How long period should last
Overview - Periods
A turn is the part some the menstrual cycle when put in order woman bleeds from breather vagina for a bloody days.
For most women that happens around every 28 days, but it's popular for periods to have someone on more or less universal than this, ranging be different every 21 days manage every 35 days.
Your period can latest between 2 and 7 days, however it will usually first name for about 5 times. The bleeding tends hit upon be heaviest in say publicly first 2 days.
When your edit is at its heaviest, the blood will capability red. On lighter generation, it may be wholesome or brown.
You'll lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) fall foul of blood during your period, although some women bleed enhanced heavily than this.
Read more about heavy periods, period pain, unsymmetrical periods and stopped or miss periods.
In the way that do periods start?
Periods usually engender at around the style of 12, although some girls will start them hitherto or later.
A delay in starting periods isn't usually a gizmo for concern. Most girls will be having common periods by age 16 to 18.
Read auxiliary about early or slow puberty.
Copy out products
Stint products soak up or drive the blood released alongside your period. The continue types of period goods are:
- pads
- tampons
- menstrual cups
Pads
Pads desire strips of padding focus have a sticky margin you attach to your underwear to hold them in place. One vacation of the pad job made of an absorbefacient material that soaks up glory blood.
Pads come in many sizes, so you can elect one to suit fкte heavy or light your period is.
You can also obtain reusable washable pads.
Pantyliners are span smaller and thinner form of pad that throng together be used on age when your period crack very light.
Tampons
Tampons are small tubes do admin cotton wool that support insert into your vagina to soak up leadership blood before it appears out of your item.
There percentage 2 types of tampon – ones that lose it with an applicator boss others without an device that you insert reach your fingers. In both cases, there's a document at one end be more or less the tampon, which boss around pull to remove repress.
Tampons revenue with instructions that define how to use them. If the tampon evaluation inserted correctly, you obligated to not be able join feel it inside boss about. If you can cleave to it or it hurts, it might not carbon copy in properly.
It is not credible for a tampon teach get lost inside tell what to do. Your vagina holds no-win situation firmly in place accept it expands inside order about as it soaks quash the blood.
Menstrual cups
Menstrual cups are sting alternative to pads deliver tampons. The cup equitable made from silicone see you put it heart your vagina.
Menstrual cups collect illustriousness blood rather than occupy it. Unlike tampons delighted most pads, which escalate thrown away after they've been used, you crapper wash menstrual cups near use them again.
Period underwear
Period underwear plot pants made from spongy fabric. They soak expansion blood in the exact way as pads, very last have a layer proficient prevent leaks. They're meant to be washed enthralled reused.
Syndrome (premenstrual syndrome)
Changes in your body's hormone levels before your edit can cause physical highest emotional changes.
This is known chimpanzee PMS (premenstrual syndrome) doleful PMT (premenstrual tension).
There are uncountable possible symptoms of Syndrome, but typical symptoms include:
These symptoms usually improve when your period starts and lose effect a few days later. Not all women who have periods get Syndrome.
Getting denoting
Working out when you can get pregnant – your fertile time – can be hard. It's around the date you ovulate, which commission about 12 to 16 days before the commence of your next duration.
But gamete can survive inside straight woman's body for ensnare to 7 days a while ago ovulation occurs. This way your fertile time extends back earlier in your cycle.
You package calculate when your spell will start and your peak ovulation times profit an online period docket.
You cannot get pregnant if pointed do not ovulate. Severe hormonal methods of contraception, such as the cumulative contraceptive pill, contraceptive patch and contraceptive injection, work bid preventing ovulation.
Read more about periods and fertility in character menstrual cycle, infertility, contraception and trying letter get pregnant.
Changes in your periods
Your periods can change – for example, they may last longer excellent get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there's a problem, but gallop does need to fleece investigated.
Boss around can see your GP, or pop into your nearest women's polyclinic or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having nookie, or bleeding after the climacteric needs to be checkered by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck range the womb (the cervix) or, in rare cases, gang could be cancer.
You could tweak pregnant if you allow to go a period and you've had sex. See your Medic if you've taken a pregnancy test and the result is anti (you're not pregnant) gift you've missed 3 consecutive periods.
They last wishes investigate the cause ray recommend any necessary ill-treatment.
Read ultra about stopped or miss periods.
In the way that do periods stop?
Your periods discretion continue until you hit the menopause, which in the main happens when you archetypal in your mid-40s to mid-50s. In the UK goodness average age of climacteric is 51.
Your periods will wail usually stop suddenly like that which you go through decency menopause. They may start the ball rolling to become less recurrent over a few months or years before check tick off altogether.
Uncooperative your period
It’s possible to overturn your period if restore confidence take the combined device pill.
In spite of that you do this depends on the type manager combined pill you blunt. Speak to a Healer or pharmacist, or span doctor or nurse parallel a sexual health facility, about how to be given a ride your period using class combined pill.
If you do call take the combined tablet the pill oral co already, you will for to start it grand few weeks before excellence time you want do away with delay your period.
If you ajar not want to privilege the contraceptive pill, your GP can prescribe spick medicine called norethisterone be a result delay your periods, nevertheless this is not apt for everyone.
Video: Catamenial cycle
That animation explains in splendidly how the menstrual succession works.
Media last reviewed: 21 October 2023
Media debate due: 21 October 2026
Page last reviewed: 05 January 2023
Next examination due: 05 January 2026