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Menstruation is what most people call having your period. During menstruation, the lining of the uterus flows out through your vagina. Menstruation usually happens each month, and lasts from 3 to 7 days.Menstruation is what most people call having your period. During menstruation, the lining of the uterus flows out through your vagina. Menstruation usually happens each month, and lasts from 3 to 7 days.
Menstruation (men-STRAY-shuhn) is a woman's monthly bleeding. When you menstruate, your body sheds the lining of the uterus (womb). Menstrual blood flows from the uterus through the small opening in the cervix and passes out of the body through the vagina (see how the menstrual cycle works below). Most menstrual periods last from 3 to 5 days.
When periods (menstruations) come regularly, this is called the menstrual cycle. Having regular menstrual cycles is a sign that important parts of your body are working normally. The menstrual cycle provides important body chemicals, called hormones, to keep you healthy. It also prepares your body for pregnancy each month. A cycle is counted from the first day of 1 period to the first day of the next period. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days long. Cycles can range anywhere from 21 to 35 days in adults and from 21 to 45 days in young teens.
The rise and fall of levels of hormones during the month control the menstrual cycle.
In the first half of the cycle, levels of estrogen (the “female hormone”) start to rise. Estrogen plays an important role in keeping you healthy, especially by helping you to build strong bones and to help keep them strong as you get older. Estrogen also makes the lining of the uterus (womb) grow and thicken. This lining of the womb is a place that will nourish the embryo if a pregnancy occurs. At the same time the lining of the womb is growing, an egg, or ovum, in one of the ovaries starts to mature. At about day 14 of an average 28-day cycle, the egg leaves the ovary. This is called ovulation.
After the egg has left the ovary, it travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Hormone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy. A woman is most likely to get pregnant during the 3 days before or on the day of ovulation. Keep in mind, women with cycles that are shorter or longer than average may ovulate before or after day 14.
A woman becomes pregnant if the egg is fertilized by a man's sperm cell and attaches to the uterine wall. If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. Then, hormone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during the menstrual period.
See your doctor about your period if:
You should change a pad before it becomes soaked with blood. Each woman decides for herself what works best. You should change a tampon at least every 4 to 8 hours. Make sure to use the lowest absorbency tampon needed for your flow. For example, use junior or regular tampons on the lightest day of your period. Using a super absorbency tampon on your lightest days increases your risk for toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSS is a rare but sometimes deadly disease. TSS is caused by bacteria that can produce toxins. If your body can't fight the toxins, your immune (body defense) system reacts and causes the symptoms of TSS (see below).
Young women may be more likely to get TSS. Using any kind of tampon puts you at greater risk for TSS than using pads. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following tips to help avoid tampon problems:
If you have any of these symptoms of TSS while using tampons, take the tampon out, and contact your doctor right away:
See your doctor about your period if:
You should change a pad before it becomes soaked with blood. Each woman decides for herself what works best. You should change a tampon at least every 4 to 8 hours. Make sure to use the lowest absorbency tampon needed for your flow. For example, use junior or regular tampons on the lightest day of your period. Using a super absorbency tampon on your lightest days increases your risk for toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSS is a rare but sometimes deadly disease. TSS is caused by bacteria that can produce toxins. If your body can't fight the toxins, your immune (body defense) system reacts and causes the symptoms of TSS (see below).
Young women may be more likely to get TSS. Using any kind of tampon puts you at greater risk for TSS than using pads. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following tips to help avoid tampon problems:
If you have any of these symptoms of TSS while using tampons, take the tampon out, and contact your doctor right away:
See your doctor about your period if:
You should change a pad before it becomes soaked with blood. Each woman decides for herself what works best. You should change a tampon at least every 4 to 8 hours. Make sure to use the lowest absorbency tampon needed for your flow. For example, use junior or regular tampons on the lightest day of your period. Using a super absorbency tampon on your lightest days increases your risk for toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSS is a rare but sometimes deadly disease. TSS is caused by bacteria that can produce toxins. If your body can't fight the toxins, your immune (body defense) system reacts and causes the symptoms of TSS (see below).
Young women may be more likely to get TSS. Using any kind of tampon puts you at greater risk for TSS than using pads. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following tips to help avoid tampon problems:
If you have any of these symptoms of TSS while using tampons, take the tampon out, and contact your doctor right away:
The menstrual cycle 
is the series of changes a woman's body goes through to prepare for a pregnancy. About once a month, the uterusgrows a new lining (endometrium) to get ready for a fertilized egg . When there is no fertilized egg to start a pregnancy, the uterus sheds its lining. This is the monthly menstrual bleeding (also called menstrual period) that women have from their early teen years until menopause, around age 50.
The menstrual cycle is from Day 1 of bleeding to Day 1 of the next time of bleeding. Although the average cycle is 28 days, it is normal to have a cycle that is shorter or longer.
Girls usually start having menstrual periods between the ages of 11 and 14. Women usually start to have fewer periods between ages 39 and 51. Women in their 40s and teens may have cycles that are longer or change a lot. If you are a teen, your cycles should even out with time. If you are nearing menopause, your cycles will probably get longer and then will stop.
Menstruation is a monthly occurrence for women in which the body sheds the lining of the uterus (womb), which is then passed through a small opening in the cervix and out through the vaginal canal.
Some pain, cramping, and discomfort during menstrual periods is normal. However, excessive pain that causes you to regularly miss work or school is not.
The medical term for painful menstruation is dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea occurs in women who experience pain just before and during menstruation, but who are otherwise healthy. Women who have had normal periods that later become painful may have secondary dysmenorrhea. This condition is usually accompanied by a problem affecting the uterus or other pelvic organs.
There may not be an identifiable cause of your painful menstrual periods. Certain women are at a higher risk for having painful menstrual periods. Risk factors include:
Certain types of birth control, specifically intrauterine devices (IUDs) made of copper, are associated with increased pain during menstruation.If menstrual pain is interfering with your ability to perform basic tasks each month, it may be time to talk to your gynecologist about your symptoms. Talk to your doctor if you experience any of the following:
Sudden cramping or pelvic pain could also be signs of infection. An untreated infection can cause scar tissue that damages the pelvic organs and may lead to infertility. If you have symptoms of an infection, seek prompt medical attention. Symptoms include:
Home care treatments may be successful in relieving painful menstrual periods. Home treatment includes:
If home treatment is not successful in relieving your menstrual pain, there are a number of medical treatment options. Treatment will depend on the severity and underlying cause of your cramps. If your pain is caused by PID or STIs, these need to be treated. Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection. Your doctor may prescribe a medication to help with the pain. These medications include:
Your doctor may also suggest that you try hormonal birth control. Hormonal birth control is available in the form of a pill, patch, vaginal ring, injection, or implant. Hormonal birth control uses hormones to prevent ovulation, which can control your menstrual cramps.
Surgery is an option if your pain is caused by endometriosis or uterine fibroids and other treatment options have not been successful. Surgery will be done to remove any endometriosis implant, uterine fibroids, or cysts.
In very rare cases, a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) is also an option if other treatments have not worked and pain is severe.