woman's health

Menstrual Calendar

Generality

The menstrual calendar is an important tool that allows you to know and monitor the status of your menstrual cycle .

During the period between a menstrual period and the next one, in fact, the woman's reproductive system undergoes various structural and functional modifications, which occur every month . These changes occur from puberty to menopause and are directly related to reproduction and fertility.

For these reasons, to note monthly the beginning of the menstrual flow on the calendar or on the agenda is a good habit to adopt to have a more precise idea about the duration and regularity of one's cycle and to recognize its alterations.

This tool is also useful to clearly identify the most fertile days, should you wish to undertake or postpone a pregnancy .

What is the menstrual cycle (in short)

The menstrual cycle is the interval of time that goes from the 1st day of a period to the day before the start of the next flow. During this period, a sequence of physiological events takes place, the purpose of which is the maturation of the egg cell (female gamete) and the preparation of an "environment" suitable for its possible implantation. In other words, the processes of the menstrual cycle prepare the ground for a possible pregnancy, in the event that the oocyte is fertilized by a sperm of male origin.

What's this

The menstrual calendar allows to know the duration and regularity of the cycle and helps to identify the variations with respect to the norm. Writing down the data related to the frequency of menstruation in the agenda should be a good habit for every woman, since the occurrence of the menarche, or rather from the appearance of the first flow . This event marks the beginning of puberty and coincides with entry into the fertile age.

The menstrual calendar can provide useful information about women's health : it helps to manage the various aspects of premenstrual syndrome, it helps to identify fertile days when you want to have or avoid a pregnancy, etc.

For this, it is good to show the gynecologist his own menstrual calendar, especially in the presence of some significant anomaly.

Duration, frequency and alterations of the menstrual cycle

  • A menstrual cycle is considered physiological when it occurs at regular intervals of 28 days . However, a frequency of 25 to 36 days and a certain individual variability must be considered normal (the duration of the cycle can change from month to month). In any case, to be considered regular, between one menstrual period and another, there must not be a "waste" of more than 4 days (more or less).
  • Menstruation, that is the blood loss that occurs every month, lasts on average from 3 to 7 days.
  • Any changes in the length of the menstrual cycle are more likely to be determined by the length of the period preceding ovulation ( follicular phase ). This first phase of the cycle, despite having an average duration of about 14 days, may undergo fluctuations, which vary from 1 to 3 weeks. For most women, the luteal phase (from ovulation to the beginning of menstruation) is more constant and takes 12 to 16 days (average duration: 14 days).
  • The phases of the menstrual cycle are associated with the periodic and regular secretion of the ovarian, hypothalamic and pituitary hormones, directly related to fertility. Consequently, different structures of the body (central nervous system, hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary) contribute to maintaining the regularity of menstruation, ovulation and other related events.

What happens during the menstrual cycle?

  • Menstruation - The beginning of each cycle is represented by the first day in which the menstrual flow appears, that is a loss of blood mixed with tissue from the surface of the uterine wall (endometrium). This physiological phenomenon allows the uterus to eliminate the coating constructed during the previous menstrual cycle. In general, menstruation lasts 3-7 days.
  • Preparation for ovulation - During the first part of the menstrual cycle, the pituitary gland initiates the secretion of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which stimulates the maturation of a "dominant" egg cell. At the same time, estradiol levels (produced by the ovary) increase progressively in the blood. This causes a progressive thickening of the endometrium, which is thus prepared to receive the mature egg cell in case it is fertilized.
  • Ovulation - Around the 14th day of the cycle, there is a sharp increase in the luteinizing hormone (LH) which causes the ovarian follicle to rupture, with the expulsion of the mature oocyte inside the fallopian tube. During the 24 hours following this event, the egg cell is available for the eventual encounter with sperm of male origin. The release of the oocyte is, therefore, a fundamental prerequisite for conception.
  • After ovulation - What remains of the "burst" follicle turns into the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone. The latter is a hormone necessary for the early stages of a possible pregnancy. If conception does not occur, there is a rapid fall in progesterone levels due to functional exhaustion of the corpus luteum; this triggers the phenomena that will lead to the exfoliation of the uterine wall and the subsequent menstruation. Otherwise, the fertilized egg cell lurks in the uterus, where it finds the most favorable environment for its implantation and the continuation of the pregnancy.

What is it for?

The menstrual cycle is an indicator of a woman's health . For this reason, it is useful to understand how it works and keep it under control, month by month, with tools, such as the calendar, to recognize irregularities. Knowing how to calculate the trend is a way to learn more about your body and become aware of the periodic events that take place in the reproductive cycle.

The menstrual calendar allows you to predict on what day the appearance of menstruation is expected, to prepare and not be caught by surprise.

The monthly annotation of the beginning and end of the flow helps to understand if the organism reacts to stress or to other particular factors (eg seasonal climatic changes, reduced quality of sleep etc.), which can influence the menstrual cycle, increasing or decreasing the duration of bleeding.

Collecting these data can also help women:

  • Remember when they had sex ;
  • Schedule the use of the contraceptive pill ;
  • Avoid important gynecological problems (some pathologies of the female reproductive system involve the irregularity and the variation of the frequency of the cycle among the initial symptoms).

Finally, the menstrual calendar allows you to identify which are the most fertile days when trying to conceive a child or if you want to avoid a pregnancy.

How does it work

How to calculate the start of menstruation

To calculate the duration of the cycle with the menstrual calendar, it is necessary to consider the period from the first day in which the flow appears (1st day of the cycle) to the day preceding the start of the next menstruation.

In the case of a regular 28-day cycle, ovulation (ie the time when the ovary releases the egg) will take place 14 days before the next bleeding occurs.

Fertile days: what are they?

In every menstrual cycle, the most favorable moment for conception coincides with ovulation and with the days in the vicinity of this event.

If the woman has regular cycles, this process occurs approximately every 28 days. After the onset of menstruation, an oocyte (usually one for each menstrual cycle) takes on average 14 days to mature and, under the hormonal stimulus, escape from the follicle that contains it to enter the tuba. From here, the egg cell begins its journey towards the uterus where it nests if, in its path, it is fertilized by a spermatozoon.

Indicatively, the period in which it is possible for the egg to be fertilized starts 4-5 days before ovulation and ends 1-2 days later. This is possible in view of the fact that the mature egg cell when it is expelled from the ovary manages to survive for about 24 hours, while the spermatozoa can remain viable in the female genital apparatus up to 72-96 hours from intercourse.

Advantages

In summary, the menstrual calendar is useful for the following reasons:

  • It allows to predict in which day the appearance of menstruation is expected;
  • It allows you to have a more precise idea about the duration and regularity of your menstrual cycle, helping to recognize the significant alterations (to report to the gynecologist);
  • Helps manage various aspects of PMS;
  • Identify fertile days, if you wish to undertake or postpone a pregnancy.

What to pay attention to

The reasons why a delay in menstruation may occur are varied and may include:

  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding;
  • Period of strong emotion and stress;
  • Eating disorders (eg anorexia nervosa), sudden weight loss or increase and excessive physical activity;
  • ovary Polycystic syndrome (PCOS);
  • Early ovarian failure;
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID);
  • Uterine fibroids;
  • Thyroid disorders;
  • Discontinuation of the contraceptive pill.

The major variations in the length of the cycle occur in the first years after the menarche and in the premenopause. In case of alteration or interruption of the menstrual cycle (previously regular), to avoid confusing one of these causes, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

Main alterations of the menstrual cycle

polymenorrhea

Rhythm less than 25 days (short cycles, with close flows)

oligomenorrhoea

Pace over 36 days (long cycles, with spaced flows)

Amenorrhea

Absence of menstruation for at least 3 months

Menorrhagia

Excessively abundant menstrual blood loss, of a haemorrhagic nature, and / or of a duration longer than normal

Menometrorragia

Abundant menstruation that is prolonged even in the intermenstrual period

Metrorrhagia

Blood loss that occurs independently of menstrual flow or in a period in which there should be no menstruation (pregnancy, menopause or before puberty); if the intermenstrual blood loss is small, we talk about spotting

hypomenorrhea

Menstrual blood loss less than 20 ml (menstrual flow less than normal)

hypermenorrhea

Menstrual blood loss greater than 80 ml (heavy menstrual flow)