Verified By April 29, 2021
While you do not feel the need to remember when the last menstrual cycle began, its intensity, and how long it lasted, your menstrual cycle can reveal a lot about your health and wellness. Keeping track of your menstrual cycle can help you understand the time of ovulation, identify normal and abnormal signs, and figure out any changes, including unexpected bleeding or a missed period. Thus, it is crucial for you to be familiar with period tracking. It will allow you to seek medical attention if there are any irregularities in your menstrual cycle.
The menstrual cycle is a cycle of changes in a woman’s body, controlled by hormones that cause regular bleeding. It prepares the woman’s body for pregnancy. A woman has two ovaries, and each one contains a bunch of eggs. Each month, an egg is released by one of these ovaries, which is known as ovulation. Also, this is the time when the uterus is ready for pregnancy by changes in hormones. The womb makes a lining to allow the egg to be fertilized. However, if the egg does not get fertilized, the lining and the egg shed as blood through the vagina. So, in simple terms, menstruation is the process of getting your period every month.
Generally, adult women see their period recurring in each 21-35 days, with bleeding lasting for 3 to 7 days, which is quite normal. The menstrual cycle might be longer during the initial years. However, they are likely to be more regular with age. The periods become more regular too, lasting for the same duration each month. The monthly cycle is measured from day one of the period to the first day of the next period. On noticing any irregularities in the periods, it is wise to consult a doctor. As women are about to reach the age of menopause, the menstrual cycle may start getting irregular again.
Tracking your menstrual cycle every month will help you to understand your body in a better way. Mentioned below are a few reasons to track your period:
The menstrual cycle comes with PMS as well as hormonal changes, lasing throughout the cycle. These hormonal changes can cause mood swings that include feelings of anxiety, irritability, stress, or even a sense of extreme affection. Tracking your menstrual cycle will help you to learn and manage these changes better. It will help you get an idea about the symptoms and physical changes such as bloating, painful cramps, etc.
Tracking your menstrual cycle can help you keep a note of the cycle and be aware of the menstrual cycle length. Each woman has a different body type, so irregularities in the cycle are a common thing. While the standard duration of a menstrual cycle is 28 days, it may vary in each woman. So, your menstrual cycle can also be different. Period tracking will help you to notice whether or not your periods are normal.
There are some common misconceptions about pregnancy, including the thought that a woman can get pregnant within two days of ovulation. Remember, you can conceive only during your fertile window. For most women, an average fertile window falls between the 7th to the 14th day in their menstrual cycle. Tracking your period will help you to know your fertile window and get an idea about the best time to get pregnant. If you do not wish to get pregnant, period tracking will allow you to manage contraceptive choices.
Tracking your menstrual cycle and sexual activity will help you to understand hormone levels and period patterns. Often, women feel a spike in their sexual desire and drive during ovulation, which may be reduced gradually once the ovulation phase is over.
Your menstrual cycle can say a lot about your overall health. If something gets wrong with your health, your period can be disturbed. Missing your period frequently, having a heavy cycle, or any other extreme irregularity can be a symptom of underlying conditions. Tracking your menstrual cycle will help you to remember details about your period irregularities, allowing you and your doctor to assess the situation better.
Tracking your menstrual cycle will help you to know about the natural patterns of the cycle. Here are the two best ways to track your periods:
The first method to track your periods includes the following steps:
It is an easy and advanced way to track your periods. It involves the following steps:
Irregular periods are common and can occur due to hormonal imbalance, changes in contraception methods, or bodily changes around menopause. If your periods are late or early by a few days, if you notice a lighter or heavier flow, or feel intolerable pain, these are signs of irregular periods.
Irregular periods may be caused by reasons such as thyroid problems, unhealthy diet, pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, and polycystic ovary syndrome. However, you do not need to panic if the tracking process reveals that your periods are not regular. Seeking treatment or using birth control pills can help to treat these period irregularities.
Though irregularities in the menstrual cycle are common, it is wise to consult a doctor if you notice any long-lasting or major changes in your cycle. Tracking your period and providing each and every detail to the doctor will allow you to get proper treatment. Mentioned below are a few signs of why one may need to consult a gynecologist:
You should keep in mind that any change in period or irregular bleeding can be something to worry about. Abnormal bleeding can also be a sign of a severe condition such as uterine cancer. Women who notice such abnormalities need to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Keeping all your period-related details ready can be quite helpful for the treatment.