Starting at puberty, which is sometime around the age of 13 for most girls, we start to receive a (hopefully) regular monthly visitor sometimes known as Aunt Flo, or quite simply your period. Or as we like to say around here, “menses”
The menstrual period is very important for women mainly for the purpose of fertility. And it can also be an indicator of some other problems going on in the body. Therefore it is important to know what is normal for you and what is not. This is because what is normal for your mother or sister may not be normal for you.
Now there are several myths surrounding periods, mostly because many of us don’t have clear knowledge and sometimes get a bit confused when you have to start calculating dates. So i’ll try to simplify this as much as possible.
A few basic things to know are the day you expect your period, how long you usually bleed for and how long your normal cycle is.
Last Menstrual Period (LMP): The very first day that you notice blood from your vagina is the day 1 of your cycle. If you have to see a doctor for any reason and you are asked for your last menstrual period date, this is also the date you’re expected to quote. For women who are pregnant, this is also the date that is used to calculate the age of the pregnancy.
Days of bleeding: This is the number of days which you actively bleed for. The normal range is between 2 to 7 days. So you may bleed for three days and this is normal. And another woman may bleed for 6 days and that’s normal for her as well. But what is important to note is change. So for example if you’ve always had 3 days of bleeding and then you notice that it has increased to 7 days, then there maybe need to investigate for a possible cause.
Cycle length: The menstrual cycle starts on the first day that you start bleeding and ends the day before the next period begins. The average length of the menstrual cycle is usually 28 days, but again, it can vary between women and from one cycle to the next. It is common for women to experience cycles that last anywhere from 20 to 40 days.
Again it is important to take note and know what is normal for you. When cycle length is longer than 6 weeks then it is considered unusual.
So for example, If you notice bleeding on the 29th of August, then that is Day 1 of your cycle. If you have a 28 day cycle, then your next period would be expected to come on the 26th of September. If your cycle length is 30 days then your period would be expected on the 28th of September.
The easy way to count is to use a physical calendar, mark the first day of bleeding and start counting, inclusive of that first day.
These days, thanks to technology periods are even easier to keep track of. A simple app like the sofy mobile app can help you keep track of your periods so you have a proper record and you also know when to expect your period as this can help prevent unpleasant surprises.
