The menstrual cycle or female sexual cycle is the process by which a woman's body, in this case her uterus, she is in the hormonal process preparing for a possible pregnancy. During this cycle the woman will assume a hormonal process within her body to produce a possible egg that if it is not fertilized, it will be expelled causing the so-called menstruation or bleeding.
The menstrual cycle occurs every month in a woman's life when she is fertile. It covers 28 days, but there are cycles that can last from about 21 to 35 days. Find out on which days a woman is fertile and what her menstrual cycle consists of.
When is a woman considered fertile?
The reproductive or fertile age of a woman It begins at the age of puberty, around 12 years old, and begins to decline around 30 years of age. From that age, the chances of her trying to get pregnant will be 20% and when she reaches 40 years of age, her probability drops to 5%. A woman you are no longer fertile or have a menstrual cycle when your menopause arrives, which is usually around 51 years of age.
Phases of the menstrual cycle
A period or menstrual cycle can last between 24 and 38 days in a woman and everything will depend on the age of a woman. It is not the same when you are in puberty as when you are in the menopausal phase.
1st stage of the cycle: menstruation.
In this period is when bleeding occurs that consists of evacuation through the vagina of the uterine lining or secondary endometrium, since there has been no embryo implantation or no pregnancy has occurred.
Through this bleeding, the layer that was housing the ovum that was not fertilized is shed. It usually lasts from 2 to 7 days and you can notice that the hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone are low.
2nd stage: follicular and / or proliferative phase
In this phase it occurs after menstruation or in other words before ovulation. It lasts about 10 to 12 days and at this point is when the pituitary gland of the brain signals the ovaries to release estrogen and progesterone.
These hormones will be responsible for creating between 10 and 20 follicles (immature eggs) so that they begin to form inside the uterus. Only one of them will become thicker than the others and reach a state of maturity which will be the one that will cover the entire surface of the ovary. All the others that were formed break down and are absorbed by the body itself.
3rd stage: ovulative phase
This period occurs between the 14th or 15th day (before the new rule). When estrogens are high enough, the egg has finished maturing. Here the pituitary sends a signal for the release of the matured ovum and it will move through the Fallopian tube.
4th stage: luteal phase and / or expulsion
Hormone levels begin to prepare the lining of the uterus to begin a possible pregnancy during the three days that ovulation can last. If the egg is not fertilized then it will age and can no longer be fertilized.
In this phase is when a woman can experience physical and emotional change, notice that your breasts are more sensitive and bulging, more fluid retention, you get to feel even more tired with changes in smoke and stress.
If such fertilization has not occurred, the corpus luteum or ovum will disintegrate, lowering progesterone levels.. The endometrium begins to decrease in size and as it is no longer going to be used for a possible pregnant woman, the body will expel it. This is when the menstruation cycle begins again, with the expulsion through the vagina of the uterine lining accompanied by blood.