For a few days each month, you may feel a little bloated and a bit moody. That usually signals the start of your menstrual cycle, when your menses (or period) comes. In most women, this happens each month. For some, it is not as regular.
How long is the Menstrual Cycle?
It usually lasts 28 days but for some women, it may be shorter or longer. A cycle that lasts anywhere between 21 and 35 days is normal. Day 1 of the cycle starts on the first day of your menses. It ends just before your next period starts.
What happens every month during the cycle?
Each month after the end of your period, your brain sends signals to the eggs stored in your ovaries, telling them to grow. Among the hundreds of eggs stored in the ovaries, only one is released each month. This egg travels into the fallopian tubes where it waits for a sperm to fuse with it. This process is called fertilization. If fertilization occurs, pregnancy takes place. However, if fertilization does not happen, the egg dissolves.
While the egg travels along the fallopian tubes, the lining of your uterus is being prepared by your ovaries for any possible pregnancy. The hormones released by the ovaries thicken the lining of the uterus and increase the number and size of blood vessels to prepare the uterus for the fertilized egg. In cases where fertilization does not occur, this thick lining of the uterus peels off. Your period starts when this sloughed off lining passes through your cervix into the vagina.
