Period cycle when does it start

Some women have longer periods than others. The follicular phase starts on the first day of your period so there is some overlap with the menstrual phase and ends when you ovulate.

It starts when the hypothalamus sends a signal to your pituitary gland to release follicle-stimulating hormone FSH. This hormone stimulates your ovaries to produce around 5 to 20 small sacs called follicles. Each follicle contains an immature egg. Only the healthiest egg will eventually mature. On rare occasions, a woman may have two eggs mature. The rest of the follicles will be reabsorbed into your body. The maturing follicle sets off a surge in estrogen that thickens the lining of your uterus.

This creates a nutrient-rich environment for an embryo to grow. The average follicular phase lasts for about 16 days. It can range from 11 to 27 days, depending on your cycle. Rising estrogen levels during the follicular phase trigger your pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone LH. This is what starts the process of ovulation. Ovulation is when your ovary releases a mature egg.

The egg travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus to be fertilized by sperm. The ovulation phase is the only time during your menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant. Ovulation happens at around day 14 if you have a day cycle — right in the middle of your menstrual cycle. Some include features to track your PMS symptoms, energy and activity levels, and more. The average age for a girl in the United States to get her first period is A girl may start her period anytime between 8 and The first period normally starts about two years after breasts first start to develop and pubic hair begins to grow.

Get more information for girls about getting their period at girlshealth. On average, women get a period for about 40 years of their life. Perimenopause, or transition to menopause, may take a few years.

During this time, your period may not come regularly. Menopause happens when you have not had a period for 12 months in a row. For most women, this happens between the ages of 45 and The average age of menopause in the United States is Your doctor will check for pregnancy or a health problem that can cause periods to stop or become irregular.

The average woman loses about two to three tablespoons of blood during her period. What is normal for you may not be the same for someone else.

Also, the flow may be lighter or heavier from month to month. Your periods may also change as you get older. Some women have heavy bleeding during perimenopause, the transition to menopause. Symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding may include:. Follow the instructions that came with your period product.

Try to change or rinse your feminine hygiene product before it becomes soaked through or full. Use a product appropriate in size and absorbency for your menstrual bleeding. The amount of menstrual blood usually changes during a period. Some women use different products on different days of their period, depending on how heavy or light the bleeding is.

Toxic shock syndrome TSS is a rare but sometimes deadly condition caused by bacteria that make toxins or poisons. In , 63 women died from TSS. A certain brand of super absorbency tampons was said to be the cause.

These tampons were taken off the market. Today, most cases of TSS are not caused by using tampons. But, you could be at risk for TSS if you use more absorbent tampons than you need for your bleeding or if you do not change your tampon often enough at least every four to eight hours. Menstrual cups, cervical caps, sponges, or diaphragms anything inserted into your vagina may also increase your risk for TSS if they are left in place for too long usually 24 hours.

Remove sponges within 30 hours and cervical caps within 48 hours. If you have any symptoms of TSS, take out the tampon, menstrual cup, sponge, or diaphragm, and call or go to the hospital right away. The changing hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle can also affect other health problems:. Learn more about your menstrual cycle and your health. For more information about the menstrual cycle, call the OWH Helpline at or check out the following resources from other organizations:. Department of Health and Human Services.

The pituitary gland located at the base of the brain releases a hormone called FSH — follicle stimulating hormone. Eventually, one of these follicle becomes dominant and within it develops a single mature egg; the other follicles shrink back. If more than one follicle reaches maturity, this can lead to twins or more. The maturing follicle produces the hormone estrogen, which increases over the follicular phase and peaks in the day or two prior to ovulation.

The lining of the uterus endometrium becomes thicker and more enriched with blood in the second part of this phase after menstruation is over , in response to increasing levels of estrogen.

High levels of estrogen stimulate the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone GnRH , which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete luteinizing hormone LH. The surge in LH also causes a brief surge in testosterone, which increases sex drive, right at the most fertile time of the cycle. The release of the mature egg happens on about day 14 as a result of a surge in LH and FSH over the previous day. After release, the egg enters the fallopian tube where fertilization may take place, if sperm are present.

If the egg is not fertilized, it disintegrates after about 24 hours. Once the egg is released, the follicle seals over and this is called the corpus luteum.

The corpus luteum produces progesterone. If fertilization has occurred, the corpus luteum continues to produce progesterone which prevents the endometrial lining from being shed. If fertilization has not occurred, the corpus luteum disintegrates, which causes progesterone levels to drop and signals the endometrial lining to begin shedding.

There is a range of normal bleeding — some women have short, light periods and others have longer, heavy periods. Your period may also change over time. Simply tracking your cycle on a calendar, along with some details of your bleeding and symptoms can help you understand your cycle. Record when your period starts and ends, what the flow was like, and describe any pain or other symptoms bloating, breast pain etc.

Over several cycles you will be able to see patterns in your cycle, or identify irregularities that are occurring. There are also numerous apps available to help you track your period. If your periods come regularly every days, chances are excellent that you are ovulating. Beyond simple calendar tracking, there are a few ways to figure out the timing of your own personal menstrual cycle. Separately or used together, these can be used to help determine when and whether you are ovulating.

Three methods you can try are cervical mucus testing , basal body temperature monitoring, and ovulation prediction kits. Both are normal. You can use pads, tampons, or menstrual cups to manage bleeding.

Be sure to change tampons at least every 4 to 8 hours. Pads or menstrual cups may be best at night. Many women can improve their symptoms by getting regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. It also may help to limit alcohol and caffeine.

Try to reduce stress. A heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm bath also can help with cramps. You can take an over-the-counter medicine such as ibuprofen or naproxen before and during your period to reduce pain and bleeding. Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. The menstrual cycle is the series of changes your body goes through to prepare for a possible pregnancy. About once a month, the uterus grows a new, thickened lining endometrium that can hold a fertilized egg.

When there is no fertilized egg to start a pregnancy, the uterus then sheds its lining. This is the monthly menstrual bleeding also called menstruation or menstrual period that you have from your early teen years until your menstrual periods end around age 50 menopause. See a picture of a woman's reproductive system. The menstrual cycle is measured from the first day of menstrual bleeding, Day 1, up to Day 1 of your next menstrual bleeding.

Although 28 days is the average cycle length, it is normal to have a cycle that is shorter or longer. The phases of your menstrual cycle are triggered by hormonal changes. On Day 1 of your cycle, the thickened lining endometrium of the uterus begins to shed. You know this as menstrual bleeding from the vagina. A normal menstrual period can last 4 to 6 days. Most of your menstrual blood loss happens during the first 3 days. This is also when you might have cramping pain in your pelvis, legs, and back.

Cramps can range from mild to severe. The cramping is your uterus contracting, helping the endometrium shed. In general, any premenstrual symptoms that you've felt before your period will go away during these first days of your cycle. During the follicular phase, an egg follicle on an ovary gets ready to release an egg. Usually, one egg is released each cycle. This process can be short or long and plays the biggest role in how long your cycle is.

At the same time, the uterus starts growing a new endometrium to prepare for pregnancy. The last 5 days of the follicular phase, plus ovulation day, are your fertile window. This is when you are most likely to become pregnant if you have sex without using birth control. This phase starts on ovulation day, the day the egg is released from the egg follicle on the ovary. It can happen any time from Day 7 to Day 22 of a normal menstrual cycle. During ovulation, some women have less than a day of red spotting or lower pelvic pain or discomfort mittelschmerz.

These signs of ovulation are normal. After the teen years and before perimenopause in your 40s, your luteal phase is very predictable. It normally lasts 13 to 15 days, from ovulation until menstrual bleeding starts a new cycle. This 2-week period is also called the "premenstrual" period. Many women have premenstrual symptoms during all or part of the luteal phase.

You may feel tense, angry, or emotional. Or you may have tender breasts or acne. A day or more before your period, you may start to have pain cramps in your abdomen, back, or legs. It is normal to have less energy at this time. Some women also have headaches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, or fainting. When premenstrual symptoms make your daily life difficult, you are said to have premenstrual syndrome PMS. Menarche say "MEN-ar-kee" is a girl's first menstrual period.

A first period usually happens after breasts, pubic hair, and underarm hair have begun to grow. Menarche is a sign of growing up and becoming a woman. It can happen as early as about age 9 or up to age The first few periods are usually light and irregular. About 2 out of 3 girls have a regular pattern of menstrual periods within 2 years of menarche.