Normal Menstrual Cycle - Managing Menstrual Cycle Symptoms and Bleeding

Keep a calendar and mark the day you start your menstrual period each month. If your cycle is regular, it can help you predict when you'll have your next period.

If you're trying to figure out whether you have a pattern of premenstrual symptoms, it may be helpful to keep a premenstrual daily symptom diary.

You can improve your body's ability to handle menstrual changes by getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol andcaffeine intake, and reducing stress. Nonprescription pain relievers can also help reduce some symptoms.

Medicine for menstrual pain and bleeding

Try a nonprescription medicine to help relieve your pain and bleeding. Start taking the recommended dose of pain reliever when symptoms begin or 1 day before your menstrual period starts. If you are trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any medicine. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen(for example, Advil), reduce menstrual cramps, pain, and bleeding by lowering the level of the hormone prostaglandin.
• If NSAIDs do not relieve the pain, try acetaminophen, such asTylenol.
• Take the medicine for as long as the symptoms would normally last if you did not take the medicine.

Be sure to follow all labels and directions. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye syndrome.

Additional ways to relieve menstrual cramps

• Apply heat to your abdomen with a heating pad or hot water bottle, or take a warm bath. Heat improves blood flow and may decrease pelvic pain.
• Lie down and elevate your legs by putting a pillow under your knees.
• Lie on your side and bring your knees up toward your chest. This will help relieve back pressure.
• Get regular exercise. This improves blood flow, produces pain-fighting endorphins, and may reduce pain.
• If you have vaginal pain with cramps, try using pads instead of tampons.

For more information on managing menstrual cramps, see:

 Menstrual Cycle: Dealing With Cramps.

Managing menstrual bleeding

You can choose from a range of pad and tampon choices for managing menstrual bleeding. Follow all directions included with the product of your choice.

• Tampons range from small to large, for light to heavy flow. You can place a tampon in the vagina by using a slender tube (that is packaged with the tampon) or by tucking it in with a finger. Be sure to change a tampon every 4 to 6 hours. This helps prevent leakage and infection.
• Pads range from thin and light to thick and superabsorbent. They protect your clothing, with or without using a tampon. Pads may be your best choice for use at night.

Whichever you use, be sure to change it regularly. Tampons are ideal for activities that pads aren't practical for, such as swimming. Tampons should be changed every 4 to 6 hours, so they aren't recommended for nighttime use. It may take some experimenting to find the right feminine care products for you.

Normal Menstrual Cycle - Topic Overview

What is a menstrual cycle?

The menstrual cycle  is the series of changes a woman's body goes through to prepare for a pregnancy. About once a month, the uterusgrows a new lining (endometrium) to get ready for a fertilized egg . When there is no fertilized egg to start a pregnancy, the uterus sheds its lining. This is the monthly menstrual bleeding  (also called menstrual period) that women have from their early teen years untilmenopause, around age 50.

The menstrual cycle is from Day 1 of bleeding to Day 1 of the next time of bleeding. Although the average cycle is 28 days, it is normal to have a cycle that is shorter or longer.

Girls usually start having menstrual periods between the ages of 11 and 14. Women usually start to have fewer periods between ages 39 and 51. Women in their 40s and teens may have cycles that are longer or change a lot. If you are a teen, your cycles should even out with time. If you are nearing menopause, your cycles will probably get longer and then will stop.

Talk to your doctor if you notice any big change in your cycle. It's especially important to check with your doctor if you have three or more menstrual periods that last longer than 7 days or are very heavy. Also call if you have bleeding between your periods or pelvic pain that is not from your period.

What controls the menstrual cycle?

Your hormones control your menstrual cycle. During each cycle, your brain's hypothalamus and pituitary gland send hormone signals back and forth with your ovaries. These signals get the ovaries and uterus ready for a pregnancy.

The hormones estrogen and progesterone play the biggest roles in how the uterus changes during each cycle.

• Estrogen builds up the lining of the uterus.
• Progesterone increases after an ovary releases an egg (ovulation) at the middle of the cycle. This helps the estrogen keep the lining thick and ready for a fertilized egg.
• A drop in progesterone (along with estrogen) causes the lining to break down. This is when your period starts.

A change in hormone levels can affect your cycle or fertility. For example, teens tend to have low or changing progesterone levels. This is also true for women close to menopause. That is why teens and women in their 40s may have heavy menstrual bleeding and cycles that change in length.

Other things can change your cycle. They include birth control pills, low body fat, losing a lot of weight, or being overweight. Stress or very hard exercise also can change your cycle. Pregnancy is the most common cause of a missed period.

What common symptoms are linked to the menstrual cycle?

Some women have no pain or other problems. But other women have symptoms before and during their periods.