Every woman has a menstrual cycle in her life. The first menstruation begins in girls aged 11-15 years. And it continues until the onset of menopause, stopping during pregnancy and for some time while breastfeeding the baby. You may have all the signs of menstruation, they may appear partially, or they may be completely absent. The cause of all these signs is hormonal changes in a woman’s body. But every body is different, and therefore reacts to all these changes differently.
Features of a woman's menstrual cycle
A woman's ability to conceive, bear and give birth to a child is largely determined by the stability of the menstrual cycle. Periodic changes in the reproductive and hormonal systems are provoked by the body’s preparation for conception.
The beginning of the cycle is the first day of menstruation. During this period, the lining of the uterus is shed. Hormone levels are at a minimum. After the endometrium is separated, the body begins to prepare again for fertilization, and ovulation occurs. During this period, the likelihood of getting pregnant increases. The standard menstrual cycle lasts 21–28 days. It stabilizes in the second year after the first menstruation and consists of 4 phases:
- menstrual – bloody discharge from the vagina;
- follicular – maturation of the egg;
- ovulation - release of an egg;
- luteal – accumulation of endometrium.
During the last phase, signs of approaching regulations are most clearly manifested. The introduction of a special calendar helps women quite clearly calculate the beginning of their menstrual periods and minimize the impact of premenstrual syndrome.
Large blood clots
If you notice small blood clots during your period, you don't have to worry - sometimes, especially during heavy bleeding, the anticoagulants (substances that prevent blood clots) in your body don't have time to do their job.
However, large blood formations during menstruation can be a sign of a real problem, from uterine fibroids, thyroid disease to some types of cancer. They also sometimes become a symptom of a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, or that the body is having difficulty adapting to a new intrauterine device.
In any case, you should not panic, but you should contact your gynecologist. Especially if, in addition to large blood clots, you notice other changes in your cycle.
PMS: what is it and how to recognize it
At the end of the luteal phase of the cycle, a few days before the start of their period, most women experience an uncomfortable sensation called premenstrual or cyclic syndrome (PMS). It manifests itself as a combination of the following symptoms:
- emotional instability;
- sleep disturbance;
- problems with concentration;
- disruption of eating behavior (eating before menstruation);
- conflict.
The reasons for the appearance of such manifestations are different. Most often they are triggered by hormonal changes, allergic reactions, water intoxication, excess aldosterone and psychosomatic disorders.
Such sensations before menstruation occur more often in women who are more susceptible to stress, lead an inactive lifestyle, or have undergone a number of gynecological operations, including curettage.
Risk factors also include the presence of bad habits, taking oral contraceptives, and previous traumatic brain injuries. Inflammatory processes and infectious diseases increase the signs of premenstrual syndrome.
Bloody discharge before or after menstruation
Most often, infrequent bleeding between periods can be caused by taking birth control pills. But they also occur with polyps of the uterus or cervix (for example, they can lead to bleeding after sex) or pregnancy.
Contact your doctor to make sure your health is okay and possibly recommend other medications and methods of contraception.
Types of PMS
For each woman, the precursors of menstruation manifest themselves individually, taking into account genetic predispositions and characteristics of the body. The following types of PMS are distinguished.
Neuropsychic change
Destabilization of the emotional state is expressed by unmotivated aggression, depressed state and excessive resentment. Changes occur in the central nervous system.
The appearance of edema
Edema manifestations are associated with fluid retention in a woman’s body during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Before menstruation, the legs and face swell, and itching may occur. It is these menstrual symptoms that provoke swelling of the mammary glands.
Neurological or cephalgic disturbances
These changes are characterized by headaches, attacks of nausea or vomiting. I often feel dizzy before my period.
Crisis manifestations
Crisis manifestations intensify in women before menopause. Sympathoadrenal crises often occur, which are accompanied by an abnormal heart rhythm and increased blood pressure.
Mixed manifestations
This is a combination of several types of PMS at the same time. The edematous form is complemented by an unstable emotional state.
Atypical manifestations are rare
In this case, atypical symptoms are combined: suffocation and migraine, allergic reaction and vomiting.
Determining days before menstruation
Signs before menstruation can be deceptive: due to general fatigue, lack of sleep or irregular nutrition, girls feel similar symptoms, but menstruation has just ended or does not occur.
To understand approximately what time remains before the onset of menstruation, you can use a pharmacy test. 11-14 days after your last period began, buy an ovulation test at the pharmacy. It is advisable to buy several and start monitoring from the 11th day.
By performing the test according to the instructions, you can determine which days of the cycle ovulation occurs on. From the day on which the ovulation test was positive, it is enough to count two weeks - your period should arrive during this period.
Since preparation for menstruation in a woman’s body depends on many factors, you should not worry if your period is delayed by 3-5 days. Analyze the events in your life during the last cycle. Delays in menstruation are completely justified and safe if at that time there were:
- Serious shocks, stress;
- Fasting or strict diets;
- Lack of sleep;
- A sharp change in climate (for example, a trip to a warm resort in winter and returning);
- The beginning of a new season - the turn of autumn and winter, winter and spring, etc.
Physiological symptoms
The main signs of the onset of menstruation appear a week before the onset of discharge. Their timely fixation minimizes pain. A girl should listen to her body’s signals. There are more than 200 known signs of PMS. The greatest discomfort is caused by unpleasant physical changes:
- nausea or vomiting;
- headache in the temporal lobe, migraine;
- weight gain;
- heart rhythm disturbances - rapid heartbeat;
- swelling of the limbs;
- ovaries hurt before menstruation;
- chest and lower back pain;
- hypertensive crises;
- chills;
- diarrhea, stool disorder;
- increased body temperature;
- thirst;
- uncontrolled appetite;
- sweating;
- numbness of hands;
- pain in muscles and joints;
- acne;
- increased sensitivity to light and sound;
- Abdominal bloating is often indicated before menstruation.
Physiological symptoms of PMS are provoked by a lack of magnesium or vitamin B6 in the body.
Such signs that come before menstruation should be systematic. Single manifestations may indicate a disruption in the functioning of other body systems.
To accurately determine PMS, you need to keep a special self-observation diary, and also seek advice from a gynecologist.
Beginning of menstruation
The first signs of menstruation are marked by nausea and characteristic discharge. The menstruation on the pad is brown in the first two to three hours, then red and bloody. The discharge is accompanied by abdominal pain, some report simultaneous indigestion.
A woman is immediately overcome by weakness and fatigue, even if her period starts in the morning. Appetite disappears, body temperature rises slightly. Many people note discomfort, twitching of the internal hip muscles and oblique abdominal muscles.
Psycho-emotional signs
The main reason for the arrival of regular menstruation is a change in hormonal levels. Fluctuations in the level of estrogen and progesterone directly affect a woman’s emotional state and mood. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is characterized by low levels of estrogen and high levels of progesterone. The serotonin level is minimal. These indicators determine psycho-emotional symptoms before menstruation. The main ones are:
- rapid mood changes;
- sudden irritability;
- bouts of crying;
- state of anger, symptoms of aggression before the onset of menstruation;
- sleep disturbance;
- feeling depressed;
- apathy;
- constant fatigue;
- lethargy and general weakness before menstruation;
- frequent overwork;
- emotional outbursts;
- depression;
- anxiety;
- feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness;
- lack of interest in everyday life;
- decline in spiritual strength;
- problems with concentration;
- drowsiness before menstruation.
Premenstrual syndrome is indicated by the presence of 5 or more symptoms over several months.
How hormones affect the condition
Female sex hormones form two halves of the cycle - the first, when the egg matures and the body prepares for conception, and the second, when ovulation has occurred and pregnancy is possible. Menstruation occurs after the completion of the second phase of the cycle, if pregnancy has not occurred. Behavioral reactions caused by fluctuations in the concentration of hormones in the blood have different severity.
Estrogens (first phase) stimulate sexual desire, but their effect is usually weak. Only very attentive women can notice a difference in their erotic moods depending on the phase of the cycle.
The effect of progesterone is more pronounced - it has a strong anti-anxiety effect, so in the second phase of the cycle, women are usually calmer than in the first. A sudden cessation of its production causes PMS. The effect of progesterone is most noticeable during pregnancy - the woman becomes calmer and less prone to hysterics.
This video will tell you about the first signs of menstruation:
Stages of PMS
Every woman experiences PMS symptoms differently. Experts distinguish three main stages:
- The compensated stage is characterized by mild negative changes. The pain disappears on the first day of discharge. This stage is stable over a long period of time.
- The subcompensated form has painful symptoms that intensify over the years. The duration of PMS can reach 1 month.
- The decompensated phase of PMS occurs after menstruation.
Signs of critical days appear in varying degrees - from mild to severe. This depends on the general health of the woman, as well as heredity.
Severe lower back pain
Lower back pain before or during menstruation is another common symptom. It, like other unpleasant sensations - cramps in the lower abdomen, nausea, dizziness - is associated with increased production of prostaglandin. This is a biologically active substance that affects the uterus, causing it to contract.
However, as with other symptoms, unbearable back and pelvic pain is not explained by prostaglandin alone. Endometriosis or uterine fibroids also lead to such sensations. In this case, pain can appear not only during menstruation, but also on other days during the month.
PMS or pregnancy?
The condition of a woman before her period is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the onset of pregnancy. The first signs of successful conception are similar to the manifestation of premenstrual syndrome: fatigue, sudden mood swings and irritability for no reason.
If menstruation is delayed after the onset of PMS symptoms, pregnancy must be excluded or confirmed. To do this, just do a test at home or take a special blood test called a hCG level test.
The first signs of pregnancy also include dizziness, nausea and a strong reaction to smells. To understand whether it is PMS or not, and whether menstruation will come, a woman must listen to her body. Pregnancy may be accompanied by slight bleeding in the form of drops in the middle of the cycle.
Painful changes can also occur as a result of hormonal imbalance. Typically, hormone imbalances occur in women before menopause. Over the course of several cycles, there are irregularities in bleeding, and the pain is very pronounced. Such manifestations are similar to signs of approaching menstruation.
How to relieve pain
Treatment of painful periods includes the use of the following groups of drugs:
- sedatives;
- antispasmodics and analgesics;
- oral contraceptives;
- complexes of minerals and vitamins.
Nimesil, No-shpa, Ketanov and Dexalgin effectively cope with pain syndrome, but it is not recommended to take them without a doctor’s prescription.
Before starting therapy, it is necessary to conduct a full diagnosis and identify the causes of PMS. Only in this way will it be possible to eliminate all unpleasant symptoms and prevent their reoccurrence.
Menstruation is a normal phenomenon that every woman of reproductive age experiences. Very unpleasant symptoms precede bleeding. With proper organization of life, their manifestations can be reduced to a minimum.
Alarming symptoms before critical days
Any woman is well aware of the signs and symptoms of the onset of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Having noticed deviations from the norm, it is necessary to find out why the change in symptoms occurred. This often indicates the presence of a number of diseases. Many people are concerned about atypical discharge. Their color says a lot:
- The white color of the daub is a sign of thrush. The discharge is accompanied by itching, and irritation of the external genitalia begins.
- White liquid mucus before menstruation in combination with painful itching is possible with diabetes. Grayish-white copious discharge signals bacterial vaginosis. They have a specific fishy smell.
- Bloody smear can be a sign of the presence of a tumor, neoplasm, or cervical erosion.
- Black marks on underwear may appear after pregnancy. They are normal if they appear in the first 2 or 3 months after birth with the onset of menstruation.
- Yellow-green copious discharge can be considered the most dangerous. They indicate the presence of an inflammatory process or infection of the genital organs.
- Elevated temperature for a long period of time before critical days is also a sign of inflammation. To avoid complications, you must contact a medical facility.
Signs of the onset of regulation in adolescents
Puberty in girls begins at 11-14 years of age. After menarche has occurred, that is, menstruation has begun for the first time, it may take 1.5-2 years until hormonal levels are completely established and the menstrual cycle is normalized. The onset of the first menstruation in girls can be determined by specific signs that appear several years before their arrival. 1.5-2 years before this, the girl develops a whitish or yellow secretion, the intensity of which intensifies shortly before the regulation.
A nagging pain may occur in the ovaries, which is provoked by their growth and stretching. In this case, the signs of PMS appear weakly, but if there are deviations from the norm, the signs of the syndrome in girls may coincide with the symptoms of adult women.
Most often, girls may only develop pimples due to hormonal fluctuations that affect the condition of the skin.
