The Menstrual Calendar is a detailed chart of the menstrual cycle that helps a woman to keep track of her periods as well as know about her fertility days.
Having a thorough knowledge as well as keenly observing your menstrual cycle may help you in avoiding pregnancy or even taking chances.
It may also help in knowing about your irregularities or any underlying problems if any and lastly, keep you well prepared beforehand.
It is the period from the first day of a cycle to the first day of the next menstruation.
During the whole cycle, the hypothalamus (the gland that releases hormones that stimulate or inhibit several bodily processes) releases a series of hormones that stimulate the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone.
These hormones induce changes in various parts of the body, such as the cervix and endometrium, which favor the process of fertilization, nourishment, and development of the embryo. The woman’s body is ready for getting pregnant.
Women have the immense luck of having a biologically programmed natural detox cure every month. Thanks to the period, each month more or less, the body gets rid of toxins and other potentially harmful elements.
During menstruation, not only the tissues of the uterus are renewed. Many women complain of intense and frequent movements in the lower abdomen and stomach during the period, a sign of an inner clean-up in their bodies.
While this “detox cure” takes place on the women’s insides, the period is also a mirror of what happens to us emotionally and spiritually.
It can also be a moment of “emotional detoxification,” a window of introspection and reflection on yourself, about how you treat and manage your body and a form of emotional catharsis.
That period in which the sensitivity, in all the areas, does not have to be considered as something negative. On the contrary, it is a time when intuition is at its maximum.
Just before starting and then also during the period, hormones are subject to significant fluctuations, which leads women to be many times more emotional and more sensitive. And contrary to what some people might think, that is not a bad thing.
If taken as something positive, increased sensitivity becomes a state of enhanced concentration and awareness in which women feel more strongly the things that happen to them and that they experience.
Menstrual Cycle
Menstrual Cycle is a continuous biological cycle of reproductive changes that occur in the female reproductive system.
The length of the period ranges from 21 to 35 days approximately. However, 28 days would be an ideal menstrual cycle length.
It differs from woman to woman as some may have it regularly and some may have it irregularly.
Phases of Menstrual Cycle
Some divide the 28-day menstrual cycle into various stages under two broad categories: ovarian cycle and uterine cycle. The phases are:
- Menstrual Phase, which is the bleeding phase that lasts from 2 to 5 or 7 days as may vary.
- Follicular Phase, in which ovarian follicles get active and mature to release eggs.
- Ovulation Phase and Proliferative phase are two overlapping phases that mark the release of an egg and thickening of the uterus lining.
- Luteal Phase and Secretory Phase are again two corresponding stages. The eggs are in the Fallopian tube ready to fertilize if it comes in contact with sperms or otherwise would disintegrate and slug off marking the beginning of the next menstrual cycle.
How do cycles work?
If a woman has cycles of 26 days, ovulation will occur 12 days after the first day of the period.
In a 36-day cycle, it will happen 22 days later, but in both cases, ovulation occurred 14 days before the next period.
The ovule remains fertile for a period of 24 to 48 hours, and this is the time the sperm has available to fertilize it.
The female menstrual cycle usually lasts 28 days, although it is also considered as average for the period to last between 21 and 35 days.
In these cases, the period consists of three phases: hemorrhagic or menstrual, proliferative, or follicular and secretory or luteal.
The day that begins menstruation or menstrual bleeding is day 1 of the cycle.
The first three days usually produce menstruation (hemorrhagic phase), although the bleeding of the menstrual cycle can prolong some days more.
From day 4 begins the proliferative phase (in which the endometrium prepares for possible pregnancy), and lasts until ovulation, on day 14 of the cycle.
After ovulation, the secretory stage begins, which ends when the hemorrhagic phase of the next cycle begins, from day 14 to 28.
The latter is the only one that has the same duration in all women, 14 days, regardless of the total length of the cycle (which will be a function of the hemorrhagic and proliferative phases).
During that last phase, the corpus luteum is responsible for producing progesterone. If fertilization of the ovum does not take place, it degenerates, and a new menstrual cycle begins.
The corpus luteum also produces other substances such as small amounts of estrogen and, if the egg gets fertilized, secretes the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, which stimulates the maturation of the ovum and maintains the corpus luteum until the placenta is ready to feed the fetus.
Advantages of Menstrual Calendar
Menstrual Calendar can be both easy to prepare and easy to maintain, all with the help of free online software. The following are the advantages of sticking to a menstrual calendar:
- It gives a thorough knowledge of the menstrual cycle and its various phases.
- Besides, it also helps in ovulation period and knowing your fertile days.
- Avoid being uncertain about the dates
- To get a better knowledge about problems related to your periods
Age plays an essential role in the reproductive process because the woman is born with the total number of eggs that she will release throughout her sexual life so that at 20 years an egg is 20 years old and at 40, He is 40 years old.
Because of this, the optimal age to get pregnant is between the ages of 20 and 24.
However, during the last two decades, most women plan their pregnancies after the age of 30, because they must meet priorities related to their professional development.
This results in a decrease in their fertile ability which, in most cases, goes unnoticed because it does not produce alterations in their menstrual cycle.
Once the follicles run out, menstruation, hormone production, and menopause begin.
