Most women begin to menstruate around age 12. A period, which is the shedding of the old uterine lining, is a normal and necessary part of a woman's life, and signals a her physical readiness to bear children. Some women need a calendar to keep track of their cycles; other women know when to expect a period simply by their symptoms.
A Normal Menstrual Cycle
A normal menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, with day 1 being the first day of bleeding. Somewhere around day 14, a woman ovulates. If her egg is not fertilized, she will bleed approximately two weeks later. Most periods last around five days. Many women experience symptoms of their impending period a week before it begins.
Symptoms
According to the ACOG, the most common symptoms of an impending period are bloating, mild cramps, exhaustion, tender breasts, headache, food cravings and mood swings. If a woman charts her cycles, she will notice a drop in her basal body temperature just prior to menstruation. More serious symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and confusion that are present for three or more months indicate a condition called premenstrual syndrome. Women should contact their doctors if they suspect they have PMS.
Treatment
The ACOG recommends over-the-counter analgesics such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, to treat cramping and headache pain that may occur before a period. Heating pads and warm showers may also help. While many women feel more tired just prior to menstruation, exercise can actually help ease symptoms. Gentle yoga poses such as legs-up-the-wall pose are particularly beneficial just prior to menstruation. Yoga Journal recommends cutting back on alcohol and caffeine and eliminating sugar and heavy processed foods from the diet. Women should make an effort to get an adequate amount of rest.
Causes
There is a delicate physiology behind a woman's menstrual cycle. The "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" explains that at the beginning of the cycle, estrogen rises and other hormone levels remain stagnant. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormones begin to rise just prior to ovulation. This causes progesterone and luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones to rise as estrogen falls. The egg is released. If it is not fertilized, progesterone levels drop sharply after 5 or 6 days, according to the "Journal of the American Medical Association." It is the decline in estrogen and progesterone that trigger symptoms before a woman's period.
Warning
A woman should contact her doctor if her cramps or mood swings significantly interfere with her daily life. These could indicate a serious underlying condition. If a woman has symptoms but no period, she may be pregnant.
References
- American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists: Menstruation
- American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists: Premenstrual Syndrome
- Yoga Journal: Menstrual Essentials
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Physiology of the Menstrual Cycle; JA Owen, Jr.; Apr 1975
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"' S. Yen, MD, P. Vela, MD; March 1970
