Keep track & log your bleeding along with any symptoms in the cyclotest app!
What you will find on this page:
How normal is your period?
Sometimes it is not that easy to judge whether your own period is within the normal range or whether it already counts as a heavy period.
Our practical menstruation calculator helps you with this: simply enter a few details about your period and find out how you compare with the average. The tool also shows you roughly how many period products you need in a year – for better planning and a better overview.
What you should know about menstruation!
The whole subject of menstruation is complex and still taboo in many societies, which is why a great many questions arise about it. So it is good to know a little about menstruation – or even a lot.
Why do women get their period?
The cause of menstruation: shedding of the uterine lining
During their period, many women wish they had it as easy as men – and ask themselves why they regularly have to endure menstruation. The female cycle may seem tiresome precisely during this time, but it is of course also what makes it possible to have a child one day. Or, more simply: the period is a sign of a woman's fertility.1
Menstruation is necessary so that your body is prepared for a possible pregnancy in the new cycle. As the chart shows, the hormone progesterone first ensures that the uterine lining is built up after menstruation. If the egg from the ovary remains unfertilised after ovulation, however, the old lining that is no longer needed is broken down and expelled from the uterus. The lining is shed as the muscles of the uterus contract and ‘flush out’ the remains of the lining together with secretions and blood.The shedding of blood and uterine lining from the uterus happens month after month, from the onset of the period, the so-called menarche, until it comes to an end, the so-called menopause. The only interruption nature provides for is pregnancy.
Signs of your period
When the monthly period is due, many women notice it easily: because it involves a major hormonal shift, PMS often occurs. But lower abdominal pain, cramps or nausea are also common signs, both in the run-up to menstruation and during it.
It is helpful and interesting to know your own cycle length. The date of your next period can then be calculated relatively easily. Of course, this only works if your cycles are roughly the same length.
If your menstrual cycle is roughly the same each time, the period calendar is a simple aid: it lets you see the likely date of your next period at a glance.
If you have an irregular cycle, this naturally does not work. In that case the start of your period should be worked out from your own cycle data. Both cyclotest mySense and cyclotest myWay give you an overview of your personal menstrual cycle and its length, so that you do not have to rely on general average values that are of no use to you.
Are you interested in when your period starts because you have an important appointment or want to go on holiday? There are various ways of postponing your period.
How long does a period last?
Menstruation is as individual as your voice, your appearance or you yourself. It can be irregular, even though it is also called the ‘regular’ monthly bleed. And it is no use knowing that the average length of menstruation is between 4 and 5 days if your own period lasts only 3 days – because then 3 days can be perfectly normal.
How long your period lasts depends on various bodily processes. If the length of menstruation is consistently under 3 days or over 6 days, however, you should see a gynaecologist, who can tell you whether a pathological disorder of your hormone balance is involved.
Period intensity
The same applies to the intensity of the bleeding and to how it is experienced: everything differs from woman to woman. On average, 50 ml of menstrual fluid is discharged during menstruation. At the start of the period the menstrual bleeding is usually heavier. Towards the end, less blood and uterine lining are expelled from the uterus. And: the intensity of your period changes over the course of your life.1
Outwardly, the period takes the form of the monthly bleeding, which can be heavier at times and lighter at others. Some women believe they are pregnant despite having a period – this can be ruled out. During pregnancy, various types of bleeding with various causes can occur, but no menstrual blood. It is, on the other hand, possible to get pregnant during your period.
The first monthly period
The first monthly period, the so-called menarche, marks a major turning point in a girl's life. It usually takes place between the ages of 10 and 16 and in many cultures it is seen and celebrated as the transition from girl to woman.
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Period pain – symptoms and causes
Period pain refers to cramps in the lower abdomen during menstrual bleeding, which occur to varying degrees in up to 40 % of all women. Period pain is one of the most common menstrual complaints and is often accompanied by further symptoms such as nausea, back pain or mood swings.
What is ovulation pain?
Ovulation pain normally occurs around the day of ovulation. It is therefore also known as Mittelschmerz or ovulatory pain. Because with a regular period it is felt roughly in the middle of the cycle, it is also referred to as intermenstrual pain. Only about 30-40 % of women feel ovulation. 9
What is cervical mucus?
Cervical mucus is a watery or jelly-like secretion produced by the glands in the cervix. Over the course of the menstrual cycle, the discharge changes in consistency and appearance. Observing and analysing the cervical mucus provides clues about ovulation and the fertile days. Cervical mucus is analysed by sensation, sight and touch.
Cycle & stress
Stress can also have an effect on the cycle. It can cause cycle fluctuations and trigger hormonal imbalances. The right diet and relaxation exercises can counteract this.
Cycle monitoring plays a key role: regular tracking makes it possible to identify irregularities and to interpret symptoms better.
From this point on, ovulation, fertilisation and pregnancy are in principle possible. This is an exciting time in itself, and the first monthly period often adds to the uncertainty. That is quite normal, however, since these are completely new experiences.
Hygiene products for your period
So how do you deal with your period? There are a number of hygiene solutions for getting the bleeding under control – the best known are pads and tampons.
Tampons absorb the blood and the uterine lining that flow out of the uterus. Tampons in particular, however, need to be changed regularly. If you use such products, you should also find out which ingredients they contain and how the raw materials are produced.
Besides these well-known hygiene products, there are also more environmentally friendly methods, for example the menstrual cup. Cups cost somewhat more at first than conventional hygiene products, but in the long run they work out far cheaper, as they can be used for several years. That is why they also make an important contribution to climate protection and sustainability.The cheapest option is so-called free bleeding, where you get to know your own menstruation so precisely that ideally it no longer takes you by surprise. Once you have mastered this, you need few hygiene products, or none at all.
What complaints can occur during menstruation?
Since the period can often be irregular, it is good to know which problems you should be prepared for. For one thing, the period can be painful, and it can come too often or too rarely, be too heavy or too light. And of course it is also possible that no menstruation occurs at all. For all these complaints we have a few tips to keep the problems as small as possible. Incidentally, all physical symptoms can be entered in the cyclotest mySense app, the cycle app for the matching cyclotest mySense basal thermometer, as can the intensity of your bleeding, your mood, the intake of food supplements and much more.
cyclotest mySense – entry options
Period too short or period too long
If your period is too short, this is called brachymenorrhoea (a period lasting only 2 days). As it usually settles down again by itself, it is only treated if the period is permanently too short or if you wish to have a child. In that case a detailed examination and hormone therapy follow.
If your period is too long, on the other hand, this is known as menorrhagia (7-10 days). The causes can be polyps or fibroids, which are among the benign tissue changes, but also malignant tissue changes. While the latter have to be removed, with benign changes this depends on the individual case and on whether they cause symptoms. The cause can also be a hormonal disorder.2
Intensity of menstrual bleeding
If your period is too heavy (>80 ml), that is not necessarily a problem. If so-called hypermenorrhoea does not affect you (for example through anaemia or iron deficiency), there is normally (up to a certain point) no need to treat it either.2
From about 120 ml onwards it is assumed that the bleeding is too heavy; here it can make sense to consult a doctor. Women with a copper coil, however, are more likely to have a heavier period.
If the monthly bleeding is too light, this is called hypomenorrhoea. Here the blood loss is under 25 ml. As a rule there are no symptoms. Treatment is usually not necessary.2
When your period does not come
If your period fails to appear altogether, this is called amenorrhoea.2 A missing period is not necessarily caused by an illness or by a lack of ovulation: you may also be pregnant! If you are otherwise healthy, this is a sign of pregnancy.
If you are a little older, a period that fails to appear can also point to the menopause transition or indicate the start of the menopause. But after stopping the pill or other hormonal contraceptives, too, the bleeding can in some cases fail to appear for 3 or more months (post-pill amenorrhoea). While you are taking the pill, no period occurs either, because of the hormones it supplies (oestrogen and progestogen). The pill makes the body think it is pregnant. All that takes place is a withdrawal bleed, triggered during the pill-free intervals by the hormone withdrawal and the associated drop in the oestrogen level.
Bleeding between periods
Bleeding between periods is common, and it varies in intensity just as much as its causes do: the cause can be a hormonal disorder, but also the tiniest of injuries. Illness, inflammation and stress are also known causes.
The cause should therefore always be clarified so that it can be treated if necessary. As a rule the doctor will check whether the cause is organic or hormonal and will then start the appropriate treatment if required. With cyclotest mySense and cyclotest myWay you can also track any bleeding that occurs between your periods.
Pain during menstruation
Period pain is not unusual – almost every woman is or has been affected by it at some point. In most cases it is annoying but medically harmless. You should take action, however, if the pain affects your daily routine so much that you can no longer carry out your usual tasks. That kind of physical impairment is something anyone is glad to be rid of.
If these measures do not help, medication can provide relief. Ask your doctor about this.
Irregular cycle
An irregular cycle is also common. For many women this irregularity is even normal, because there is simply no standard cycle. A cycle is only called irregular when the cycle length is permanently under 21 days or over 46 days, or fluctuates by 8 days from one cycle to the next. Smaller variations should not be a cause for concern. The fluctuations can be caused by age, illness or stress, but also by dieting, a long holiday or competitive sport.
All the important questions about your period
Sources:
- 1 Diedrich, K. et al.: Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. 2. Auflage. Heidelberg 2007.
- 2 Göretzlehner, G. et al.: Blutungsstörungen – Neugeborenenperiode bis Postmenopause. 2. Auflage. 2014.