition, clots during menstruation can occur in women who have a coil in their body.

During critical days, many women experience changes in their emotional state. They usually become irritable and more emotional. This is due to the unpleasant symptoms that accompany such a process. Especially during such a period, you don’t want to do serious things, but if there is no choice, then behavior arises accordingly. In addition, in the first days of menstruation, a woman does not sleep well at night, as the number of urinations increases. Lack of sleep also affects a woman's condition. Therefore, advice to those closest to you is to be attentive to the woman during such periods.

Menstruation (menstruation) is one of the most important processes occurring in the female body. Taking critical days for granted, many do not pay due attention to the symptoms that provoke serious diseases in the female body.

It is important for any girl or woman to know when these processes occur within the normal range and when they go beyond it, in order to have time to prevent illness.

Puberty of a girl

Puberty in girls occurs at the age of 11-15 years, and more often has hereditary factors. The age at which a girl begins her period corresponds to the age at which her mother, aunt, or grandmother began it.

Taking into account the accelerated development of the body, menstruation may begin a little earlier, which is not a deviation. A sign of serious disturbances in physical development is the absence of menstruation at 17-18 years of age. In this case, contacting an endocrinologist, gynecologist and infectious disease specialist is mandatory.

The absence of critical days is associated with serious diseases that occur in the body, with stress, underweight or overwork.

Menstrual cycle and its duration

The menstrual cycle is the time that passes from the beginning of the first day of one menstruation to the first day of the next. More than 70% of women are concerned about irregular menstrual cycles. It takes them several months, sometimes even a year, for it to normalize.

The 28-day cycle, called the lunar cycle, is ideal. Taking into account the physiological characteristics of the female body, we can name certain norms, deviation from which is considered a violation. A normal cycle is a cycle with a frequency of 21-35 days. In all other cases, consultation with a gynecologist is necessary, due to possible malfunctions of the ovaries.

Girls and women are recommended to keep a special calendar with which they can control their periods. The calendar makes it possible to determine the duration of the menstrual cycle, as well as its regularity. It will allow you to calculate favorable days for conception.

How are your periods? Duration of menstruation

There is no exact figure that indicates the duration of bleeding. But there are certain norms for all women: menstruation lasts from 3 to 7 days. The first few days you can observe abundant discharge, and in the remaining days it becomes scanty.

If you experience heavy bleeding during menstruation, you should consult a gynecologist for examination.

The amount of bleeding is affected by contraception. The intrauterine device provokes painful periods with increased bleeding. Oral medications, such as hormonal birth control pills, make periods shorter and heavier. It should be taken into account that the above remedies do not affect the duration of critical days. Your period should not last more than a week.

Quality and quantity of menstrual flow

Blood loss during menstruation is negligible. Every day a woman gets rid of 20 to 50 grams of blood, and in total (over the entire period of menstruation), the mark can reach 250 grams.

As a rule, menstrual blood does not clot, has a pronounced scarlet color and a specific smell. Sometimes periods can contain clots in the form of unprocessed blood that accumulates in the vagina. Clots appear during heavy periods.

Smudging - bloody spotting observed at the beginning and end of menstruation is considered normal. Too much bleeding indicates the presence of gynecological diseases.

Pain during menstruation

An important issue that worries women is pain during menstruation. A natural process, accompanied by hormonal changes, has a special effect on the entire female body. During menstruation, irritation and a feeling of tension occur, breast pain and swelling are felt.

There are many signs of premenstrual syndrome:

weakness;
fatigue;
irritability;
rapid breathing and pulse;
fever;
chills;
heaviness in the lower back, lower abdomen or legs.

From a physiological point of view, you should not focus your attention on such problems, but if the symptoms negatively affect your ability to work, you should consult a doctor. Any processes that occur in the body that affect the general condition and well-being should not be overlooked. Especially if we are talking about “women’s” problems.

Fever, severe pain, excessive bleeding, and the need to take medications are symptoms that require careful diagnosis and, if necessary, subsequent treatment by a specialist.

November 09, 2012 13:46

What is this article about and how to use the information received?

This article contains answers to many questions that girls and women have about (menstruation).

Any woman should have information about the nature of the occurrence and characteristics of such an important physiological process. Our article will help you understand these concepts.

This information will be especially relevant for the following audiences:

Young girls who have just started menstruating and don’t know much about it;
Adult women who are concerned about the nature of their menstrual cycle, who want to know how correctly everything is happening in their body;
Adult women of any age if there have been some changes in their menstrual cycle;
Adult women, in case of unusual occurrences;
Pregnant women, when menstruation occurs during pregnancy (at any stage).

What is menstruation? Why and why is this happening?

Very often, women wait with horror for the onset of their critical days, since for them it is a useless torment that unsettles them for a week, and sometimes even longer. However, it is important to treat this as a normal physiological mechanism. After all, all the processes that occur in the female body before and after menstruation are nothing more than evidence of her reproductive function. That is, it is the woman in whose body a normal menstrual cycle occurs that is capable of bearing a child.

And now we will tell you why and why menstruation occurs, and what it should be like for a healthy woman.

Thus, menstruation represents the rejection of the mucous membranes of the female uterus, which are not useful for the development of pregnancy. This is the principle of operation of a healthy woman’s body. But various diseases and certain conditions of a woman can disrupt the correct course of this process. They can cause cycle disruption and change the nature of menstruation.

Severe pain as a symptom of the disease

It happens that the pain is so severe that it makes a woman completely unadapted to normal life during this period. Severe pain often indicates a disorder and is called dysmenorrhea.

This diagnosis is confirmed if, along with pain, there are also signs such as:

Headache;
Dizziness;
Nausea;
Loss of consciousness;
Constipation or diarrhea.

The presence of such signs is definitely a reason to immediately contact a gynecologist. Let's look at what this means below.

Pain during menstruation. When should you see a doctor?

So, if you have severe pain during your period, you should seriously think about your health.

Pain can signal a number of diseases:

Uterine fibroids;
Uterine cancer;
Uterine polyps.

In addition, you need to pay attention to the changes that have been happening to you lately.

So, if you have the following signs, you need to urgently contact a gynecologist:

Your periods are more painful than before;
The pain in the lower abdomen is very strong (you constantly take painkillers);
In addition to the pain, the discharge itself has become more abundant (one pad lasts you less than 2 hours);
Along with pain, other disorders occur (weight loss, cycle disruption, inability to get pregnant).

How to relieve pain?

As we have already said, the presence of some pain during menstruation is normal.

Therefore, to alleviate your condition, you can use some common techniques:

These days you need to get a good night's sleep. But just lying down all day is not an option. Staying without movement, on the contrary, worsens the condition;
Transfer complex mental and physical stress to the period when your period is over;
These days you need to move more, walk, play sports. You only need to avoid heavy physical activity. The ideal option would be either Pilates;
Sex helps relieve pain (thus reducing muscle tension in the uterus);
If the pain is very painful, you can take a painkiller (, analgin, naproxen). It must be remembered that girls under 16 years of age cannot take aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).

If menstrual pain is constant, every month, and if your doctor does not see any abnormalities in your health, he may prescribe preventive medications. They will help reduce pain during the onset of menstrual periods.

Period of the menstrual cycle. How regular should it be?

Ideally, a healthy woman menstruates regularly; there is a certain period of her cycle. But minor deviations from the average cycle length are not always the result of any health problem. A fluctuation in the onset of menstruation, earlier or later, by a few days (approximately 3 to 5 days) is not significant.

Particular attention should be paid to understanding that a regular menstrual cycle is not the fact that menstruation arrives on a certain day. Menstruation should not start on the same day every month. The regularity of the cycle consists in observing the period of the break itself between the previous and next menstruation. This is influenced by the number of calendar days in a month, the onset of a leap year and the time of day when the previous menstruation occurred.

Let's give an example. A woman's normal menstrual cycle is 27 days. Last month, my period started on March 1st. Thus, the beginning of the critical days of the next month should fall on the date of March 27th (but not on April 1st). But next month it will be April 23rd. And so on.

Violations and failure of a stable cycle. What can delayed menstruation mean?

If disturbances in the cycle are minor, or they are isolated in nature, there is no cause for concern. But frequent and prolonged symptoms, as well as its irregular nature, may indicate many gynecological diseases. Unpredictable onset of menstruation and frequent delays should be a reason to immediately consult a doctor.

If a delay occurs in a woman whose cycle was previously stable, this may indicate the following changes:

Pregnancy;
The result of exposure to certain factors (nervous strain,);
Disease.

The normal state of a woman after menstruation

After the bleeding stops, a woman may notice some symptoms.

The following symptoms may persist for several days after menstruation:

Mild pain in the lower back, lower abdomen and side;
Mild headache, nipple tension, slight tingling in the chest;
Slight when pressed;
Weak bloody discharge (spotting). Their color can be brown, pink, yellow or transparent.

If at the end of menstruation you feel pronounced pain in the abdomen or lower back, you should immediately see a gynecologist. If the discharge described above does not go away on the 3rd - 4th day after the end of menstruation, this may also be a signal of illness. Especially if, along with this, other symptoms appear (fever,

The beginning of the menstrual cycle is a fairly important event in the life of any girl. For this reason, many people are concerned about such a pressing topic - what menstruation is and when it starts. Interest in these issues is determined not only by curiosity, but also by the fact that many young representatives of the fair sex want to be mentally prepared for the onset of this event. Of course, talking about this is the task of any mother, nevertheless not all parents can provide the most complete information about how menstruation occurs and what to be wary of.

Menstruation, why they are needed, features

The beginning of the menstrual cycle often raises a natural question for girls - why are they needed, and how to perceive your body now, what has changed.

In fact, the topic of what menstruation is and when it begins is quite interesting and extraordinary. Menstruation means the beginning of a certain cycle, indicating that the girl’s body is ready for reproductive function. However, the beginning of the cycle does not at all mean that the girl is ready for motherhood. Menstruation is usually begins in girls aged 11 to 15 years and indicate the physiological readiness of the body.

Menstruation is characterized by the release of bloody discharge and small clots from the genital tract. The appearance of clots during the menstrual cycle is the norm, since this is nothing more than the remnants of the endometrial layer that peels off during menstruation.

Note that this layer grows during the monthly cycle, thereby creating certain conditions ideal for implantation of a fertilized egg. If this does not happen, this functional layer separates and comes out along with the blood.

The beginning of menstruation, what they look like, photo

Answering the question of what menstruation is and when it begins, photo, first of all I would like to note that in the first days of menstruation a process occurs that is accompanied by a fairly slow rejection of the endometrium with slight blood loss.

On the second or third day, as a rule, the uterus recovers and by the sixth or seventh day the menstruation process is completely over. Then the cycle begins again, during which the endometrial layer thickens in preparation for fertilization; in the absence of the latter, the cycle ends with the beginning of menstruation.

We pay special attention to the fact that in the presence of a disease such as endometriosis, it is possible to isolate clots of a special type, which are the remnants of functional endometrial tissue.

The onset of menstruation in girls depends on the characteristics of the body, but the standard age range is 11-15 years. However, they can start earlier as well as later. But if menstruation does not begin when you reach the age of sixteen, you should consult a specialist.

Menstruation in girls 12 years old, what to look for

Note that the onset of menstruation is characterized by the fact that a few days before the start, certain symptoms may occur, talking about the imminent arrival of menstruation. This is caused by premenstrual syndrome, which causes some discomfort. Most often this such signs:

quite frequent mood swings;
the appearance of weakness, apathy to almost everything happening around;
increased irritability.

The appearance of blood stains on your underwear can also indicate the onset of your period. Note that even girls 12 years old can have heavy discharge, so you shouldn’t be surprised by this. As a rule, it all depends on the characteristics of the organism.

In addition, critical days are not always accompanied by painful sensations, as many believe. Some teenagers learn about the onset of menstruation only when blood appears, while others are quite bothered by aching pain in the lower abdomen. Often, menstruation, its intensity and pain syndrome are determined by hereditary factors.

Menstruation in girls 14 years old: possible disorders

The intensity and regularity of menstruation in adolescents (menstruation in girls 14 years of age and older) is quite sensitive to the influence of various factors. That is, this is influenced not only by heredity, but also by ecology, family situation, physical and mental stress, lifestyle, nutrition, as well as the presence of diseases, etc.

It should also be taken into account that, as a rule, Teens' periods are often irregular and therefore both the girls themselves and their parents are interested in the question of in what cases they should worry. Exists several reasons for concern, which will be indicated below:

no onset of menstruation before age 16;
absence of breast development up to 13 years of age;
sudden cessation of menstruation for a long period (from 3 months);
after the monthly cycle became regular, a failure occurred, after which the cyclicity of menstruation is irregular and sudden;
cycle too short or too long;
duration of menstruation for more than a week;
excessive bleeding, severe pain;
the appearance of bleeding between cycles;
sudden increase in temperature.

Menstruation in women: basic rules

The menstrual cycle in women occurs differently, as mentioned above, everything depends on the characteristics of the body and hereditary factors. For some, the cycle has virtually no effect on their well-being, while others suffer quite a lot from discomfort and pain.

There are several basic rules that should be followed in order to alleviate the condition and not harm the body. First of all, during menstruation, you should reduce physical activity and be sure to follow the basics of intimate hygiene.

Please note that when carrying out water procedures there are some restrictions when menstruating, these include:

ban on visiting bathhouses and saunas.
prohibition on visiting and swimming in pools and open bodies of water.
prohibition on taking hot baths.

These recommendations are primarily aimed at preventing infection and the occurrence of a disease such as endometriosis. Also, for these reasons, many experts do not recommend sexual activity during menstruation. This is explained by the fact that during menstruation the uterus is slightly open, which in turn makes it easier for various infections to enter its cavity.

Menstruation and their role, video

According to the current definition, the menstrual cycle is the period from one menstruation to the next. That is, a woman has the opportunity to conceive a child every month. This is explained by the fact that monthly cyclical changes occur in the body of women of reproductive age, which are a kind of preparation for pregnancy.

The central event of the cycle, both in its significance and in timing, is the process of ovulation, which involves the maturation of the egg and its release, after which it can be fertilized.

That is, menstruation and their role, a video about which you can watch below, is very important and significant process, without which the prolongation of the human race would not have been possible. And therefore it is very important that women’s health is always in order. This requires a timely visit to a gynecologist and an appropriate examination. This will help you avoid possible problems, as well as plan the desired pregnancy and fully experience all the happiness of motherhood.

Let's sum it up

We hope that the presented material helped our readers answer a question that was of concern to many- What are periods and when do they begin? The main purpose of the menstrual cycle and the periods themselves is to prepare the female body for conceiving a child. For this reason, you should not neglect the recommendations presented. You can read reviews on this topic or write your opinion on the forum about treatment with folk remedies.

Every woman has asked herself the question of how menstruation occurs at least once in her life. To understand the mechanism of such a phenomenon, it is better to track its development from the very beginning.

So, everyone, without exception, knows that nature took care of the continuation of the human race and placed this responsibility on the fragile shoulders of a woman. For this reason, nature has endowed the female body with a set of reproductive organs, the work of which occurs cyclically. In this case we are talking about the menstrual cycle. How menstruation occurs and why menstruation occurs will be discussed further.

The concept of the menstrual cycle and its phases

The menstrual cycle is the period between the first day of the previous menstruation and the first day of the next. Typically, a woman's menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days. However, experts believe that the length of a healthy woman’s cycle can vary from 21 to 35 days.

All processes occurring throughout the menstrual cycle are determined by the woman’s hormonal system, the state of which is controlled by the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a small area located in the human diencephalon and consisting of many groups of cells that regulate the homeostasis of the body and the neuroendocrine function of the brain. The hypothalamus sends signals through a gland such as the pituitary gland and helps trigger the ovaries. The latter, in turn, produce estrogen and progesterone, which regulate the functioning of the uterus and the production of eggs.

Returning to the issue of the menstrual cycle, it can be noted that before the completion of the menstrual cycle, the inner mucous membrane of the uterine body, called the endometrium, awaits the attachment of a fertilized egg. If fertilization does not take place, the level of hormones in the blood drops sharply, which contributes to the narrowing of blood vessels in the internal mucous membrane of the uterine body, as a result of which its blood supply decreases. In turn, this leads to gradual delamination of this mucosa with its subsequent rejection. The rejected elements of the mucous membrane are brought out along with blood, which accumulates as a result of the rupture of small vessels.

Such a process does not happen instantly. That is why the duration of critical days can vary from 3 to 5 days. At the same time, along with the removal of exfoliated elements of the endometrium, the process of growth of a new layer of endometrium occurs in the woman’s body. Therefore, menstruation is considered a kind of transition period from one cycle to another.

There are several rather interesting facts about the processes occurring during:

The duration of bleeding also depends on the use of oral hormonal contraceptives, which can shorten the duration of menstruation. In turn, inserting the IUD helps to lengthen the duration of menstrual bleeding.
During one period of menstrual bleeding, a woman in a satisfactory state of health can lose from 50 to 150 g of blood.
The blood released during menstrual bleeding does not consist solely of blood. It consists of secretions secreted by the glands of the uterus, as well as endometrial particles and vaginal epithelial cells.

So, experts distinguish the following phases of the menstrual cycle:

The menstrual phase in which blood is released from the vagina. The processes occurring in this phase were discussed a little higher.
, which originates along with the previous phase and lasts on average about 14 days. During this period, a dominant follicle is formed in the woman’s ovaries, in which the same egg matures, ready for fertilization. In addition, during this phase, the process of renewal of the internal mucous membrane of the uterine body occurs.
The ovulatory phase, which lasts no more than 3 days. During this period, the egg, ripe for fertilization, emerges from the burst follicle. This process is called ovulation.
And finally, which lasts from 11 to 16 days. During this period, there is active production of estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for preparing the woman’s body for a possible pregnancy. If this does not happen, then the menstrual phase begins again.

First menarche

Experts understand the term “menarche” as the occurrence of the first menstrual bleeding in teenage girls. The norm for appearance is considered to be between 12 and 14 years of age. For this reason, girls from the age of 10 should begin to show the first symptoms of puberty. If menstruation has not appeared by the age of 14-16, then most likely some pathological process is occurring in the development of the adolescent’s reproductive system.

Factors influencing the age at which menstruation begins are:

state of general development;
genetic predisposition;
balanced diet;
climatic conditions and nationality of the teenager;
pathological processes in the reproductive system up to 10-13 years.

If menstruation does not appear at the indicated age, then there is a need to contact a gynecologist in order to establish the reasons contributing to the development of such a situation. They may be as follows:

impaired ovarian function;
malfunctions of the girl’s pituitary gland, which is responsible for the hormonal balance of a teenager;
emotional instability.

In conclusion, it must be added that it is natural that every representative of the fair sex knows from her own experience what menstruation is. Despite the fact that its first appearance can somewhat frighten a teenager, it is considered a completely natural phenomenon that provides a woman with the opportunity to become pregnant and give birth to a child.

A healthy woman has a normal and stable menstrual cycle. Therefore, any changes that occur during the menstrual cycle and menstruation should alert and suggest the need to visit a gynecologist, since such a situation may indicate the development of pathological processes in a woman’s body. In order to avoid serious health problems and in order to preserve reproductive function, a woman should be more attentive and careful about herself. This will allow every girl or young woman to experience the happiness of motherhood in the future.