All You Need to Know About Menstruation and Pregnancy

Every woman goes through it. In general, menstruation is the way a female body is prepared for pregnancy every month. Menstruation is the key to pregnancy. Irregular menstruation means a problem in pregnancy. But most people do not know the right facts about menstruation and pregnancy. There is also some myth about this. Read the full article to know all the facts about the menstruation cycle. This article is also helpful for girls who have entered puberty and have experienced their first period.

What is the menstrual cycle?

The primary sexual organ of women is uterus, cervix, and fallopian tube. All of these organs are incomplete when a baby girl is born. These organs grow to puberty and become potent. After a girl child enters puberty or reaches a certain age (8 to 13 years), the pituitary glands start secreting follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and leutinizing hormone. Estrogen and progesterone are the two hormones which regulate the menstrual cycle. This cycle is of 28 days to 34 days in general. But some women have a shorter cycle of 21 days. Each woman has two ovaries and each of these ovaries hold a bunch of immature eggs. These eggs are only visible through a microscope.

During a certain period of the menstrual cycle, the eggs become mature. Estrogen and progesterone help the egg to become mature. Then one ovary releases one egg. The egg is now ready to be fertilized. The egg travels to the uterus through the fallopian tube. These hormones also make the uterus inner lining spongy and thick so that the fertilized egg can get implanted. If a woman engages in a conjugal relationship during this time, sperm from her male partner fertilizes the egg. Hence, the menstrual cycle and pregnancy are directly related to each other. A mature egg can only live for 24 to 48 hours in your uterus. Then it loses its power and becomes useless for the body.

Your body does not need this egg anymore. Hence the thick uterus line breaks down and the unfertilized egg comes out with those thick cells and blood. This vaginal blood and mucus are what we call period. Generally, the period or the menstruation stays for 5 to 7 days.

Menstrual cycle pregnancy-related matters are not that much easy to understand. So, here a simple calculation method is used.

The day from which your period or menstruation starts can be taken as the starting date of the menstrual cycle. During this period the thick uterus lining an unfertilized egg is released. It may last for a week. Then the uterus repairs and the hormone level goes upwards. Each ovary starts to produce the eggs. After 14-16 days of your menstruation, an ovary releases an egg. This is called the ovulation period.  If you get pregnant then the egg gets implanted and the fertilized egg starts to evolve into a baby. But, if that doesn’t happen then the fertilized egg and thick uterus lining is again broken and menstruation begins after 10 to 12 days of ovulation period.

During pregnancy, the female body takes care of the baby and hence period remains stopped for a short period. A woman may stop menstruating after 45 years to 55 years of age. It varies for each woman. The time is called menopause. After menopause, a woman loses her fertility.

Therefore, it is clear that the menstrual cycle is a process with which the female body prepares itself for pregnancy. It starts in puberty and stops after a certain age.

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