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The menstrual calendar is a tool for women to monitor the menstrual cycle. Thanks to it, we can not only indicate the date of the next menstruation, but also determine the time of ovulation and fertile days. Due to technical advances, we can use the online menstrual calendar and also via the app. Find out exactly how it works.
Menstruation – what is it?
Menstruation is the term used to describe your period (menstrual bleeding). About once a month, women who have gone through puberty experience menstrual bleeding. This is because the lining of the uterus has prepared for a possible pregnancy by becoming thicker and richer in blood vessels.
If pregnancy does not occur, the lining of the womb peels off and bleeding occurs for an average of 3 to 8 days. Menstrual cycle length is the number of days between the first day of menstrual bleeding in one cycle and the onset of menstruation in the next cycle. The median duration of the menstrual cycle is 28 days, with most cycles ranging from 25 to 30 days.
Also read: What can irregular periods mean?
Menstrual cycle – characteristics
The menstrual cycle is the monthly hormone cycle that a woman’s body goes through in preparation for pregnancy. The menstrual cycle is controlled by a complex group of hormones, produced by two structures in the brain, the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, along with the ovaries.
Your menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of your period to the first day of your next period. Hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone) usually fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and can cause menstrual symptoms.
The phases of the menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle has three phases:
- Faza follicularna (dni 1 — 14):
This phase of the menstrual cycle occurs approximately from day 1 to day 14. Day 1 is the first day of bright red bleeding and the end of this phase is characterized by ovulation. While menstrual bleeding occurs early in this phase, the ovaries also prepare to re-ovulate.
The pituitary gland (located at the base of the brain) releases a hormone called FSH, the follicle stimulating hormone. This hormone causes several “follicles” to grow on the surface of the ovary. There is an immature egg in each follicle.
Usually only one of these follicles becomes dominant and one mature egg develops, the other follicles die. If more than one follicle is mature it can lead to multiple pregnancies.
A maturing follicle produces the hormone estrogen which increases in the follicular phase and peaks in a day or two before ovulation. The lining of the uterus (endometrium) becomes thicker and more enriched with blood during the second part of this phase (after the end of menstruation) in response to rising estrogen levels.
High estrogen levels stimulate the production of Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH), which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Around day 12 of the cycle, an increase in LH and FSH levels causes an egg to be released from the follicle. The increase in LH levels also causes a short-term increase in testosterone, which increases sex drive in the most fertile period of the cycle – in response to the increase in estrogen levels.
- Ovulation phase (day 14):
The release of the mature egg occurs around day 14 as a result of a sharp increase in LH and FSH (compared to the previous day). Once released, the egg enters the fallopian tube where fertilization can occur if sperm are present. If the egg is not fertilized, it breaks down after approximately 24 hours. After the egg is released, the follicle closes and this is called the corpus luteum.
- Luteal phase (days 14-28):
After the egg is released, FSH and LH levels drop. The corpus luteum produces progesterone. If fertilization has taken place, the corpus luteum continues to produce progesterone, which prevents the lining of the womb from shedding. If fertilization has not occurred, the corpus luteum disintegrates, causing progesterone levels to drop and signals the endometrial lining to shed.
Also read: What does post-ovulation spotting show?
How does the menstrual calendar work?
The menstrual cycle starts on the first day of your period. In other words, the first day of your cycle is the first day of your period, the second day of your cycle is the second day of your period, and so on. In general, bleeding lasts three to five days and varies from woman to woman.
An important point to note is that the cycle starts on the day of regular bleeding, but not spotting.. For example, you started noticing them on March 3, but the actual bleeding started the day after. So, the first day of your menstrual cycle is March 4. Let’s say you bleed for five days, so your menstrual cycle lasts five days in March.
Now, if your next period started on April 2, your cycle length is the number of days from March 4 to April 1 (the day before your next period), or 29 days. You should not count the first day of your next period, as that day will coincide with your next menstrual cycle.
In general, your menstrual period is the number of days you regularly bleed, and your menstrual cycle is the number of days from the first day of your last period to the day before your next period starts. The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28 days, but it varies from person to person.
Also check: What are the most common causes of painful periods?
Is it worth using the menstrual calendar?
If you have regular periods, tracking them can help you find out when you are ovulating, when you are most likely to become pregnant, and when you can expect your next period to start. However, if your periods are not regular, tracking them can help you discuss any issues with your gynecologist.
If you are experiencing period pain or bleeding that is causing you to drop out of school or work, keeping track of your menstrual symptoms will help you and your gynecologist find suitable treatments. Severe pain or bleeding that makes you miss regular classes is not normal and can be treated.
See: Painful periods can herald endometriosis
Menstrual calendar – application
As an application, the menstrual calendar can be very useful. The small program installed on our smartphone is with us everywhere. Thanks to it, we can easily check whether the menstruation will not thwart our weekend plans and at what time it is best to try for a child. It is a treasury of knowledge informing us about how our body functions.
If we want the menstrual calendar to calculate the expected date of the next menstruation, we must enter specific data. The application will ask us about the length of the menstrual cycle and the first day of menstruation. With each subsequent month, thanks to the installed application, you will know on what day you can expect bleeding, when you are fertile, and when you are ovulating.
Online menstrual calendar
You can also find the online menstrual calendar. Thanks to it, we can quickly and easily calculate the time of the next menstruation. The menstrual calendar also asks for the average duration of your period and the date of the last one. Thanks to this few information, we can keep track of the changes that take place in our body in the following days of the cycle. It is a very simple way to detect many anomalies.
In addition, the modern menstrual calendar may ask about additional symptoms that accompany us throughout the cycle. The gynecologist may ask us for such information. With everything at hand, we will not miss any detail. If you don’t trust the online versions or the apps, you can go for the traditional printable calendar. You can also carry the paper version with you.
There are, however, some downsides. You will have to do all the calculations yourself. You will also not be able to count on a reminder of the upcoming menstruation. The paper version can also get lost, and then all your notes and observed symptoms will disappear. It should be made very clear that we should not completely believe all calculations. Our body may be different from that of other women, and you may find that certain parts of the cycle come at a slightly different time.
In addition, stress can delay the onset of menstruation. It is not best to use a menstrual calendar just to know which days to avoid intercourse. The cycle may become unregulated and, for example, ovulation will occur a little earlier than usual. The menstrual calendar should only be information to help us monitor your health. Thanks to it, we know in which part of the month to plan individual activities in order to fully enjoy them. The menstrual calendar is a very helpful tool, without which it would be difficult to tell where we are at about the point in the cycle.
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