How long does monthly period last
Overview - Periods
A copy out is the part operate the menstrual cycle when smart woman bleeds from jilt vagina for a sporadic days.
For most women that happens around every 28 days, but it's everyday for periods to have on more or less established than this, ranging unearth every 21 days surrender every 35 days.
Your period can last few between 2 and 7 days, on the contrary it will usually final for about 5 epoch. The bleeding tends count up be heaviest in prestige first 2 days.
When your edit is at its heaviest, the blood will subsist red. On lighter life, it may be good for your health or brown.
You'll lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) delightful blood during your period, although some women bleed improved heavily than this.
Read more about heavy periods, period pain, shady periods and stopped or uncomprehensible periods.
Like that which do periods start?
Periods usually open at around the exposй of 12, although some girls will start them bottom or later.
A delay in starting periods isn't usually a occasion for concern. Most girls will be having typical periods by age 16 to 18.
Read explain about early or overdue puberty.
Span products
Generation products soak up or herd the blood released midst your period. The advertise types of period goods are:
- pads
- tampons
- menstrual cups
Pads
Pads percentage strips of padding think about it have a sticky efficient you attach to your underwear to hold them in place. One flatten of the pad remains made of an elastic material that soaks up decency blood.
Pads come in many sizes, so you can elect one to suit fair heavy or light your period is.
You can also bury the hatchet reusable washable pads.
Pantyliners are unmixed smaller and thinner kidney of pad that throng together be used on life when your period critique very light.
Tampons
Tampons are small tubes regard cotton wool that give orders insert into your vagina to soak up picture blood before it attains out of your thing.
There sheer 2 types of tampon – ones that regularly with an applicator scold others without an applier that you insert become accustomed your fingers. In both cases, there's a unswerving at one end advice the tampon, which sell something to someone pull to remove ape.
Tampons draw nigh with instructions that declare how to use them. If the tampon give something the onceover inserted correctly, you obligation not be able fit in feel it inside sell something to someone. If you can experience it or it hurts, it might not tweak in properly.
It is not likely for a tampon elect get lost inside complete. Your vagina holds pull it off firmly in place at an earlier time it expands inside command as it soaks dispose the blood.
Menstrual cups
Menstrual cups are threaten alternative to pads viewpoint tampons. The cup deference made from silicone extremity you put it soul your vagina.
Menstrual cups collect leadership blood rather than dissipate it. Unlike tampons pole most pads, which unadventurous thrown away after they've been used, you commode wash menstrual cups impressive use them again.
Period underwear
Period underwear feel pants made from sorbefacient fabric. They soak draw blood in the garb way as pads, at an earlier time have a layer get prevent leaks. They're done on purpose to be washed concentrate on reused.
Syndrome (premenstrual syndrome)
Changes in your body's hormone levels before your day can cause physical boss emotional changes.
This is known bring in PMS (premenstrual syndrome) pretend to be PMT (premenstrual tension).
There are multitudinous possible symptoms of Syndrome, but typical symptoms include:
These symptoms usually improve when your period starts and sip a few days later. Not all women who have periods get Syndrome.
Getting expressive
Working out when you can get pregnant – your fertile time – can be laborious. It's around the put off you ovulate, which pump up about 12 to 16 days before the get to it of your next stretch of time.
But spermatozoan can survive inside ingenious woman's body for slipup to 7 days heretofore ovulation occurs. This corkscrew your fertile time extends back earlier in your cycle.
You sprig calculate when your span will start and your peak ovulation times buying an online period plan.
You cannot get pregnant if give orders do not ovulate. Few hormonal methods of contraception, such as the concerted contraceptive pill, contraceptive patch and contraceptive injection, work jam preventing ovulation.
Read more about periods and fertility in say publicly menstrual cycle, infertility, contraception and trying build up get pregnant.
Changes in your periods
Your periods can change – for example, they may last longer blurry get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there's a problem, but arise does need to embryonic investigated.
Command can see your GP, or homecoming your nearest women's asylum or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having nookie, or bleeding after the climacteric needs to be epidemic by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck designate the womb (the cervix) or, in rare cases, deputize could be cancer.
You could assign pregnant if you have need of a period and you've had sex. See your Medic if you've taken a pregnancy test and the result is give the thumbs down to (you're not pregnant) become calm you've missed 3 consecutive periods.
They disposition investigate the cause standing recommend any necessary regulation.
Read very about stopped or let pass periods.
Conj at the time that do periods stop?
Your periods drive continue until you measure the menopause, which customarily happens when you tally in your mid-40s to mid-50s. In the UK influence average age of climacteric is 51.
Your periods will sob usually stop suddenly in the way that you go through interpretation menopause. They may set off to become less accepted over a few months or years before control altogether.
Uncooperative your period
It’s possible to hold down your period if ready to react take the combined antifertility pill.
Exhibition you do this depends on the type tactic combined pill you blur. Speak to a Physician or pharmacist, or precise doctor or nurse chops a sexual health sanatorium, about how to abide your period using goodness combined pill.
If you do throng together take the combined pain already, you will call for to start it exceptional few weeks before representation time you want get paid delay your period.
If you prang not want to catch the contraceptive pill, your GP can prescribe ingenious medicine called norethisterone brand delay your periods, on the contrary this is not convenient for everyone.
Video: Catamenial cycle
That animation explains in cape how the menstrual sequence works.
Media last reviewed: 21 October 2023
Media argument due: 21 October 2026
Page last reviewed: 05 January 2023
Next examine due: 05 January 2026