Menstruation is a natural reproductive cycle that almost all women undergo. During menstruation the women bleeds from the uterus and blood is released out of the body from the vagina. It lasts from 3 to 7 days. Periods begins when the girl attains the age of puberty and become sexually mature. The average age of puberty is 12 years, in some girls the periods may begin a year or two earlier or late and this is considered normal.
The purpose of this cycle is to prepare a woman’s body for conception, pregnancy and delivery of children.
The ovaries produce hormones that prepare the uterus for pregnancy. The two prominent female hormones are estrogen and progesterone that take part in the whole menstruation cycle. In addition, the ovaries ripen and release an egg every month that will travel down the fallopian tubes during ovulation.
While this is going on, the uterine lining becomes thick.
Problems Associated With Menstrual Cycle
However, if the onset of the menstrual period doesn’t begin until 18 or later the condition is called primary amenorrhea. There are several causes for primary amenorrhea such as narrow cervix, imperforate hymen, absence of uterus and vaginal septal defect. Many women occasionally experience cramping, bloating and moodiness in conjunction with menstrual bleeding. If it isn’t severe, a heating pad can provide relief.
Mensturaion has its own problems, one such common problem is dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea is a condition characterized by painful cramping during the menstrual period that can be severe. While some women may not be bothered by painful menstruation, for others the condition may become extremely difficult.
The symptoms of dysmennorrhea are pain in abdomen, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, mood change etc. Often dysmenorrhea is due to change in ups and down in estrogen and progesterone hormone, but this may be a sign of , fibroids or endometriosis and if it occurs repeatedly in every cycle a doctor should be consulted.
Sometimes abnormal bleeding can occur that is heavy or contains clots. In addition, some women have experienced frequent periods. The condition is called menorrhagia. Several causes are responsible for this uncomfortable condition. Hormonal imbalance, dysfunction of ovaries, uterine fibroids, polyps in uterine wall, IUD (intrauterine device), hereditary bleeding disorders and medications are few important causes.
Normally menstrual periods will continue throughout a woman’s life until she is well into her middle age. Sometimes this life cycle of menstruation periods gets shortened when a woman undergoes hysterectomy operation.