A missed menstrual period accompanied with abdominal pain can be distressing for a woman. The menstrual cycle is a normal process in which the tissues of the uterus prepare for a possible pregnancy and then degenerate if fertilization does not...
Waiting for your missed period before taking a pregnancy test can be hard. If you're especially intuitive, you can use some of the immediate signs that you're pregnant that appear before your missed period to give you some clues as to whether...
The birth control pill is one of many methods of preventing pregnancy. It works by providing hormones to a woman on a continuous basis. Some contain one hormone, progestin, and others contain progestin and estrogen. The hormones in the pill...
It is common for women to skip a menstrual period occasionally. This condition is known as amenorrhea. Women often find it stressful when they miss a menstrual cycle and experience anxiety waiting for their cycle to return to normal. According to...
One of the first signs of pregnancy is often a missed menstrual period. However, some women with irregular cycles may not be able to accurately predict when their menstrual periods are due. Implantation bleeding can also be interpreted as a...
While most proven methods of contraception, such as condoms or birth control pills, are 94 to 99 percent effective when used as directed, human error in their use, defective products or sheer bad luck can lead to contraceptive failures and...
Trying to conceive is an exciting time for parents-to-be. The waiting period between conception and having a positive pregnancy test may be up to 2 weeks. Although some highly sensitive tests claim to detect pregnancy as early as 5 days before a...
Some women may experience signs and symptoms of pregnancy prior to missing their menstrual period. Once the sperm and egg combine, the rapidly dividing cluster of cells (zygote) travels down the fallopian tube until it enters the uterus. Once...
Birth control pills, commonly called "the pill" are used to prevent pregnancy and regulate a woman's menstrual cycle. Typically, a woman will take one active (hormone-containing) pill per day for three weeks, then will take either no pills or...
Even though periods are supposed to be predictable things, many women experience the occasional delayed or missed period for any number of reasons. Your menstrual cycle is regulated by your hormones, and if your hormones are "off" for any reason,...
Girls and women are becoming increasingly involved in sports and athletics, following tough training regimens and rigid diets. Runners, in particular, often undergo challenging running programs, and sometimes such rigid training can affect a...
Although the American Pregnancy Association notes that one of the most significant pregnancy symptoms is a delayed or missed period, many women can spot tell-tale pregnancy signs before this. Women who learn about ovulation, conception and early...
Amenorrhea is the clinical term for when a female misses one or more menstrual periods. Missing a period due to excessive physical activity is a form of secondary amenorrhea called exercise-induced amenorrhea. This common and reversible disorder...
When you miss a menstruation cycle, which is also referred to as amenorrhea, the hormones in your body are not functioning at their best. Missed periods can be the result of stress in your life, improper diet or prolonged illness. By improving...
You experience many symptoms when you first miss your period as the result of pregnancy. Signs of pregnancy affect more than just your body -- they trigger changes in your behavior and emotional well-being, too. Symptoms range from subtle to...
The ability to skip a menstrual period is just one of the many benefits of birth-control pills. If your period may put a damper on an upcoming special event, a simple process can prevent your menstrual bleeding from occurring. Although this...
More than ever, girls and young women are encouraged to participate in sports and exercise, and with expanding opportunities for college scholarships and world-class ranking, competition can be fierce. To gain a competitive edge, some girls go to...
Caffeine is a drug found in many popular beverages such as cola soft drinks, tea, coffee and energy drinks. This substance is also present in certain foods such as chocolate, and is added to certain medications, such as painkillers, according to...
While many people immediately assume that a missed period means pregnancy, a woman may miss a period for many other reasons. Physical and emotional conditions that disrupt the body's hormones levels, such as drastic weight loss or gain, eating...
A menstrual cycle consists of several phases during each month. The final phase of the cycle is a menstrual period. The menstrual period, also referred to as menstruation, is the shedding of the lining in the uterus. Amenorrhea is the absence of...
A menstrual period normally occurs once a month in a woman's life from puberty to menopause. The menstrual cycle begins with the maturing of an egg or ovum in the ovaries and ends with the shedding of the lining of the uterus. The levels of...
At the onset of puberty, hormone fluctuations lead to ovary maturation, which marks the beginning of menstruation. For the length of a woman's fertile life, hormones released within the brain and by the ovaries circulate throughout the body to...
Changes in your lifestyle, such as incorporating regular exercise, can cause changes in your menstrual cycle. Normally, exercising can help regulate and improve the menstrual cycle and lessen symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome;...
Early detection of pregnancy puts your mind at ease, and, if necessary, it enables you to seek professional care and make the lifestyle changes needed for a healthy pregnancy and new baby. Some women develop symptoms of pregnancy as early as one...
Thinking you are pregnant can be nerve-racking until you know for sure. Home pregnancy tests, like Rite Aid's First Response Early Pregnancy Test, are simple to use and give you a positive or negative result in just minutes. If you are trying to...
When you think that you might be pregnant, or have been actively trying to become pregnant, you want to know if you are as soon as possible. Early pregnancy tests can be used to detect the pregnancy hormone HCG before your missed period to give...
Urine pregnancy tests vary in their ability to detect the presence of hCG or human chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone produced by a woman's body shortly after implantation of a fertilized egg. For the most accurate pregnancy test results, choose...
According to the National Institutes of Health, any variation to a normal menstrual cycle is considered an irregular period, or oligomenorrhea. NIH defines a normal period as lasting four days in a 24 to 34 day cycle; however, the length of the...
Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation and can happen during puberty or later in life. Amenorrhea generally does not result from a serious condition. However, not knowing why menstruation has stopped can be stressful. Learn about the symptoms...
