Facts About Your Period Options

[*mzkandi*]

Facts about abnormal periods

There have been a lot of topics on abnormal period so here is a guide that can hopefully answer some of your questions. Source information comes from
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/menstruat...truabnormal.htm

You may be experiencing an abnormal period, abnormal uterine bleeding, an abnormal menstrual cycle if...

your menstrual cycle is longer than 31 to 35 days apart, or less than two weeks from day one of your period to day one of your next period.

you are soaking through more than one tampon or sanitary pad in 1 or 2 hours, or if your period lasts longer than 7 days, you may be experiencing excessive uterine bleeding or heavy menstruation.

you experience extremely severe cramps with menstruation. Some cramping is normal during your period, although not all women experience menstrual cramps, if your menstrual cramps seem more severe than normal you should see your health care provider to rule out and/ or diagnose the cause.

you may see clots of tissue in your menstruation, don't worry, this is no cause for alarm! Remember, your period consists of the lining of the uterus which is shed during menstruation, clots are very often a part of this shedding and rarely cause for alarm.

you are a young girl who has recently experienced the onset of menstruation, don't worry if you skip periods or have irregular periods for the first few years. This is very normal.

you are a young girl who extremely active in sports activities you may experience absence of menstruation for long periods of time. The cause of this is not clearly known.

you are a woman who is postmenopausal or a girl who is younger than eleven should see a doctor immediately if they experience uterine bleeding.

you are a young woman who is over 16 and have not started your period. See your health care provider and be sure to ask about the possibility of polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS, particularly if you are experiencing other symptoms of PCOS.

Remember, normal menstrual bleeding lasts about 5 days, and although it may seem like you are losing a lot more blood, the amount of blood lost during your period is only about 2 to 8 tablespoons. Menstruation occurs on average every twenty-eight days; but, anywhere from twenty-five to thirty-one days between periods is considered a normal menstrual cycle. If you think you are experiencing abnormal bleeding or abnormal periods, contact your health care provider for advice about what steps you should take next.

Additional Resource
http://womenshealth.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...Firregular.html

I felt that this topic would be better-suited for the Girls' Locker, considering guys don't have periods.

This post has been edited by Kathleen: Aug 27 2006, 04:02 PM