Menstruation

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Menstruation or menses is when a woman has blood come out of her vagina for 2-7 days every month. A slang word for menses is a period.

Most women menstruate for 3-5 days every month. However, anywhere from 2-7 days is normal. The amount of blood lost is normally about 50ml. Women usually use a pad or a tampon to keep the blood from staining their clothes and other things.

The fluid that comes out looks like blood, but it is more than just blood. It also has endometrial tissue. This is the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus (womb).

Menses happens in the first days of the menstrual cycle. This is the changes that happen in a woman's body every month. These changes are started by changes in hormone levels in the blood. These changes also cause a woman to ovulate and make an ovum (or egg). Menstruation usally starts around the age of 12 and ends when the woman is too old to have children.

Some women have pain in the low part of the abdomen when they menstruate, known as cramps. The hormones that are produced before and during a period can also make a woman feel sad, angry, or just strange. This is called premenstrual syndrome or PMS.

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