Back To Basics: Menstrual Cycles 

Despite the amount of biology, anatomy, and even sex education classes taught in schools, the vast majority of people still do not grasp the basic foundational knowledge of menstruation or female health and sexuality in general. Unfortunately, this can be for so many reasons such as the unwillingness of society or the government to invest in women’s health education, the idea of menstruation or female sexuality being shameful, a taboo, or just simply “disgusting” or “unimportant.” 

It is time to start from scratch. 

Menstruation is simply monthly bleeding that occurs in the female body, famously known as the “period,” or jokingly, “the time of month.” It is the biological flow of blood and tissue, from the shedding of the uterine lining traveling all the way to the cervix and then eventually unleashed through the vagina. Not the vulva. The vulva is the external part of the female genitals while the vagina is the inner muscular channel that connects the vulva to the cervix. 

As a whole, the menstrual cycle is the sequence of events or phases that take place in the body to prepare for pregnancy and reproduction. The normal average length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days. There are four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and lumenal phases. This guide will explain all of the phases of cycles in the simplest ways possible. 

Menstrual Cycles

Menses Phase

Starting with day one, if pregnancy still has not occurred, the lining of the uterus( endometrium) shreds through the vagina. 

Follicular Phase

This is the first day of the period when estrogen levels increase which leads to the uterine lining growth and thickness 

Ovulation Phase

This is the last day of the period where you ovulate. At this time, estrogen is still on the rise but along the way, there was a sudden rise in another hormone. This hormone is called the luteinizing hormone aids in making the ovary unleash its eggs. 

Luteal Phase

After the eggs get unleashed from the ovary and make their way through the fallopian tubes to the uterus, the level of progesterone begins to increase in the process of preparing the uterine lining for pregnancy. 

Pregnancy will occur if the egg becomes fertilized with sperm and the egg becomes implanted too. However, if not then all levels of hormones will drop and the thick lining of the uterus sheds during the period. 

If you would like to learn more about menstruation and the menstrual cycle in detail then stay tuned for future articles explaining cycles and more detailed information about menstruation. 

References

[1] Parenthood, Planned. “What Is Menstruation?: Get Facts about Having Your Period.” Planned Parenthood, professional.
[2] Cleveland Clinic Medical. “Menstrual Cycle (Normal Menstruation): Overview & Phases.” Cleveland Clinic.